DNC 2016: Hillary Clinton thrills and stuns crowd by joining Barack Obama on stage

Few people in the convention hall knew that she was due to appear

Few people in the hall knew that Ms Clinton was to appear (AP)

It was not supposed to be her night. Not quite yet.

But after Barack Obama completed his soaring, 45 minute address to the convention - one of his best, according to many commentators, and certainly one of his most important - those scripting the event could not resist the powerful symbol of unity and transition of having Hillary Clinton share the stage with him. Word that she was going to be there had not leaked out on advance, and as a result the hall was both stunned and delighted.

“Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me,” Mr Obama asked the crowd. “I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me.”

Mr Obama said he knew he was leaving the party in safe hands (AP)

At that point, Ms Clinton joined him on the stage, to huge cheers, where they smiled and hugged and waved. Many said on social media that the symbolism of passing on the baton after completing eight years was very clear.

“There has never been a man or woman, not me, not Bill Clinton - nobody more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States,” Mr Obama had said on Wednesday night to cheers at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

“Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me. I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me.”

During the course of his address, Mr Obama painted a vision of a country with a shared humanity, but made of people of different races and religions. He said America was a nation of hope, despite the problems it faced.

And, essentially, he placed at the centre of his address, the idea that Americans believed in, and wanted, democracy. They did not like rulers and they rejected “homegrown demagogues”.

“America is already great. America is already strong,” he said.

“And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump.”

For Democrats, the night was steeped in symbolism, the passing of the baton from a barrier-breaking president to a candidate trying to make history herself.

Mr Obama completed his speech with thanks to the American people for raising him up during the darkest nights, and he mentioned many of those who had sustained him over the course of two terms, as he pushed for change but sometimes found himself coming up short.

Richard Thompson, a military veteran who served in the Korean War, said he thought Mr Obama’s speech was 'super' (Andrew Buncombe ) (Andrew Buncombe)

He recalled a “big-eyed green owl” given to him by the parents of a 7-year-old girl killed a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, to remind him to keep fighting.

He remembered a meeting an injured solider who learned to walk again and who stepped into the Oval Office to shake the president's hand.

He talked about a small business owner from Colorado who gave up his own pay to keep from firing his employees.

And he spoke of a Texas conservative expressing his appreciation for the president because he tries “to be a good dad”.

For all the time he spent mentioning what he had tried to do, he said he was leaving office with assurances the Democratic Party was “in good hands”.

On the convention floor, delegates and supporters said they found his words inspiring.

“He talked about democracy and how we have to get involved,” said Simone Williams, from Washington DC.

Richard Thompson, a military veteran who served in the Korean War, said he thought Obama’s speech was “super”. He said he would be quite happy if Mr Obama were allowed to serve another four years.

He said: “I like his ability to reach people.”