This blog is closing now, thanks for following along. Here is Joan E Greve’s piece on the last night of the DNC:
Analysis: Harris makes forceful speech – and skewers the menace from Mar-a-Lago
It was not a political address for the ages. It was not even the best of the convention (no one can compete with the Obamas). But Kamala Harris did enough in her speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday to put an exclamation mark on one of the most dramatic turnarounds in modern political history.
And she made you reflect that you would not want to be Donald Trump facing her in next month’s televised debate. A speech that was short on policy and poetry was nevertheless devastating in skewering the menace from Mar-a-Lago. Trump can expect the same kind of interrogation when the two go head to head that would make most mortals tremble.
Just over a month after Joe Biden exited the race and passed her the baton, this was the most important speech of Harris’s career as she sought to build on the momentum of huge crowds, record fundraising and viral phenomena on social media. Long in Biden’s shadow as vice-president, the primary objective was to make the American public comfortable with the notion of a President Harris regularly appearing on their screens.
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Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday with a sweeping, pointed speech in which she vowed to prosecute the case against Donald Trump and carry the country to a brighter and fairer future.
In an address that balanced optimism with scathing criticism of her opponent, Harris acknowledged her “unlikely” path to the nomination and extended her hand to voters of all political ideologies who believe in America’s promise. Harris would make history if elected – as the first woman, first Black woman and first Asian American woman to serve as president – but she instead focused on the history that the country could change in November.
“Our nation, with this election, has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new way forward – not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans,” Harris told thousands of Democrats in Chicago.
She then said to roaring applause: “On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination for president of the United States of America.”
The speech came just one month after Harris launched her campaign, following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race. With the president’s endorsement, Harris was able to quickly consolidate Democrats’ support and secure the nomination. Harris has enjoyed a wave of enthusiasm since entering the race, as most polls now show her pulling slightly ahead of Trump in the key battleground states that will determine the outcome of the election.
This photograph is of Kamala Harris’ great-niece, Amara, watching Harris make her speech. It was taken by Kevin Wurm, for Reuters:
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Civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton brought out four of the exonerated Central Park Five, including Yusef Salaam, who was recently elected to the New York City council. The survivors of wrongful incarceration spoke about the impact of Trump’s vicious attacks, which included his calls for execution of the group of innocent young men.
Salaam said Trump “wanted us un-alive. He wanted us dead. Today we are exonerated because the actual perpetrator confessed and DNA proved it.” He noted that the former president refuses to recant his accusations against them, saying: “He dismisses the scientific evidence rather than admit he was wrong … He has never changed, and he never will.”
In one of the most emotional moments of the four-day convention, survivors of gun violence took the stage to call for gun safety. The Georgia congresswoman Lucy McBath, who lost her son to gun violence, led the group, saying: “Our losses do not weaken us. They strengthen our resolve. We will secure safer futures … We will organize. We will advocate. We will run for office.” Kim Rubio, the mother of 10-year-old Lexi, who was killed in Uvalde, Texas, talked about her child she “will never hold again”. And Abbey Clements, a teacher and survivor of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, recounted in detail the terror of the shooting, saying: “I carry that horrific day with me.”
Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords recounted her recovery from the assassination attempt she survived, adding: “Kamala will be a great president. She is tough. She has grit. Kamala can beat the gun lobby. She can fight gun trafficking.”
After days of sustained pro-Palestinian protests calling for an arms embargo on Israel, Harris’s final address offered both a defense of Israel and a call for Palestinian self-determination. She said: “I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror … Hamas caused on October 7.”
“What has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost, desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again, the scale of suffering is heartbreaking,” Harris continued. “Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”
And the story you’ve all been waiting for:
As Kamala Harris prepared to deliver the biggest speech of her career, one of the year’s biggest rumours snowballed online and in the media about a potential surprise guest.
In an election campaign in which anything has seemed possible, a Democratic National Convention appearance by Beyoncé, whose song Freedom is the Harris campaign’s official song, seemed for a brief moment like it could be on the cards.
On Thursday, TMZ published a story with the headline “Beyoncé Performing at DNC final night!!!”, reporting “multiple sources in the know” had said she would “be the big surprise performer”.
The Hill posted a story headlined Beyoncé to perform at Democratic convention: Sources and also reported that Nick Hutchins, who works for the progressive firm Swing Left, had posted on social media saying he heard a band at the convention rehearsing Beyoncé songs, including “Cuff It”.
Florida Representative Frentrice Driskell also posted video of the band performing a Beyoncé song.
The convention ended without a Palestinian American speaker on the main stage, a key demand of the uncommitted movement. The Harris campaign and Democratic party faced increasing pressure throughout the week to include a Palestinian voice, particularly after parents of a Hamas hostage were given a speaking slot and delivered emotional testimony on Wednesday. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other high-profile Democrats and activists had called on the convention to find a way to accommodate the uncommitted delegates’ request, but officials did not change the schedule.
