Democratic National Convention: Biden Takes The Stage To Deliver Night 1 Closing Remarks

The Democratic National Convention took place with particularly high stakes for the Democratic party, a month after President Joe Biden exited the race and Vice President Kamala Harris rose to the top of the Democratic ticket.

Thousands of anti-war activists are also protesting near the site of the convention in Chicago. Some broke through a fence that was set up by police.

Biden is the headline speaker for the first evening. Other major speakers for Night 1 include Hillary Clinton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and First Lady Jill Biden.

Jill Biden: ‘There Are Moments When I Fall In Love With Him All Over Again’

Before her husband spoke, Jill Biden used her speech to pay tribute to her husband President Joe Biden as a man who has repeatedly moved her over their decades of marriage.

“Joe and I have been together for almost 50 years and still there are moments when I fall in love with him all over again,“ the first lady said, recalling how he held their daughter Ashley after her birth and again “just weeks ago, when I saw him dig deep into his soul and decide to no longer seek reelection and endorse Kamala Harris.”

She also praised Vice President Harris’ courage and urged Americans to get behind her.

“We are all a part of something bigger than ourselves and we are stronger than we know,” Jill Biden said. “It’s going to take all of us and we can’t afford to lose.”

President Biden Welcomed To The Stage With A Five-minute Standing Ovation

President Biden soon after taking the stage to deliver his address called the first lady his family’s “rock” and said she still makes his heart go “boom, boom, boom.”

President Joe Biden came out to give his convention speech — only to be greeted with roughly five minutes worth of cheers, applause and chants of “Thank You, Joe.”

“Thank you,” the president said repeatedly, as he took in the moment. The crowd in Chicago’s United Center held up signs with heart signs that said they loved him.

“I love you all,” Biden said to a party that weeks earlier had worried about his ability to beat Donald Trump, causing the tough choice by him to forgo the nomination for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Sen. Warnock Recalls His 2020 Election And The Jan. 6 Riot

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock combined the passion of his Sunday morning sermons with often repeated refrains from his campaign stump during an impassioned speech at the Democratic convention.

Warnock drew sharp contrasts between his 2020 election and the riot that ransacked the U.S. Capitol the following day to paint a picture of a broader struggle for democracy over “the forces that seek to divide us.”

“We must remain vigilant tonight because these antidemocratic forces are at work right now in Georgia and all across our country,” Warnock said, arguing that the election denialism on display during the Capitol riot “metastasized into dozens of voter suppression laws all across our country.”

Warnock, who pastors the church over which Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once presided, critiqued Trump for posing with a Bible in the summer of 2020. “He should try reading it,” Warnock quipped.

Were Democrats Long-winded On The First Night Of The Convention, Or Was It A Plot Against President Joe Biden?

On Fox News Channel, pundits kept a close eye on the clock Monday night, wondering how late Biden would come to the podium to deliver his keynote address. They noted how the convention was running well behind schedule.

“You get the sense that this convention doesn’t care if they put Joe Biden close to midnight,” Fox’s Bill Hemmer said.

As the hour approached 10 p.m. local time, Fox’s Brit Hume took offense at how scheduled speakers who discussed abortion did not cut their time short. “What does it say about the modern state of the Democratic party that it could not ask these abortion speakers to stand aside to make room for the president of the United States to speak at a reasonable hour of the night?” Hume wondered.

Former President Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican convention last month stretched past midnight.

Democrats Highlight Stories Of Dangerous Pregnancy, Miscarriage And Sexual Abuse

Democrats made an emotional appeal to voters on the need for abortion rights, having people talk about their first-hand experiences with complicated pregnancies.

Amanda and Josh Zurawski of Texas spoke about a tortured pregnancy in which there was a choice between the life of their daughter, Willow, and that of the mother. Kaitlyn Joshua of Louisiana said her state’s abortion restrictions meant she could not get the emergency room care she needed when she ultimately miscarried.

And in a moment that left the convention room quiet, Hadley Duvall of Kentucky spoke openly about the sexual abuse that left her pregnant at 12, when she said she learned she had options other than keeping the pregnancy.

Former President Trump calls the abortion bans “a beautiful thing,” Duvall said. “What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?”

The convention gave Duvall a standing ovation for having survived the ordeal.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett Draws A Contrast Between Harris And Trump

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, one of the Democrats’ most ardent firebrands in Congress, delivered a moment of vulnerability during her speech.

“She’s the only candidate in this race who is capable of empathy,” Crockett said. Crockett recounted her early days in Congress when she said she was grappling with doubt and dissolution at the state of the House and the prospects of the job.

