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Joe Biden took the stage Monday night as the final speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, to more than three minutes of applause and frequent chants of “We love Joe” from the audience. The 49-minute speech ran long on an evening that was already behind schedule.
During the speech, spectators unfurled a banner reading “Stop Arming Israel,” several attendees reported, and other people tried to tear the banner away. The disruption did not cause much unrest due to the enormous size of the arena.
“We are in the battle for the soul of America,” Biden said, listing a long list of his administration’s achievements in infrastructure, health care, climate, jobs and manufacturing. “Union Joe,” the crowd chanted as Biden spoke about his union support.
As many delegates began to leave the room as his speech continued, Biden exclaimed, “I know more foreign leaders by their first names and know them better than anyone else, just because I’m so damn old.”
He then tackled the topic of reproductive rights. “Donald Trump is going to discover the power of women in 2024,” Biden said, labeling his statement “women are not without electoral power” as “electric power” instead.
“America, I did my best for you,” he concluded. “We just have to remember who we are.”
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton, who failed to become the first female president, told Democrats she believes America is on the verge of breaking through and electing Kamala Harris.
In her speech at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, Clinton drew on the legacy of women on the national stage, from Shirley Chisholm to Geraldine Ferraro, and said Harris will make history.
“I want my children and grandchildren to know that I was here at this moment,” she said. “We were here. We were with Kamala Harris every step of the way. This is the moment when we break through. The future is here. Let’s go win.”
Kamala Harris
Harris opened the convention with a brief appearance, sending a jolt of excitement through the delegates in attendance. The crowd on Night 1 at the United Center was jubilant at the historic prospect of electing the first female president. The sense that history was moving on was reinforced later in the evening — as the program was very long — when attendees began clearing out well before President Joe Biden’s speech.
“This is going to be a great week!” Harris said during her brief appearance Monday. She thanked Biden profusely. “We are eternally grateful to you.”
Harris’ performance followed a short biographical video narrated by Jeffrey Wright and accompanied by Beyonce’s song “Freedom.”
Tony Goldwyn
The vice president then made way for host Tony Goldwyn, the actor who played the president on the ABC show “Scandal.” Goldwyn was among a handful of entertainers on stage, following Jason Isbell, who sang “Something More Than Free,” and Mickey Guyton, who performed “Ain’t We All American?” sang.
Goldwyn promised that the week would provide an introduction to Harris and a clear contrast between Donald Trump’s agenda and her vision of the future.
“It’s a message that is upbeat, not mean-spirited,” Goldwyn said. “Public service – no self-service, optimism and opportunity, no chaos and division. It is a message that has made us aware of who we are.”
The Democratic speakers paid tribute to Biden and Harris, but also tried to continue the case against Trump. Many attendees heard buzz in the corridors about Trump’s latest outrage — falsely claiming to have been endorsed by Taylor Swift.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democrat who has become one of the party’s youthful faces, was one of the most anticipated speakers on the program and she was effective in energizing the crowd. Earlier in the day, Donald Trump’s campaign attempted to link Harris to Ocasio-Cortez’s positions on issues such as defunding the police and the Green New Deal.
When it was her turn on stage, Ocasio-Cortez wasted no time in attacking Trump as a plutocrat. AOC demonstrated her power as one of the most prominent young Democratic stars in years. Her speech was drowned out several times by shouts and applause – especially when she took aim at Trump.
“I’m tired of hearing a union buster consider herself more of a patriot than the woman who fights every day to pull working people out from under the boots of greed that is trampling our way of life. she said. “The truth is, Don, you can’t love this country if all you do is fight for the rich and big corporations. Loving this country means fighting for all the people, working people, everyday Americans.” Ocasio-Cortez also reminded the crowd of the importance of support for the House and Senate races. “We can’t just send Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to Washington,” she said.
Hitting back at Trump
Clinton also didn’t hold back against Trump, saying he “fell asleep during his own trial,” and when he woke up he was convicted of 34 crimes. In a twist of history, the crowd chanted “Lock him up!” — an echo of chants at Trump rallies eight years ago calling for Clinton to be jailed.
Clinton also drew parallels between Trump’s attacks on her and those on Harris.
“He’s making fun of her name and her smile – sounds familiar,” Clinton said. “But we have him on the run now.” Clinton may have lost the 2016 race against Trump, but she remains a rock star among hardcore Democrats.
The convention scene
Spotted in the basement of the United Center were Marisa Tomei, JJ Abrams and producer Bruce Cohen. They said they had “high expectations” for the campaign. Abrams and his wife, Katie McGrath, have donated more than $3 million to Democratic committees this cycle. Cohen is also a prolific donor.
Marisa Tomei, left, producer Bruce Cohen and JJ Abrams at the DNC.
Cynthia Littleton
Because the speeches at the conference arrived late, James Taylor was dropped from his scheduled appearance before Biden’s speech.
As Democrats prepared for opening night, downtown Chicago was humming Monday with flags, bunting, bootleg T-shirt sellers and all the usual trappings of a political circus coming to town.
Delegates from across the country took time to look around the city tonight before the important speech at the United Center. A rally in support of Palestinians in Gaza drew about 15,000 people, organizers from the Coalition to March on the DNC told ABC News Chicago.
But overall, the downtown scene seemed calm. Farther south, near the warren of hotels housing delegates, the scene was quiet, even outside the gleaming silver Trump Tower that overlooks the city’s Riverwalk.
Another center of activity was on the city’s east side, in the sprawling McCormick Place center, which hosted the DemPalooza showcase featuring an array of left-wing organizations and causes. There were stages for discussions and questions and answers, but these were sparsely attended. The five-mile distance between McCormick Place and the United Center has obvious safety and crowd control benefits. But it also makes visitors highly dependent on the DNC shuttles that run between the hotels and the two locations. The security perimeter around United Center is so large that rideshare and even public transit riders can’t get too close.
Elections are often defined in slogans and many slogans were seen on delegates’ lapels, polo shirts and blouses, from ‘Remember January 6’ to ‘Keep Kamala and Carry On’, ‘Another Cat Lady for Kamala’ and ‘Make Anew wrong to lie.”