Ruwa Romman, a Georgia state representative who wrote a speech for the convention to consider, read her prepared remarks to a crowd gathered outside, instead. Abbas Alawieh, a leader of the uncommitted movement, told supporters: “The scandal is that there are forces within Democratic party leadership who do not want us to talk about Palestinian human rights.”
More from a second post-speech gathering gathering, where, per the pool report, the crowd sang “Happy Anniversary” to Harris and Emhoff to the tune of Happy Birthday.
Harris said the campaign has been “gruelling” and “uplifting.” She said the next days are going to be “rough and tough.”
“Tonight we’re partying, tomorrow lets get back to work. Please wish me and my husband a happy anniversary.”
Walz spoke, and said that he had lost his voice. He thanked the convention staff, saying the “country saw the best of America.”
The second gentleman’s remarks were almost parallel to his remarks at the first party talking about their first dance 10 years ago.
If you’re just joining us, here is a look at Harris’s speech at the DNC:
The vice-president’s final speech offered a forceful rebuke of Donald Trump and laid out the stakes of the election: “Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office, but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost … Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement … For an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans and separately, found liable for committing sexual abuse … Consider the power he will have, especially after the United States supreme court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails.”
She ended with a message of hope and optimism that has been a theme all week: “Let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness and endless possibilities. We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world and … we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done, guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish.”
Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, made brief remarks at a gathering after the DNC closing speech.
Today is their tenth wedding anniversary, and Emhoff, the first second gentleman, raised a toast to his wife.
Harris said:
So thank you for sharing this important day with us, but truly, thank you all so very much. I know who’s in this room. I know what you do every day and what you have done to support everything that we care about, everything that we believe is possible. We are truly invested in the future of our country. Our fight is truly and deeply worn out. Love country, and I know we’re gonna get this done. We’re gonna win!”
“But only if we understand you can party tonight and you need to work for the next 75 days or so.
“its been a wonderful convention, and so much of it is about everyone who is here who dedicates so much of your time and love to our country. We’re gonna get this done!”
Then Emhoff spoke, saying:
It is hard to imagine, like, literally 10 years ago right now, we had just taken our vows, gotten married, and we’re probably likely no that’s just literally, like probably having our first dance. And then to think about, literally, 10 years later, to the night she gave one of, if not the greatest speeches.
But like she said, we haven’t won anything yet, right? So it’s just 70 odd days left. Let’s I think tonight we can’t have some fun. And unlike my great friend, Governor Walz, he’s gonna he said he sleep when he’s dead. That’s extreme. I want to see her be president, so I’m gonna sleep on November 6, celebrating you becoming our next president.
So join me in toasting my wife, the love of the love of my life, on our 10th anniversary. But we’re not looking back. We’re not going back. We’re looking into the future with you as our next president. Kamala Harris, we love you.”
This is Helen Sullivan taking over our live US politics and post-DNC coverage.
A look back at the conclusion of the Democratic national convention
The fourth and final night of the Democratic national convention finished after Kamala Harris accepted the party’s presidential nomination.
Only 74 days remain until the 5 November election. Here’s a look back at what happened this evening:
In her acceptance speech, Harris called for Americans to “fight for this country we love”, while warning of the “extremely serious” consequences of electing Donald Trump, who she described as an “unserious man”.
Harris reflected on the role her mother played in influencing her career as a prosecutor, which was also inspired by a friend who was sexually abused.
The vice-president said she would “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself”, but also spoke of Gaza, saying “the scale of suffering is heartbreaking”.
Harris described the election as a “fleeting opportunity” to move the country out of what she described as a political rut, while trying to appeal to the moderate and independent voters who could decide swing states.
Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan governor and rising talent in the Democratic party, was one of the final speakers before Harris, and called her “a total badass” who can be trusted in a crisis.
Gabby Giffords, the former congresswoman and gun safety advocate who suffered a brain injury in a 2011 assassination attempt that left six people dead, told the convention Harris could “beat the gun lobby”.
The Uncommitted movement did not succeed in getting a Palestinian-American to speak from the convention stage, despite holding a sit-in outside the venue. Outside the security perimeter, Gaza solidarity protests continued.
Despite plenty of rumors, there was no special musical guest. Beyoncé did not appear, nor did Taylor Swift, though we did see Pink and the Chicks.
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Democrats were “euphoric” and “overjoyed” as they left their party’s convention.
Charlene Dukes, a delegate from Maryland, said she shed a few tears as she watched Kamala Harris accept the party’s nomination.
“To know that we have the possibility to have the first woman, the first woman of color, who identifies as Black and Asian American … oh my goodness,” she said.
Dukes said she will return to Maryland – a blue state with a competitive senate race – with a renewed sense of determination to organize and mobilize voters.
“We’re going to continue telling young people, middle-aged persons and seniors: you have the right to vote, she said. “That is our right and that determines the where this country is headed.”
Democratic national convention concludes
And with that, the Democratic national convention has ended.
Now we’ll see if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can translate the energy in the convention hall into an election win. The vice-president’s next big moment in the public spotlight will come on 10 September, when she meets Donald Trump for a debate in Philadelphia.
