Biden wipes away tears as he's met with standing ovation ahead of remarks at 1st night of DNC
CHICAGO - The stage was set for the Democratic National Convention to commence Monday in Chicago, with Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, to take the stage this week.
The Democratic National Convention began on Monday in Chicago, with roughly 50,000 people expected to arrive in the Windy City. That includes thousands of anti-war activists demonstrating near the United Center.
President Joe Biden was the headline speaker for the first evening. Also expected to speak is Hillary Clinton, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Here's what we know so far (estimated times are in Eastern Standard Time):
12:23 a.m.
The families of Harris, Biden and Walz joined together on the DNC stage on Monday before closing out the event.
In a statement, convention organizers said that lengthy applause was "interrupting speaker after speaker" and that they’d "ultimately skipped elements of our program to ensure we could get to Biden as quickly as possible so that he could speak directly to the American people."
Musician James Taylor had been scheduled to perform before Biden but didn’t.
The convention started late and ran more than an hour behind schedule, stretching past midnight on the East Coast. Still, organizers insisted, "We are proud of the electric atmosphere in our convention hall and proud that our convention is showcasing the broad and diverse coalition behind the Harris-Walz ticket throughout the week on and off the stage."
11:28 p.m.
Biden wiped away tears after walking onto the stage following his daughter's remarks about him.
The president was welcomed by the crowd and a standing ovation as the camera panned to Harris who appeared teary-eyed, as well as the second gentleman who appeared to wipe tears from his face.
Biden thanked his daughter and their family's "rock," Dr. Jill Biden, and called for another round of applause for the first lady.
"America, I love you," Biden said during his opening remarks.
"Democracy has prevailed, democracy has delivered, and now democracy must be preserved," Biden said.
"Because of you, we’ve had the most extraordinary four years of progress ever, period," Biden declared. And then he interjected, "I say ‘we,’ I mean me and Kamala,’" sharing the credit for his most popular successes with the vice president who replaced him atop the ticket.
The president continued his message as he had in past campaign speeches, that the upcoming election is a fight for the soul of America.
"I could not stay on the sidelines," Biden said. "So I ran. I had no intention of running again. I’d just lost part of my soul. But I ran with a deep conviction."
Biden celebrated the successes from his administration, including a massive boost in infrastructure spending and a cap on the price of insulin. The spending resulted in more money going to Republican-leaning states than Democratic states, he said, because "the job of the president is to deliver for all of America."
During one of the crowd’s many chants of "thank you Joe," he added, "Thank you Kamala too."
Many of his comments were familiar to those who have listened to past Biden remarks. He talked about more than 16 million jobs added under his watch, the investments in computer chip manufacturing, the bipartisan infrastructure law and the greater access to health care resources. Biden noted that investments made in new computer chip factories would enable workers to make six-figure salaries without needing a college degree.
11:19 p.m.
"Joe Biden is the OG girl dad," the president's daughter, Ashley, said during her remarks at the DNC.
She told of her father's career in politics and sang her praises for the president.
"Dad, you always tell us, but we don't tell you enough, but you are the love of our lives and the life of our love," Ashley said.
"When I look at Dad, I see grace, strength and humility. I see one of the most consequential leaders ever in history," Ashley said to a round of applause.
"This is the fight of our lifetime," the younger Biden said of the election looming ahead. "All of this, all of it is on the ballot. And I know that we can do this together because my dad helped show us the way."
11:13 p.m.
First lady Dr. Jill Biden was welcomed to the DNC stage to a standing ovation on Monday.
"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. Like when I handed him our baby Ashley for the first time and saw the smile that lit up his face, or on nights after an exhausting day working in the senate, when he would read one more bedtime story just because the kids asked. When he stops on a rope line, because he sees someone breathing who needs to know that everything is going to be alright one day, or to encourage that child with a stutter to find the confidence she needs, those moments when I'm reminded of all he's accomplished in the name of something bigger than himself," Biden said.
The first lady went on to tell about her husband's soul-searching before deciding to not seek reelection and to instead endorse Harris.
"With faith and conviction, Joe knows that our nation's strength does not come from intimidation and cruelty. It comes from the small acts of kindness that heals deep wounds," the first lady said.
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."
10:54 p.m.
Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock urged constituents to "flip the Senate" and to send Harris and Walz to the White House during his remarks at the DNC on Monday.
"Together we set out to heal the land," Warnock said.
Warnock warned that Trump was a "plague on the American conscious."
"I saw him holding the Bible and endorsing the Bible as if it needed his endorsement. He should try reading it," Warnock said.
Warnock went on to thank Biden, calling him a "true patriot" and thanking him for his many years of public service.
9:52 p.m.
Former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton appeared at the DNC on Monday evening to a boisterous crowd.
"Something is happening in America. You can feel it. Something we've worked for and dreamed of for a long time. First though, let's salute President Biden," Clinton started off during her remarks on Monday. "He has been democracy's champion at home and abroad. He brought dignity, decency and confidence back to the White House. And he showed what it means to be a true patriot. Thank you, Joe Biden for a lifetime of service and leadership."
Clinton spoke of the pioneering women in politics who "kept their eyes on the future."
"Well, my friends, the future is here. I wish my mother and Kamala's mother could see us. They would say, ‘Keep going!’" Clinton said. "Women fighting for reproductive health care are saying, ‘Keep going!’"
Clinton made mention of Trump's criminal convictions, to which the crowd at the DNC booed and chanted "Lock him up!"
