Obama tears into Trump on third night of Democratic convention

Former US President Barack Obama speaking from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 19, 2020 during the online broadcast of the Democratic National Convention. AFP

What you need to know:

  • Much focus was on Obama, who took a back seat during the Democratic primaries but is now throwing his still considerable sway behind Biden's campaign.
  • Obama said that on handing over the White House to Trump in 2017, he thought the Republican "might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care."