The convention hall is only slowly emptying out.
Perhaps people believe the rumored special musical guest will still appear, or they’re just having too much fun with the balloons and confetti that continues to fall from on high.
Kamala Harris, Tim Walz and their entourages have left the stage after about 10 minutes as balloons dropped and confetti filled the air.
We’re now hearing the convention’s closing benediction.
False Beyoncé rumors spread throughout the night
There were widespread rumors that Beyoncé was going to perform as a surprise guest on the final night of the convention, fueled by a TMZ report in the middle of the program, headlined, “BEYONCÉ PERFORMING AT DNC’S FINAL NIGHT!!!”
But Beyoncé never showed up. As the event was nearing the end, the star’s representative released a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, saying, “Beyoncé was never scheduled to be there. The report of a performance is untrue.” There were also rumors that Taylor Swift or another surprise guest would show up, but the night has ended without any celebrity surprises.
Moments after Harris ended her address, Doug Emhoff walked onstage as Beyoncé’s “Freedom” played.
Then came her running mate Tim Walz, and his wife, Gwen. The balloons dropped not longer after that, as the screen behind Harris played videos of supporters in swing states waving signs and dancing.
In the United Center, the crowd is waving American flags, and tossing around the red, white and blue balloons that fell from the ceiling.
Harris calls for Americans to 'fight for this country we love' as she wraps up convention address
Kamala Harris then wrapped up her address to the Democratic convention by again mentioning the lessons she learned from her mother.
“You know, our opponents in this race are out there every day denigrating America, talking about how terrible everything is. Well, my mother had another lesson. She used to teach. Never let anyone tell you who you are, you show them who you are,” Harris said.
“America, let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness and endless possibilities. We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in history of the world, and on behalf of our children and our grandchildren and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done, guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish and to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth, the privilege and pride of being an American.”
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Harris signals support for ceasefire deal, calls Gaza war 'heartbreaking'
Kamala Harris addressed one of the most divisive issues before Democrats: Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
“With respect to the war in Gaza. President Biden and I are working around the clock, because now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done,” she said.
She spoke forcefully against Hamas and the October 7 attack, saying, “I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the war that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7.”
Harris then turned to the devastation wreaked on Gaza by Israel’s invasion:
At the same time, what has happened In Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost, desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again, the scale of suffering is heartbreaking.
She then brought the crowd to their feet by declaring:
President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.
As she talked about her policy towards Israel, we could hear shouting in the United Center, but it was not clear what they were saying.
More applause followed when Harris proclaimed: “We trust women.”
“We trust women, and when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom. As president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law,” she said.
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The United Center is filling with the sounds of boos, as Kamala Harris recounts Donald Trump’s hand in the downfall of Roe v Wade, and the move by Republican-led states to ban access to abortion.
“Friends, I believe America cannot truly be prosperous unless Americans are fully able to make their own decisions about their own lives, especially on matters of heart and home. But tonight, in America, too many women are not able to make those decisions, and let’s be clear about how we got here,” Harris said, then continued:
Donald Trump handpicked members of the United States supreme court to take away reproductive freedom, and now he brags about it in his words, “I did it, and I’m proud to have done it.” Well, let me tell you, over the past two years, I’ve traveled across our country, and women have told me their stories. Husbands and fathers have shared theirs stories of women miscarrying in a parking lot, developing sepsis, losing the ability to ever again have children, all because doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients, couples just trying to grow their family, cut off in the middle of IVF treatments.
This is what’s happening in our country because of Donald Trump. And understand he is not done as a part of his agenda. He and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress. And get this, get this, he plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions.
After all that booing, Harris drew claps by declaring: “They are out of their minds.”
Harris got the crowd chanting her campaign staple of “We’re not going back!” after she brought up Project 2025’s discussion of ending the department of eduction, as well as early education service Head Start.
“We are not going back, and we are charting a new way forward, forward to a future with a strong and growing middle class, because we know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success, and building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency,” she said.
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In lengthy denunciation, Harris warns of 'extremely serious' consequences of re-electing Trump
Then, it was time to attack Donald Trump, who Kamala Harris described in a thorough denunciation as a threat to the country’s way of governing and life.
“In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious,” she began, before laying out what those consequences would be:
Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office, but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election. Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers. When politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help, he did the opposite. He fanned the flames, and now, for an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans and separately, found liable for committing sexual abuse.
Consider what he intends to do if we give him power again. Consider his explicit intent to set free violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol. His explicit intent to jail journalists political opponents, and anyone, he sees as the enemy, his explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens.
Consider the power he will have, especially after the United States supreme court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution.
Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails.
Harris says November election represents 'fleeting opportunity' to move country forward
Kamala Harris then outlined her view of the stakes of this election, while trying to appeal to the moderate and independent voters who may make the difference in the crucial swing states.
“Our nation, with this election, has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new way forward not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans,” she said.
“And let me say, I know there are people of various political views, and I want you to know I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self, to hold sacred America’s fundamental principles, from the rule of law, to free and fair elections to the peaceful transfer of power.”
