He’s baaaack.
President Obama reunited with the campaign trail Tuesday alongside Hillary Clinton and with it gave his familiar Obama speech: a concoction of interacting with the crowd, an enthusiastic but relaxed demeanor and an ability to stay energized.
Here were some of the stand-out, most Obama moments that showcased his public speaking skills.
Tears For Malia
Clinton said she thought the president and Michelle Obama did a “fabulous job” raising their children, Malia and Sasha and noted that Malia graduated from high school and turned 18 yesterday.
Obama pretended to wipe tears from his eyes.
Enthusiasm For Clinton
Obama walked to the podium after being introduced by Clinton shouting, “Hillary” along with the crowd. When he did get to the microphone, he told the audience he was “fired up.”
“She got me ready to do some work,” he said.
.@POTUS chants “Hillary” at a campaign event for @HillaryClinton in North Carolina pic.twitter.com/Tdw8iYdLDY
— POLITICO (@politico) July 5, 2016
Schmoozing Charlotte Voters
Obama told the audience that he loved the people of Charlotte and its sports teams.
“When we used to campaign here, I used to say even the people who aren’t voting for me are nice. That’s not true everywhere.”
He told the crowd that he would have to make a food stop before heading back to D.C.
“I know you all have recommendations. And no, I can’t go to your house to get the food. Although, I’m sure you’re an excellent cook,” Obama said as Clinton laughed behind him.
He apparently wasn’t joking. Both he and Clinton stopped for BBQ after the rally:
Obama and Clinton stop for BBQ at Midwood Smokehouse pic.twitter.com/GZBJ9Ppeaf
— Margaret Talev (@margarettalev) July 5, 2016
Joking About ’08
Clinton said in her introduction of Obama that she was his opponent in a “hard fought primary.” Obama jokingly wiped his forehead:
Obama went on to talk about debating Clinton in the 2008 primaries and how he believes she had beaten him the first few times.
“Now you don’t have to rub it in. You don’t have to rub it in, now,” Obama said to an audience member.
Criticizing The Donald
Obama didn’t mention Donald Trump by name, but he complimented Clinton’s plan to improve the economy and gave this blistering line:
“But if your concern is who is going to look out for working families, if you are voting your pocketbook, if you are asking who is actually going to stand up for the guy on the construction site or the guy in the factory or the woman who is cleaning a hotel room or somebody who is really working hard, the working family — if that’s your concern, this isn’t even a choice. Because the other side has nothing to offer you. The other side’s got nothing to offer you.”
He also said that “everybody can tweet” but that nobody knows the job until “you’ve sat behind the desk.”
.@POTUS: “Everybody can tweet, but nobody knows what it takes to do the job until you’ve sat behind the desk” pic.twitter.com/c2DywxE5UU
— POLITICO (@politico) July 5, 2016
‘Going Off Script’
Obama said he had to take things “off script” and repeat a line that seemed to resonate with the crowd.
“I — I’m going a little off script here but I just want to repeat this. If your concern is working people, then this is not a choice. I don’t care whether you are white, black, Hispanic, Native American, polka dot, male, female — I don’t care. If what you care is who is going to be fighting for ordinary folks who are fighting for a better life for themselves and their children, then I don’t know how you vote for the guy whose against a minimum wage, against unions, against making sure that everybody gets a fair shot, against legislation for equal pay, against sick leave and family leave, and against all the things that working families care about.”
Obama: If you’re concerned about working families, “the other side has nothing to offer you” https://t.co/g1WaPkmwuo https://t.co/1OrV5i1fqT
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 5, 2016
Acknowledging What The Campaign Trail Does To Him
“Let me — you know, I — I know I’ve gone on too long. This is what happens. I haven’t campaigned in a while,” Obama said. “You start, you know, just enjoying it too much.”
