Obama to contrast Clinton with Trump

by Jordan Fabian - 07/27/16 6:27 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA — President Obama will tout Hillary Clinton as the only candidate who passes the test to be commander in chief during his prime-time address at the Democratic National Convention.

Citing his own White House experience, Obama will vouch for Clinton as a politician with sound judgment and strong resolve who has “been in the room” for some of the biggest decisions he’s made during his tenure in the Oval Office.

{mosads}“No matter how daunting the odds; no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits,” Obama will say, according to excerpts provided by the White House.

“And that’s why I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of the United States of America.”

Obama will describe his onetime presidential rival as someone who “listens to people, and keeps her cool, and treats everybody with respect,” even in times in crisis.

That’s meant to contrast Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, with GOP nominee Donald Trump, whom Obama has called too ill-informed and impulsive to serve in the nation’s highest office.

He’ll also seek to undercut Trump’s call to “make America great again” by touting the progress the country has made on his own watch.

“The America I know is full of courage, and optimism, and ingenuity,” Obama will say.

The president acknowledged that Americans have “real anxieties” over the pace of the economic recovery, are frustrated with political gridlock, and are worried about the threat of terrorist attacks, such as the recent strikes in Orlando, Fla., and Nice, France.

“But as I’ve traveled this country, through all fifty states; as I’ve rejoiced with you and mourned with you, what I’ve also seen, more than anything, is what is right with America,” he plans to say.

“I see a younger generation full of energy and new ideas, unconstrained by what is, and ready to seize what ought to be.”

Tags democratic convention Donald Trump Hillary Clinton