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Harris accepts Democratic presidential nomination
Kamala Harris then accepted the Democratic presidential nomination:
So, on behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender or the language your grandmother speaks, on behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey on behalf of Americans, like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams and look out for one another, on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth. I accept your nomination for president of the United States of America.
The room erupted into applause.
Harris is now telling us about how her mother influenced her career path.
“My mother was a brilliant, five-foot-tall brown woman with an accent, and as the eldest child, I saw how the world would sometimes treat her, but my mother never lost her cool,” Harris said.
“She was tough, courageous, a trailblazer in the fight for women’s health, and she taught Maya and me a lesson that Michelle mentioned the other night. She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it.”
After deciding to be a lawyer, Harris recounted why she wanted to be a prosecutor:
When it came time to choose the type of law I would pursue, I reflected on a pivotal moment in my life. You see, when I was in high school, I noticed something about my best friend, Wanda. She was sad at school, and there were times she didn’t want to go home. So, one day, I asked if everything was all right, and she confided in me that she was being sexually abused by her stepfather, and I immediately told her she had to come stay with us, and she did.
This is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor, to protect people like Wanda, because I believe everyone has a right to safety, to dignity and to justice.
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She then talked about her upbringing with her parents who moved around the country for various jobs and would eventually divorce, and the virtues they instilled in her.
My early memories of our parents together are very joyful ones, a home filled with laughter and music, Aretha, Coltrane and Miles at the park. My mother would say, stay close. But my father would say, as he smiled, run, Kamala, run. Don’t be afraid. Don’t let anything stop you.
She began by thanking her husband, Doug Emhoff, and then Joe Biden:
When I think about the path we have traveled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude. Your record is inspiring, as history will show, and Doug and I love you, and Jill, and are forever thankful to you both.
After a very long applause and lots of “thank yous”, Kamala Harris’s speech is getting under way.
“OK, let’s get to business,” the vice-president said.
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When she made a surprise and brief appearance on the convention’s opening day, Kamala Harris wore a tan suit, which people interpreted in all sorts of ways.
Today, she’s in an all-black suit. Make of that what you will.
Kamala Harris on stage to accept Democratic presidential nomination
Kamala Harris is now on stage, where she will accept the Democratic presidential nomination in a speech that will be a crucial moment in her campaign to be elected president.
The vice-president is only the second woman ever nominated for the presidency by a major political party.
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Roy Cooper represents what is for Democrats, at best, a purple state.
His speech has emphasized Kamala Harris’s moderate appeal.
“Even if you don’t agree with her on everything, Kamala Harris will fight for you to the very end,” he said.
“For parents who want better schools for their kids, for workers worried about a secure retirement for themselves, Kamala will fight for you. For any of our allies anywhere in the world wondering if America still has your back, remember this, Kamala will fight for you.”
Now we’re hearing from North Carolina governor Roy Cooper.
He’s the last scheduled speaker before Kamala Harris.
Republicans have long claimed to be the party of patriots – the party that loves America and its military more.
But since Trump stormed on to the political stage, praising despots, mocking service-members, undermining faith in institutions and threatening to turn the military on US citizens, not to mention his role inciting his supporters on January 6, Democrats have attempted to reclaim the word.
Woven throughout the convention this week, speakers have encouraged chants of “U-S-A”. The line-up has included several members of the armed forces, with a heavy emphasis on Democrats commitment to protecting the constitution and preserving democracy.
Former defense secretary Leon Panetta said the country needed a “tough, cool-headed commander-in-chief” who understood American values and was respected the world-over.
“We stand united as veterans, Democrats and patriots,” congressman Ruben Gallego, a former Marine who is running for Senate in Arizona, said on stage on Thursday night, surrounded by Democrats who have served in the military.
“Show some respect,” he admonished Trump, recalling the former president’s attacks on the late senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war.
The audience waved American flags and chanted: “U-S-A.”
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There’s now a curtain over the door leading to backstage that, if you were seated on far stage right, you could see speakers walking on to the stage.
Might it be a sign that the rumored surprise musical guest is up next?
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Adam Kinzinger, a Republican former congressman who served on the House committee that investigated the January 6 attack, accused Donald Trump of destroying his party.
“I was a Republican for 12 years in Congress, and I still hold on to the label. I never thought I’d be here. But listen, you never thought you’d see me here, did you? But I’ve learned something about the Democratic party, and I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret the Democrats are as patriotic as us,” Kinzinger said.
He shared his thoughts on what the ex-president’s takeover of the GOP means for those who don’t believe in his Maga agenda:
He puts on quite a show. But there is no real strength there. As a conservative and a veteran, I believe true strength lies in defending the vulnerable. It’s in protecting your family. It’s in standing up for our constitution and our democracy that that is the soul of being a conservative. It used to be the soul of being a Republican, but Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican party.
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Whitmer calls Harris 'a total badass'
In praising Kamala Harris, Gretchen Whitmer adopted a theme that has run through many Democrats’ speeches at the convention thus far: that she would be a steady hand in times of crisis.
