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Former President Barack Obama led a socially distanced, drive-in rally for former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Wednesday, October 21, in Pennsylvania. Here’s a look at crowd photos and how many attended Obama’s rally for Biden in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
More Than 300 Cars Attended the Drive-In, Socially Distanced Rally
GettyBiden-Harris supporters listen as former President Barack Obama speaks at a Pennsylvania rally.
The rally took place outside Citizens Bank Park in the early evening. The Philadelphia Inquirer referred to the rally as being attended by hundreds of drivers. Attendance was limited to people who registered on Biden’s website. Alexandra Jaffe of The Associated Press reported that there were more than 300 cars at the drive-in rally.
GettyObama speaks at a Biden rally in Philadelphia.
Many attendees’ cars were decorated for Biden, and some also brought Obama Biden signage with them from Obama’s campaign. Earlier in the day, Obama visited the Hank Gathers Recreation Center and met with local community organizers and Democratic leaders, The Inquirer reported. For Obama’s speech at the drive-in rally, jumbotrons were set up so people could watch while sitting in their cars, shared Christie Ileto of 6 ABC.
Julia Terruso of The Inquirer shared more crowd photos from the event on Twitter.
Jaffe shared this video of a drumline performing at the rally.
Obama did not mince words during his 45-minute speech when it came to his feelings about President Donald Trump. He emphasized that behavior and character matter because they affect how the world sees the U.S. He also criticized how Trump handled the pandemic, noting: “We literally left this White House a pandemic playbook. We don’t know where that playbook went. They probably used it to prop up a wobbly table or something.”
GettyPeople gather to listen to former President Barack Obama speak at a drive-in rally.
The line to get into the rally was long.
He asked the crowd whether Trump could protect them if he couldn’t even protect himself. He also referred to Trump as only having an interest in helping “himself and his friends” and said Trump wasn’t taking the job seriously.
During his speech, Obama also said: “I never thought Donald Trump would embrace my vision or continue my polices, but I did hope for the sake of the country that he might show some interest in taking the job seriously. But it hasn’t happened.”
Obama told the crowd that Biden was the man for the job. He said: “For eight years, Joe was the last one in the room when I faced a big decision. He made me a better president. And he’s got the character and experience to make us a better country.”
GettyAttendees listen to former President Barack Obama speak at a drive-in rally.
Obama told the crowd: “America is a good and decent place but we’ve just seen so much noise and nonsense that sometimes it’s hard for us to remember.”
He encouraged the crowd to vote. “The government is us, by and for the people,” he said. “It wasn’t always for all of us. But the way it’s designed, it works for who is at the table. And if you do not vote, you’re not at the table.”
GettySome attendees wore masks and some didn’t at Obama’s rally speech for Biden.
Obama ended his speech by encouraging the crowd to “Honk if you’re fired up! Honk if you’re ready to vote!” The crowd responded enthusiastically.
You can watch the full video of Obama’s speech here:
A Crowd Photo Circulating on Social Media Is Misleading
A misleading screenshot of the crowd is circulating widely on social media. The shot is zoomed in and does not show the full crowd size. It was also taken before the rally began.
The video below doesn’t show the rally once it begins. However, you can see at the end of the video the larger crowd once the view pans out.
Here’s a screenshot from the same video showing the larger crowd.
YouTube
Biden’s Next Event Will Be the Presidential Debate
GettyAttendees hold a range of signs and flags at former President Barack Obama’s drive-in rally for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, including a flag for “Catholics for Biden-Harris 2020.”
Biden’s next event is the Thursday night presidential debate on October 22. This final debate begins at 9 p.m. Eastern time. The topics for the debate include COVID-19, American families, race in America, climate change, national security and leadership, according to The Commission on Presidential Debates. The debate is already generating some controversy, since foreign policy was originally going to be the main topic and then was not included in the list of topics for the night.
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