Democrats Nominate Harris for Vice President, as Obama Lashes Trump

Yet, even as Democrats championed change, they promised to keep fighting for policies to combat sexual assault and domestic violence and to improve access to affordable child care. The prominent airtime given to those issues underscores the influence Democratic women have gained during the Trump era. Women have emerged as the backbone of the party, shattering records for political giving, running for office in unprecedented numbers and overwhelmingly voting for Democrats.

Wednesday night’s program, conducted virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, was a tribute to the constituencies that have driven the party’s rise during the Trump administration — women, minority voters, and young voters. While Ms. Harris was the evening’s main attraction, the program featured remarks from several of the most powerful women in the party, as well as Spanish-language speakers, victims of gun violence and everyday Americans meant to represent marginalized slices of the electorate. Like the previous evenings, the night combined elements of an old-fashioned variety show, a telethon and a political event.

The most unexpected development of the night came from Mr. Obama, whose condemnation of Mr. Trump was a departure from his first turn on the convention stage, in 2004, when he catapulted to national prominence with a soaring manifesto of hope and national unity. On Wednesday, his message was darker, a reflection of a country changed by crisis and a party desperate to oust an incumbent president. He offered a grim warning about the durability of American democracy.

“This president and those in power — those who benefit from keeping things the way they are — they are counting on your cynicism,” Mr. Obama said, addressing voters. “They know they can’t win you over with their policies. So they’re hoping to make it as hard as possible for you to vote, and to convince you that your vote doesn’t matter. That’s how they win.”

Mr. Obama has largely held his fire for three and a half years as Mr. Trump has gone after him relentlessly with fierce attacks and baseless smears. And the former president has mostly stayed out of American politics, other than occasionally offering advice and endorsements to Democratic candidates. Many supporters have long wished that he would speak out against Mr. Trump; on Wednesday he did, focusing chiefly on the Republican’s approach to the pandemic, leadership and democracy.