“Look, we’ve all lived through a lot of history over the past few years,” she said.
“We don’t know what the next four years will bring, but what we do know is this: through it all, your life won’t stop. You’re going to have to get to work, pick up the kids and pay your bills, and then one day, when you’re just trying to get everyone out the door, a news alert goes off. Something happened. Something hit the fan. You’ll ask, is my family going to be okay? And then you’ll ask, who the hell is in charge? What if it’s him? What if it’s that man from Mar-a-Lago?”
Whitmer then asked:
I know in a crisis, we need someone strong enough to come up with a plan to tell the truth and to bring people together. Right now, before the crisis, is when we get to choose. Why wouldn’t we choose the leader who’s tough, tested, and a total badass?
Eva Longoria: 'The energy is all across the country'
Actor and activist Eva Longoria just took the stage and said she’s long known the vice-president:
I have known Kamala Harris for more than a decade, and she comes from a family a lot like mine, and I’m sure a lot like yours. We were both raised knowing that no one was going to hand us anything, especially as women, and we were going to have to touch every rung of the ladder to get ahead. We were going to have to work really hard … She worked at McDonald’s, I worked at Wendy’s, and look at us now.
The energy tonight isn’t just here in Chicago, it’s all across the country. People are gathered at watch parties everywhere to celebrate Kamala Harris.
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Whitmer does the familiar compare and contrast of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
“Kamala Harris knows who she’s fighting for, too. She took care of her mom, who also battled cancer. As president, she’ll fight to lower the cost of health care and elder care for every family. She’s lived a life like ours. She knows us,” Whitmer said.
Then on to Trump:
Donald Trump doesn’t know you at all. You think he understands that when your car breaks down, you can’t get to work. No, no. His first word was probably chauffeur.
You think he’s ever had to take items out of the cart before checking out? Hell, you think he’s ever been to a grocery store? That’s what the chauffeur is for.
But Kamala Harris. She gets us. She sees us. She is us.
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Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer takes Democratic convention stage
Rising Democratic star Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, is now on stage.
“In Lansing, they call me governor, but in Detroit, they call me Big Gretch,” she said, then pivoted to the obligatory Trump diss:
Donald Trump called me that woman from Michigan, as an insult. Being a woman from Michigan is a badge of honor.
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Up now is congressman Ruben Gallego, who is running for Senate in Arizona, a must-win seat if Democrats hope to keep their majority in the chamber.
He’s talking about how Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have supported military veterans like himself.
“Vice-president Harris has stood up for our families, always,” he said. Of Walz, Gallego said that “his passion for veterans has earned him respect on both sides of the aisle”.
Then a group of veterans joined him on stage, who Gallego said, “put country over politics. We are proud to wear the uniform.”
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Leon Panetta, former secretary of defense, said Harris can take on tyrants
Leon Panetta, former US secretary of defense, said Kamala Harris would be a “tough, cool-headed commander-in-chief to defend our democracy from tyrants and terrorists”:
She knows a tyrant when she sees one, and our allies know a leader when they see one. On the Senate intelligence committee and as vice president, she worked with more than 150 world leaders. She’s looked our allies in the eye and said, ‘America has your back’. Trump would abandon our allies and isolate America. We tried that in the 1930s … It was foolish and dangerous then, and it’s foolish and dangerous now.
He continued, “Trump tells tyrants like Putin, they can do whatever the hell they want. Kamala Harris tells tyrants the hell you can, not on my watch.”
Mark Kelly: Trump 'sucked up to dictators'
Arizona senator Mark Kelly just came back on stage alone to talk about foreign policy and security – topics we have not heard a ton about over the past three nights of the convention.
More specifically, he talked about how Donald Trump couldn’t be trusted to handle those issues.
“Donald Trump skipped his intelligence briefings. He was too busy sucking up to dictators and dreaming of becoming one himself,” Kelly said.
He then gave his view of the stakes of this election – which, he noted, will be close:
The alliances we’ve spent decades building are too critical. That’s whats at stake now. And the choice, the choice isn’t even close. But in Arizona and nationwide, this election will be.
We’ll win the same way we launch rockets into space and land fighter jets on aircraft carriers – as one team on one mission.
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Pink performs with her daughter
Pink has just performed with her daughter, Willow, at the DNC:
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Speaking of Joe Biden …
The White House says he and Jill Biden called Kamala Harris to “wish her luck” ahead of her marquee speech this evening.
Giffords tells convention: 'Kamala can beat the gun lobby'
Gabby Giffords recounted her recovery from the assassination attempt, which left six people dead, and praised both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
“I learned to walk again, one step at a time. I learned to talk again, one word at a time. So many people helped me as I worked hard to recover, including a decent man for Delaware who always checked in he still does,” Giffords said, as Mark Kelly looked on.
“Thank you. Joe Biden, thank you for everything. Joe is a great president. My friend, Kamala will be a great president. She is tough. She has grit. Kamala can beat the gun lobby. She can fight gun trafficking.”
