Thousands of wildly enthusiastic Democrats cheered their political idols Barack and Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton in what one teary-eyed delegate called ‘the ultimate political love-fest’.
This pre-election orgy – otherwise known as the Democratic National Convention – culminated with the official crowning of Kamala Harris as candidate to take on Donald Trump in November’s US presidential election.
Yet on the streets of Chicago, America’s third largest city, the mood was very different.
Uber driver Angela picked me up as the wild cheers for Barack Obama’s keynote speech were still ringing in my ears: ‘I know Kamala is riding a wave at the moment but I’m still voting for Trump,’ she said.
‘For me, it comes down to: Am I better off now than I was four years ago? The answer is: no.
The Democratic National Convention in Chicago culminated with the official crowning of Kamala Harris as candidate for the party
Thousands of wildly enthusiastic Democrats cheered their political idols Barack and Michelle Obama in what one teary-eyed delegate called ‘the ultimate political love-fest’
Jubilant crowds hailed the current Vice President as she took to the stage
‘They can talk all they want about Kamala being a force for change and our hope for the future. Yet she’s been in power with Joe Biden for four years and hasn’t made any difference.
‘As a black woman, I know I should vote for the first woman of colour running for president.
‘But it comes down to who is better for me, for my family’s future and for the country. Trump is an alpha male. He puts America first and we were better off under him. It’s that simple.’
This sentiment is echoed by many ‘ordinary’ Chicagoans and, if their views are replicated across America, it could spell disaster for Harris.
Time and again, in shops, restaurants and at my hotel, I met working men and women who confided they were voting for Trump but, as one waitress told me, ‘will be keeping it secret because he’s not considered cool and Kamala is’.
While there is a palpable sense of relief among Democrats that doddery Joe Biden has been replaced by a woman who radiates positivity, the race for the White House is still neck-and-neck.
Chauncey McLean, of Future Forward USA, a political action committee which has raised millions for Harris’s campaign, said: ‘Polling numbers are much less rosy than people believe.’
Crucially, social media has helped ignite Harris’s campaign among young voters. It is telling that the 59-year-old Democrat candidate has yet to give an interview to any mainstream media but granted three interviews to TikTok influencers last week who were accused of asking ‘soft ball’ questions about family and fashion.
One of these influencers is Ravayna Coe. She was invited by Harris’s team to help spread the ‘message of joy’ over Instagram. The Californian says: ‘There is relief that, finally, we have a candidate who is projecting a positive message – and who can win.’
Ms Coe, though, warned against complacency and said lessons must be learned from Hillary Clinton’s defeat in 2016.
‘Everyone thought she was going to win and Trump crushed her. We’ve got ten weeks until the election and Democrats have to come off this sugar high of Kamala’s selection and get down to business.’
Anthony, a Democrat convention security guard, told me: ‘I’m an undecided voter.’ He voted for Trump in 2016 but switched to Biden in 2020 and deplored Trump’s support for insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol building in Washington DC.
Chicago Uber driver Angela said said she will still vote for Donald Trump: ‘For me, it comes down to: Am I better off now than I was four years ago? The answer is: no’
He said he had listened to the convention speeches of the Obamas and TV star Oprah Winfrey and said they were all ‘obsessed’ by Trump. ‘The message is ‘Trump is evil; Kamala is good.’ They talk about ‘dark forces’ as if it’s a superhero movie.
‘Most Americans will vote with our wallets. None of us are better off; petrol prices are killing us and Biden has let thousands of illegal immigrants come over our border who are taking jobs from people like me.
‘I know what Trump is. You don’t have to tell me what’s bad about him.
‘Kamala Harris has been vice president for four years and she’s saying she’s going to make things better. Why hasn’t she made things better already?
‘Many people secretly support Trump but are scared to admit it.’
Polls show Harris has gained ground among white middle-aged women and first-time voters but is losing to Trump, 78, among the working classes, particularly black and hispanic voters.
Of course, none of these issues could dampen the effusive atmosphere at the Democratic National Convention.
At a ‘Hotties for Harris’ party, Gen Z influencers posed in front of a ‘Wall of Weirdos’ showing images of Trump and his running-mate J D Vance. The ‘weird’ description of Trump and Vance was coined by Harris’s No 2, Tim Walz.
In a corner, a drab brown sofa marked ‘Property of J D Vance’ had been positioned – the words referring to a false rumour that Trump’s vice-president pick once had sex with a latex glove pressed between two sofa cushions.
Model and influencer Synclaire Warren, 24, a master’s student at Fordham University in New York, said: ‘Kamala has given hope to my generation that things can change. This wave of enthusiasm will keep growing all the way to the election.’
Moments after Harris ended her keynote address, Breanna Spaulding, from Atlanta, gushed: ‘She’s America’s future. This is Obama all over again.’
Polls show Harris has gained ground. A previous poll among Texas voters had Biden nine points behind Trump, with Harris now only five short
Having watched the current US Vice President’s speech electrify an already adoring crowd, one has to wonder how this most extraordinary of US elections in recent memory will end?
Just a month ago, Trump was being lauded as a near mythical figure by supporters for dodging an assassin’s bullet.
But, as the past four weeks have shown, elections can turn on a dime.
For Harris, now out of the protective ‘love bubble’ of the party convention, the next days and weeks are critical.
She and Trump go head-to-head in their first TV debate on September 10 – considered ‘make or break time’.
Will Harris sweep to power on a tidal wave of hope as Obama was in 2008? Or will she crash and burn like Hillary Clinton in 2016?