"She will defend democracy and our constitution and protect us from our enemies, foreign and domestic," Clinton said.
Clinton went on to urge voters to go to the polls and help break through the glass ceiling and vote for the first female president of the United States.
"What do I see? I see freedom, I see the freedom to make our own decisions about our health, our lives, our loves, our families. The freedom to work with dignity and prosper, to worship as we choose or not. To speak out minds freely and honestly. I see freedom from fear and intimidation, from violence and injustice, from chaos and corruption," Clinton said.
"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.
9:37 p.m.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez began her remarks by thanking Chicago and both candidates for "their vision" after she took the stage on Monday.
Ocasio-Cortez also thanked Biden for his leadership.
The New York representative spoke of her Bronx roots and highlighted how Harris is "for the middle class because she is from the middle class."
In a fiery speech to constituents, Ocasio-Cortez urged voters to work hard over the next 78 days to elect not just Harris and Walz to the White House, but representatives and senators who embody their interests.
9:14 p.m.
Golden State Warriors and Team USA coach Steve Kerr received arguably the second loudest applause of the night Monday, behind Harris, when he appeared on the convention stage.
Kerr returned to the United Center where nearly 30 years ago he made the winning shot to clinch the Chicago Bulls another championship. "As you know, a lot of good stuff has happened in this building, especially in the ’90s," Kerr told conventiongoers.
Harris is from Oakland, California, where the Warriors played for decades until moving their arena to San Francisco.
9:11 p.m.
Vice President Kamala Harris unexpectedly took to the stage early Monday evening and was greeted by a cheering crowd and made brief remarks at the DNC.
"This is going to be a great week," Harris said. "And I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible president, Joe Biden, who will be speaking later tonight." Harris sang her praises to Biden, and said they (the party) are "forever grateful" to him.
"Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you’ll continue to do," she said. "We are forever grateful to you."
"I see the beauty of our great nation, people from every corner of our country and every walk of life are here, united by our shared vision for our country," Harris said. "We are moving forward with optimism, hope and faith."
Vice President Kamala Harris makes a surprise apperance on stage during the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Monday, August 19, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
8:15 p.m.
Country music star Mickey Guyton performed Monday evening – the first musical performance of the evening.
She performed her song "All American," which features lyrics about how "we’re different in a million ways" but "at the end of the day" we're all Americans.
7:45 p.m.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., spoke this evening, telling the audience how Harris called him after his mother and stepfather died from COVID-19 during the pandemic.
"I will never forget when Kamala Harris called me after my parents died," Garcia said. "She told me about her own story, about losing her own mother, and that she was praying for me at that very moment."
Meanwhile, Garcia criticized Trump over his handling of the virus, claiming that former President Trump "told us to inject bleach into our bodies" during the pandemic.
Garcia also delivered his family story of immigrating to the U.S. and becoming a citizen.
"I am a proud immigrant who came to the United States as a young child. We grew up poor, English was our second language and we often, like many immigrant families, struggled to get by," Garcia said.
7:15 p.m.
The Democratic convention recognized Jesse Jackson, the civil rights activist and Democratic presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988.
Jackson, 82, entered the stage in a wheelchair, holding up both thumbs up in triumph to a cheering crowd. The ordained Baptist pastor did not speak to the convention.
Multiple speakers gave shoutouts to Jackson, who was also the subject of a video broadcast at the event’s hall. The video noted that Vice President Harris was "standing on the shoulder of giants" such as Jackson.
6:55 p.m.
Both the DNC and RNC included what’s known as a "land acknowledgment" that recognized the stewardship of the land by indigenous peoples and tribes.
At the Democratic convention in Chicago, the acknowledgment was delivered by Zach Pahmahmie and Lorrie Melchior, who are both part of the tribal council of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.
At the Republican convention last month in Milwaukee, James Crawford of the Forest County Potawatomi Executive Council gave the land acknowledgment.
6:45 p.m.
The Democratic National Convention has started with delegates still filtering into Chicago’s United Center.
The gathering opened with remarks shortly after 6:30 p.m. central time by Minyon Moore, chair of the convention committee. Moore called President Biden, the evening’s main speaker, a true patriot.
Jaime Harrison, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, noted to applause the historical moment in that he and Moore are both Black, as is the party’s nominee, Vice President Harris.
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When is the DNC?
The convention begins Monday and runs through Thursday, with televised speeches and floor activity happening each night in prime time. A complete schedule hasn't been released, but Harris, running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Biden, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton and former first lady Michelle Obama, are all expected to speak during the week's evening programming.
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The Democratic National Convention kicks off Monday in Chicago, as Kamala Harris is set to speak Thursday, officially accepting the Democratic presidential nomination. Dr. Larry Walker, political expert at the University of Central Florida joined LiveNOW from FOX's Stephanie Coueignoux to discuss what to expect.
How can I watch the DNC?
You can stream the convention on LiveNOW from FOX.
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Where is the DNC taking place?
Democrats are convening at the United Center, home to the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. Other facilities such as the McCormick Place Convention Center are hosting event spaces, including areas where convention officials will hold media briefings and delegates will hold caucus meetings and other gatherings.
Who is speaking at the DNC?
Harris is expected to give her nomination acceptance on Thursday night, as is tradition. Walz will accept his nomination as her running mate on Wednesday night. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will speak Monday, and the Obamas are scheduled to speak Tuesday.