Gabby Giffords addresses Democratic national convention
Gabby Giffords, the former congresswoman who survived a mass shooting that left her with injuries to her brain, is now onstage.
The crowd chanted “Gabby! Gabby!” when she came out.
She’s with her husband, Arizona senator Mark Kelly, and appears to be reading off a tablet on the podium.
In addition to survivors of horrific mass shootings, we also heard from survivors of lesser-known killings.
Edgar Vilchez of Chicago recounted how a classmate of his was killed in school, saying, “Instead of worrying about taking a test, I started worrying about living to take another test.”
While the shooting left him traumatized, Vilchez added that, “I learned something new, too: that we can write a new story, if we choose to.”
The discussion began with Abbey Clements, a survivor of the 2012 massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
She recounted hearing the sounds of the shooting, which left dead 20 children and six adult staff members, then said: “They should still be here.”
We’re now getting into one of the more somber parts of the evening: a discussion of gun violence.
Georgia congresswoman Lucy McBath, whose son was shot dead, is to lead the discussion, which will feature people from communities where mass shootings have happened.
Kerry Washington taught the crowd how to correctly pronounce Kamala Harris’s name, saying, “Confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not.”
She brought out two of the vice-president’s nieces to teach the crowd the lesson.
“Confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not,” Kerry Washington says of pronouncing Harris’s first name. She then gets help from Harris’s grand-nieces to properly pronounce her name. It’s “comma” “la.” They lead a chant.
— Lauren Gambino (@laurenegambino) August 23, 2024
Here’s a video of the moment:
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Biden tunes into Democratic convention from vacation in California
We haven’t heard much from Joe Biden since he departed for vacation in California’s Santa Barbara wine country after delivering the convention’s keynote address on Monday evening.
On X, he said he’s looking forward to watching Kamala Harris’s speech this evening, and tweeted a photo of him and Jill Biden tuned in to the convention:
Jill and I just spoke to @KamalaHarris — we can’t wait to watch her accept this historic nomination.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 23, 2024
Kamala and Tim will inspire a generation and lead us into the future. pic.twitter.com/guKuTevT8F
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After Kerry Washington exited the stage, the crowd began chanting “Kamala! Kamala!”
Onstage now is the vice-president’s niece Meena Harris, her stepdaughter Ella Emhoff, and her goddaughter Helena Hudlin.
“She’s fighting for social justice, health justice, environmental justice and she isn’t alone. We’re all in this together”, said Emhoff.
“So let’s keep up the fight, let’s keep up the joy,” said Hudlin.
“And let’s elect this extraordinary woman as our next president,” concluded Harris. The trio then hugged and walked off stage.
Kerry Washington energizes the crowd
Actor Kerry Washington has now taken the stage:
“As I stand here, I know that there are folks on social media already saying, ‘Go back to your TV show, shut up and act.’ But I am not here tonight as an actor. I am here as a mother, as a daughter, as a proud union member, as the granddaughter of immigrants, as a Black woman descended from enslaved people. I am here tonight because I am an American and because I am a voter, and because we the people are stronger when all our voices are heard.
The Scandal actor, a longtime Democratic activist, is joined by Tony Goldwyn, her former co-star and a previous host. She is now having everyone on the crowd film videos of this moment, chanting: “When we fight, we win!”
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The Chicks take the stage
The Chicks have just sung the national anthem at the convention.
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After a daylong sit-in, uncommitted delegates entered the United Center to take their seats among their state delegations on the floor.
At a press conference outside, movement leaders said they do not plan to disrupt the evening’s events inside.
The movement is calling for Harris or senior members of her team to meet with them in Michigan to talk about a ceasefire and arms embargo. They set a 15 September deadline for a meeting.
The uncommitted delegates have peacefully entered the arena hand in hand pic.twitter.com/wA5DAcyHKl
— Uncommitted National Movement 🌺 (@uncommittedmvmt) August 23, 2024
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Tim Walz enters convention hall
The convention jumbotron has just shown Kamala Harris’s running mate Tim Walz, who is sitting somewhere in the packed United Center.
We’re in the middle of a musical interlude that’s gone on for a few minutes. Delegates are waving American flags, and Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA is playing.
There may be more music to come. A single microphone is set up on stage, in place of the podium. Could it be our surprise guest?
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Octavia Spencer and Sheryl Lee Ralph in attendance
Oscar-winning actor Octavia Spencer was spotted in the crowd at the convention:
Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph, from the hit TV show Abbott Elementary, is seating next to her:
Actor Kerry Washington, from the TV show Scandal, is due to speak tonight, one of many celebrities who have taken the stage throughout the week.
Pro-Palestinian activists march outside the convention
Thousands of pro-Palestinian activists have left Union Park in Chicago and are marching past the convention center where Kamala Harris is due to accept the democratic nomination in just hours. Activist delegates are holding a sit-in near the convention center to demand that a Palestinian American be allowed to address the convention before it concludes on Thursday.
At the same time, protestors holding flags and signs calling Harris “Killer Kamala” demanded an end to US military aid to Israel.
