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We will be continuing our live coverage of the Democratic National Convention tomorrow.
For now, see how a body language expert rated the Obamas' performance.
Democratic National Convention live: Barack Obama blasts Donald Trump after wife Michelle tells US to 'do something' to help Kamala win
Barack Obama whipped the crowd into a frenzy as he warned the US the "world is watching" the tight race for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, after wife Michelle stunned voters with her attack on the billionaire.
Barack and Michelle Obama have injected their star power into Kamala Harris’s campaign, declaring she had brought back the hope that fuelled the former president’s career as they launched a withering attack on Donald Trump.
Their electrifying speeches on the second night of the Democratic convention came as the Vice President trolled her opponent with her own packed rally at the Milwaukee stadium that hosted last month’s Republican convention.
Combined with celebrity appearances in Chicago from filmmaker Spike Lee, actors Wendell Pierce and Eva Longoria and rappers Common and Lil Jon, it amounted to a significant show of force 77 days from the election.
The former Democratic president, speaking in his hometown, said he was “feeling hope, because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible”.
His wife reprised that theme to raucous cheers, saying there was “something wonderfully magical in the air” that had been “buried too deep for far too long”.
“It’s the contagious power of hope … America, hope is making a comeback,” she said.
The pair also unleashed on Mr Trump, with Mrs Obama attacking his conspiracy theories about her husband’s birthplace as she asked to a standing ovation: “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?”
Mr Obama accused the Republican of “whining about his problems for years”, saying that he saw power “as nothing more than a means to his ends”.
As the crowd booed, Mr Obama sternly declared: “Do not boo, vote.”
“We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse,” he said.
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Obamas an incredible double act: expert
Dr Louise Mahler, a leading Australian expert in communication and body language, has described Barack and Michelle Obama’s appearances at the Democratic National Convention as "perfection”.
“Obama is so confident in his own skin and he and Michelle are an incredible double act of excellence,” she said.
“Their breath, their gestures, their voices, their frameworks of conversation as well as their humour is unsurpassable.
“They hold their bodies unblocked. Their eye contact is intense. Their hands guide your eyes – it is perfection!
Dr Mahler said the former US president's voice projection was "magnificent".
“Obama’s energy in his lower body is outstanding. He is the consummate performer and no matter how serious the issues talked of there is no upper body tension.
“The clever small hand gesture comparing Trump's obsession with crowd size to something else men may be concerned about the size of was brilliant as it is humorous.
“This was the most magnificent voice projection I have heard in years. His sound is totally unblocked. It is clear, unhindered production. He manages the audience to perfection.”
Dr Mahler said Kamala Harris should watch Mr Obama closely. “Kamala should watch closely – if any of these incredible skills could rub off onto her, she would wipe the floor with Trump,” she said.
'The world is watching': Barack urges unity
The former president condemned the polarisation of American politics and urged his party to rise above that division.
“We need to remember that we’ve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices,” he said, calling on Democrats to listen to voters who were not ready to vote for their ticket.
“Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us.”
“The rest of the world is watching to see if we can actually pull this off.”
'I love this guy': Barack endorses Walz
In a rousing endorsement of Ms Harris, Mr Obama said she “won’t be focused on her problems – she’ll be focused on yours”.
The former president added of her running mate Tim Walz: “I love this guy.”
“Together, Kamala and Tim have kept faith with America’s central story, a story that says we are all created equal,” he said.
“Even when we don’t agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other … that’s the Democratic Party’s vision, and our job over the next 11 weeks is to convince as many people as possible to vote for that vision.”
The former president pushed his party to “chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today”, with policies to solve problems like housing affordability and the cost of living.
Barack predicts 'tight race in divided country'
Mr Obama predicted the election would be “a tight race in a closely divided country”.
He attacked Mr Trump for “whining about his problems” for nine years and said it was “getting worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala”, as he called out his childish nicknames and his “weird obsession with crowd sizes”.
“Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends,” he said.