“I was going through all of this when I visited the vice president’s residence for the first time,” Crockett recounted, when Harris, upon first meeting the freshman representative, asked, “What’s wrong?”

Crockett said that she “immediately began crying” in front of the vice president, before she then had to hold back tears live on stage. “And the most powerful woman in the world wiped my tears and listened,” Crockett said to applause from the audience.

“She then said among other things, ‘You are exactly where God wants you. Your district chose you because they believe in you and so do I,’” Crockett said.

The first-term Texan cheered Harris as a career prosecutor while declaring that the former president “became a career criminal, with 34 felonies, two impeachments and one porn star.”

As the crowd roared, Crockett kept going. She said that the vice president has “lived the American Dream while he’s been America’s nightmare.”

In another zinger, Crockett added that Harris “has a resume” while her opponent “has a rap sheet.”

Rep. Clyburn Heaps Praise On Biden’s Record And Calls Project 2025 ‘Jim Crow 2.0'

Rep. Jim, Clyburn, the influential South Carolinan, received an enthusiastic welcome and chants of “Clyburn” at the Democrats’ convention before tallying through President Biden’s legislative record.

Clyburn, a close Biden ally, said that the country owes the president “a great debt of gratitude.”

But he took special praise for “one of the best decisions he made: selecting Kamala Haris as his vice president and endorsing her to succeed him.”

Clyburn also singled out Project 2025, calling it “Jim Crow 2.0.”

“Our great democracy has been tested and so has the basic goodness of the American people. But our resolve to remain a great country with freedom and justice for all will not falter,” said Clyburn, a veteran of the civil rights movement.

Pelosi Takes A Front-row Seat

Ahead of President Biden’s speech, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived at the United Center and sat front row at the United Center.

Pelosi was instrumental in the pressure campaign to force Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee last month, and the two old friends have not spoken since she presented the president with the concerns about his continued campaign.

Clinton: ‘When A Barrier Falls For One Of Us, It Clears The Way For All Of Us’

When Hilary Clinton took the stage, she walked onto Sara Bareilles’ “Brave,” the same song that preceded her entrance at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

And when she left the stage, it was to the tune of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song,” the ubiquitous and catchy anthem of her 2016 campaign.

The DNC that year included a compilation of celebrities singing the song.

Former Secretary of State Clinton saluted Harris for possibly breaking the “highest, hardest glass ceiling” to become America’s first woman president.

Clinton was the Democratic nominee in 2016, but she lost that election to Trump. The former New York senator said it was “the honor of my life” to be the party’s nominee.

“Together, we’ve put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling,” Clinton said. “On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th president of the United States. Folks, my friends, when a barrier falls for one of us, it clears the way for all of us.”

The focus on the nature of Harris’ historic candidacy could be key for turning out more women in key states that Democrats need if they hope to win in November.

Hillary Clinton had a slam on Donald Trump that prompted the crowd at the Democratic convention to chant, “Lock him up,” a sly reference to the chorus of “Lock her up” that was repeated at Trump rallies about Clinton back in 2016.

Clinton smiled at the irony that her remarks had prodded.

“Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial,” she said. “When he woke up, he’d made his own kind of history: the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says Harris ‘is Working Tirelessly To Secure A Cease-fire In Gaza’

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered the first mention of the war in Gaza from the DNC stage.

“And she is working tirelessly to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and bringing the hostages home,” Ocasio-Cortez said to cheers in the crowd.

Ocasio-Cortez has been one of the most critical voices in Congress of the Biden administration’s policy on Israel-Palestine and has called for greater restrictions on military aid to Israel. But she and other progressives have also been in dialogue with the administration on its policy, which has caused her to face pushback from some on the hard left.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain Reveals ‘Trump Is A Scab’ T-Shirt

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain called Kamala Harris a “fighter” for the working class and denounced Donald Trump as a “scab,” a term that applies to workers who cross picket lines and defy union actions.

Fain’s remarks led to chants of “Trump’s a scab” by the crowd at the Democratic convention.

“It’s getting hot in here, folks,” Fain said, referencing a song by musician Nelly, before removing his suit jacket to show a T-shirt that read, “Trump is a scab. Vote Harris.”

The backing of the UAW could be crucial for Democrats seeking to erode Trump’s superior margins among white voters without college degrees who identify as blue-collar.

Harris Honors President Biden During Surprise DNC Appearance

Harris’ first words at the convention focused on the legacy of the man she has stood behind for the last three and a half years. Mirroring other Democrats Monday, Harris used her first moment on stage to thank Joe Biden for what she called his historic legacy.

“Thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation and for all you will continue to do,” Harris said, addressing Biden. “We are forever grateful to you.”