Kamala Harris’ candidacy for the White House received an additional boost from Obama’s appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night. Those in attendance also saw party members dancing and heard speeches from Republican defectors.

Rapper Lil Jon added extra celebrity power to the slate as Democratic delegates went through the formal process of pledging their support for Ms Harris.

There was an emotional farewell to President Joe Biden on Monday evening, who reflected on the decades he spent at the top of US politics before making way for Kamala Harris to seek the Democratic presidential nomination.

But the next night, the Obamas were eager to give the convention some positive messages for the future – and to land a few jokes at Donald Trump’s expense.

Here is a look back at some memorable moments of the evening.

In their successive speeches, Barack and Michelle Obama mixed jokes with serious appeals to Democrats to vote in November – and pointed out that Harris was in a neck-and-neck race with Donald Trump.

Obama called the Republican presidential candidate selfish and dangerous and joked that he was obsessed with crowd sizes.

And Mrs. Obama mocked Trump for using the term “black jobs” during the election campaign, suggesting that Trump might be looking for one of those jobs himself – a reference to her husband’s previous tenure in the White House.

In contrast, Mrs Harris stands for “hope,” said Mrs Obama, repeating her husband’s 2008 campaign message.

One of the evening’s speakers was none other than Trump’s former White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, who resigned after the attack by Trump’s supporters on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Ms Grisham said she would vote for Ms Harris in November and justified her departure by saying: “I could no longer be part of this madness.”

She herself fired a broadside at Trump, accusing him of having “no empathy, no morals, and no loyalty to the truth.”

Other Republicans who had switched sides also gave speeches, including Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona. Whether their interventions will change Republicans’ minds is far from certain, given the tight control that Trump and his wing have over their party.

The ex-president’s allies did not let up and unleashed new barbs of their own. Trump’s running mate JD Vance used a press conference to attack Harris for the “failures” of her vice presidency, focusing on crime and public safety.

America’s second gentleman had his own moment in the spotlight.

Ms Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, was led on stage by his son Cole, who said their “patchwork family” had adjusted to their high-profile life in Washington.

“It seemed to me that Doug was a little out of place on Capitol Hill,” said Cole, Ms. Harris’ stepson. “I thought, ‘What is my silly father doing here?’ But he accepted it.”

Mr. Emhoff continued to praise his wife as the “right person” for him and for the United States alike.

Meanwhile, a plane carrying Mrs Harris herself – who had just left a rally in Wisconsin – is said to have circled in the air for about ten minutes so that she could finish watching her husband’s speech before landing.

Filmmaker Spike Lee and actress Eva Longoria, among other well-known faces, also provided additional star-studded presence at the political event.

Lil Jon was also in attendance, performing a ceremonial duty for his home state during a rap that got Democrats in the stands dancing.

When asked to whom Georgia would give its 123 votes, he supported Ms. Harris and sang bars from his hit “Turn Down For What.”

Convention attendees also saw the moves of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who came dancing on stage, eliciting giggles from the room.

Bernie Sanders gave his own speech on Tuesday night – but the energy in the arena was minimal. At the same time, the murmur of people talking could be heard.

This is in contrast to the hero’s welcome the senator received in 2016 when he challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, when his supporters flocked to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Eight years later, Sanders could still be seen railing against oligarchs and corporate interests, but the atmosphere had changed dramatically.

One explanation for this was that the building was filled with delegates who had originally supported Joe Biden – and not Sanders’ acolytes. But it could also be a sign that the senator has no clear successor to lead the Democratic progressive left.