As the crowd booed, Mr Obama sternly declared: “Do not boo, vote.”
'I'm feeling fired up': Barack Obama begins his speech
Rounding out the night at the convention, former president Barack Obama bounded on to the stage to U2’s “City of Blinding Lights” and embraced his wife after her rousing speech.
The crowd burst into a chant of “Yes We Can” – the mantra of his presidential campaigns.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling fired up,” Mr Obama said.
“I’m feeling ready to go … I’m feeling hope, because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible.”
'Do something': Michelle Obama's plea
The former First Lady painted a vivid contrast between Ms Harris’s middle-class upbringing and Mr Trump’s controversial business career.
“Most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward,” Mrs Obama said.
“We don’t get to change the rules so we always win.”
“We put our heads down. We get to work. In America, we do something.”
She warned some Americans would seek to “distort her truth”, saying she was speaking from experience after Mr Trump targeted her and her husband “who happened to be Black”.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently speaking might just be one of those Black jobs?”
Mrs Obama sounded a warning about the rest of the campaign for Ms Harris, including those who “don’t want to vote for a woman”.
“As we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let us not forget the despair we have felt. Let us not forget what we are up against,” she said.
“No matter how good we feel tonight or tomorrow or the next day, this is going to be an uphill battle.”
“So folks, we cannot be our own worst enemies … We cannot start wringing our hands. We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right.”
She declared "do something" – a chant repeated by the crowd.
'Hope is making a comeback': Michelle Obama
The biggest cheer of the night so far came for former First Lady Michelle Obama, who has often been touted as a possible Democratic presidential candidate even though she has eschewed pursuing her own political career.
“Something wonderfully magical is in the air,” she said.
“We can feel it in this arena but it’s spreading all across this country … A familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for far too long.”
“It’s the contagious power of hope,” she said, referencing the theme of her husband’s historic presidential campaign.
“America, hope is making a comeback.”
Mrs Obama said she questioned whether she would be able to speak at the convention in what was her return to her hometown for the first time since the death of her mother.
“My heart compelled me to be here because of the sense of duty I feel to honour her memory,” she said.
Telling the story of how her mother did “thankless, unglamorous work” to help others, she said Ms Harris’s mother shared the same values and “shared the same belief in the promise of this country”.
“She’d often tell her daughter: don’t sit around and complain about things – do something,” she said.
“From a middle class household, Kamala worked her way up to become Vice President of the United States of America.”
She said Ms Harris was “one of the most qualified” and “one of the most dignified” people to seek the presidency in American history,
“Her story is your story, it’s my story, it’s the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life,” Mrs Obama said.
'As tough as it comes': Second gentleman praises Harris
Speaking at the convention, Kamala Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff praised the Vice President as a “joyful warrior”.
“Here’s the thing about joyful warriors: they’re still warriors. And Kamala is as tough as it comes,” he said.
Mr Emhoff, who would be America’s first First Gentleman if she wins in November, shared the story of their blended family and said he was proud of how his wife was “stepping up for all of us”.
“That’s who she is. Wherever she’s needed, however she’s needed, Kamala rises to the occasion,” he said.
“She did it for me and our family. And now that the country needs her, she’s showing you what we already know: she’s ready to lead, she brings both joy and toughness to this task, and she will be a great president who we will all be proud of.”
“America, in this election, you have to decide who to trust with your family’s future. I trusted Kamala with our family’s future. It was the best decision I ever made.”
Ms Harris is the step-mother to Mr Emhoff’s children Cole – who introduced him with a montage of family videos and photos – and Ella.
Police, protesters clash near Israeli consulate
More clashes broke out on the second day of the Democratic National Convention, with footage showing a massive police presence surrounding a diminished group of protesters.
Several people were detained amid tense confrontations outside the Israeli Consulate, according to CNN.
Local broadcaster WLS said a group called Behind Enemy Lines was addressing a crowd shouting "free, free Palestine" as supporters waved signs saying "Abandon Harris 24".
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