Michael, who said his family was Palestinian and Irish, said that he was marching to “demand that the US stop funding genocide” and said that Harris “needs to listen to us and empathize with ordinary Palestinians”.
“Right now, we’ve been locked out and exiled,” he said.
The protestors chanted: “Intifada! Revolution! … End the occupation! … It is right to rebel! Democrats go to hell! … Just like 1968! Nothing here to celebrate!”
Hundreds of police officers, some in riot helmets, are lining the protest route near the United Center.
NBA star Steph Curry says of Harris: 'The Oval Office suits her well'
We just had the first surprise celebrity appearance of the night: NBA star Stephen Curry, who likened the unity he has with his teammates on the basketball court to what Kamala Harris would bring, if elected.
“Thats why I believe that Kamala as president will bring that unity back and continue to move our country forward,” he said.
“The Oval Office suits her well,” he continued. “So, in the words of Michelle Obama: do something! Go vote! Be active!”
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Mitt Romney is not a surprise guest of the night, the Republican senator said, adding that he thinks it will be Beyoncé or Taylor Swift:
Contrary to fake news posts, I am not the surprise guest at the DNC tonight. My guess is that it will be Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. So disappointing, I know!
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) August 22, 2024
Rumors have swirled that in addition to a powerhouse surprise musical guest, there could be a surprise high-profile Republican speaker, but it’s unclear if there’s any validity to that.
In her remarks tonight, Kamala Harris will speak about her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a breast cancer researcher who immigrated to the United States from India at the age of 19.
Harris’s mother, who died of colon cancer in 2009, is an animating force in her life, a source of inspiration and the person who shaped her values. Harris describes her mother as the embodiment of the American dream, a striver who left her family and her country to pursue an education in the United States.
“My mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California with an unshakeable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer,” Harris will say.
Harris and her sister, Maya, who will also speak on Thursday night, were mostly raised by their mother. The vice-president has written that her mother raised her girls to be “proud” Black women, knowing that is how her adopted country would view them. She was active in the civil rights movement, and surrounded herself with Black activists, artists and political thinkers.
Across the four days, several speakers have acknowledged the woman Harris had called “the most important person in my life.” In her remarks, Hillary Clinton invoked her and Harris’s mothers, placing in a line of American women who have pushed their daughters toward progress.
“My friends, the future is here,” Clinton said. “I wish my mother and Kamala’s mother could see us. They would say, ‘Keep going.’”
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Uncommitted movement's deadline for speaker decision passes without answer from DNC
A deadline set by the Uncommitted movement for an answer from the Democratic national convention’s organizers to their request for a Palestinian American to address delegates has passed, with no response from the organizers.
Delegates and activists from the movement are continuing their sit in outside the United Center, but as the Guardian’s Rachel Leingang and Andrew Roth report, it now seems clear that the convention will not agree to their demands:
The Democratic national convention failed to make a 6pm CT deadline that the ceasefire delegates had set for a final decision on allowing a Palestinian American to speak from the main stage.
In a press conference outside the convention around 7pm CT, Abbas Alawieh, a leader of the uncommitted movement and an uncommitted delegate from Michigan, denounced the convention’s failure to listen to their demands.
“The scandal is that there are forces within Democratic party leadership who do not want us to talk about Palestinian human rights,” he said. “They’re out of step with the majority of the Democratic base, the majority of Democratic voters who believe that Palestinian human rights are a priority.”
Ruwa Romman, a Georgia state representative who wrote a speech for the convention to consider, read her speech to the crowd gathered outside. Earlier on Thursday, Mother Jones published the text, which began: “I’m honored to be the first Palestinian elected to public office in the great state of Georgia and the first Palestinian to ever speak at the Democratic national convention.”
The group held an impromptu sit-in on Wednesday after weeks of attempts to get a speaker on the main stage at the convention. The movement had first requested that Dr Tanya Haj-Hassan, a doctor who worked in Gaza, and a Palestinian American leader take the stage, and then streamlined the request to a Palestinian American leader.
About a dozen of those in the movement stayed overnight on the pavement outside the United Center, catching whatever sleep they could. The police did not attempt to get them to leave.
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For background on the Central Park Five and Donald Trump’s role in the racist attacks against the young men, check out our 2016 story and video from the Guardian’s Oliver Laughland:
From our story eight years ago:
Yusef Salaam was 15 years old when Donald Trump demanded his execution for a crime he did not commit.
Nearly three decades before the rambunctious billionaire began his run for president – before he called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, for the expulsion of all undocumented migrants, before he branded Mexicans as “rapists” and was accused of mocking the disabled – Trump called for the reinstatement of the death penalty in New York following a horrific rape case in which five teenagers were wrongly convicted …
“He was the firestarter,” Salaam said of Trump, in his first extended interview since Trump announced his run for the White House. “Common citizens were being manipulated and swayed into believing that we were guilty.”
Harris to say election is a 'fleeting opportunity' to move past bitterness of Trump
When she closes out the Democratic convention this evening with a speech that is to be the most closely watched of her political career, Kamala Harris will tell Americans that voting for her will turn a fresh page in the country’s politics, and keep an “unserious man” out of the White House.
“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past. A chance to chart a New Way Forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans,” Harris will say, according to excerpts of the speech released by her campaign.
Considering that they capitalized “New Way Forward”, one wonders if this is not the debut of a new campaign slogan.
Harris will continue:
I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a President for all Americans.
...
I will be a President who unites us around our highest aspirations. A President who leads -- and listens. Who is realistic. Practical. And has common sense. And always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life’s work.
The vice-president will say this about Donald Trump, and the conservative-dominated supreme court:
We know what a second Trump term would look like. It’s all laid out in “Project 2025.” … In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious … Consider the power he will have— especially after the United States supreme court just ruled he would be immune from criminal prosecution.
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Even though Kamala Harris will not speak for another three hours, the United Center already appears to be nearing capacity.
Reporters have filled section 320, where I’m typing this, to the point that there does not appear to be a single seat left. The attendants minding the section have had to turn people away because of capacity concerns.
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Beyoncé rumors escalate
The rumors that Beyoncé will be the surprise guest at the convention are spreading, with TMZ now reporting it.
The White House political director earlier tweeted a “bee” emoji, which some interpreted as further confirmation, although she followed up by saying: “Sorry guys my 6 year old took my phone.” A Beyoncé song was also playing during soundcheck.
Pink and The Chicks are confirmed to be performing tonight. Some have speculated that Taylor Swift could be a surprise guest, but there’s been no confirmation of that.
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Exonerated Central Park Five member and New York City councilmember says of Trump: 'He wanted us dead'
Al Sharpton then brought out four of the exonerated Central Park Five, including Yusef Salaam, who was recently elected to the New York City council.
Referring to Donald Trump, a cheerleader of their prosecution, as “45”, Salaam said:
45 wanted us un-alive. He wanted us dead. Today we are exonerated because the original perpetrator confessed and DNA proved it.
But Salaam noted that Trump refuses to recant his accusations against them, saying: “He dismisses the scientific evidence rather than admit he was wrong.”
“He has never changed, and he never will,” Salaam said.
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Al Sharpton accuses Trump of 'sowing division' as he introduces Central Park Five
Civil rights activist the Rev Al Sharpton in on stage now to introduce the Central Park Five, the group of Black and Latino boys falsely convicted over the rape of a jogger in New York, whose prosecution Donald Trump promoted.
But before they came on stage, Sharpton had a few words for the former president:
All Donald Trump has been consistent about is making himself richer and sowing division to get that done. This man sat right here in Chicago a few weeks ago refusing to apologize for claims that migrants were taking Black jobs. Well, in November, we’re going to show him when Blacks do their jobs.
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Uncommitted movement leaders denounce the convention
Abbas Alawieh, a leader of the uncommitted movement, is holding a press conference outside the convention now, announcing that the Democratic national convention has failed to meet the group’s deadline to allow a Palestinian American to speak on the main stage. There has been growing pressure throughout the final day of the convention for Democratic officials to find a way to feature a Palestinian voice, but the evening programming is well underway, with no announced plans for inclusion. Alawieh told reporters:
The scandal is that there are forces within Democratic party leadership who do not want us to talk about Palestinian human rights … They’re out of step with the majority of the Democratic base, the majority of Democratic voters who believe that Palestinian human rights are a priority.
Georgia state representative Ruwa Romman, who wrote a speech for the convention to consider, is now reading her speech to the crowd gathered outside. Mother Jones earlier published the text. The speech began, “I’m honored to be the first Palestinian elected to public office in the great state of Georgia and the first Palestinian to ever speak at the Democratic national convention.”
Now comes Pat Ryan, who represents a New York battleground district in the House of Representatives.
He hit out at Donald Trump for his reported insults towards military veterans, then obliquely referenced the newfound optimism Democrats are feeling since Joe Biden ended his bid for a second term:
These last few weeks have felt like a new day in America, when we are waking up, rising up, patriots, to demand a president who does not just treat our veterans with respect, but everyone with respect.
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Now the convention is hearing from Michigan congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, who is running for the swing state’s open Senate seat.
“Trump wants to take us backwards. He admires dictators a lot. He treats our friends as adversaries and our adversaries as friends,” said Slotkin, who opened by talking about her background working for the CIA and the defense department.
Ending on a similar theme, she said:
We do not retreat, we are the United States of America, we lead!
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Tonight’s musical interludes are being provided by Chicago’s own DJ Metro:
He was just bumping Kool & the Gang’s Celebration, and the crowd was vibing.
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Carrying on with the anti-corporate theme, Warren described Harris as someone who “cares deep down, and she will take on the giant corporations that are squeezing American families”.
“She’ll take on rightwing extremists who think they should decide who has access to abortion or IVF. Kamala will protect abortion rights nationwide, groceries, gas, housing, healthcare, taxes, abortion,” she continued.
And then she went there:
Trust Donald Trump and JD Vance to look out for your family? Shoot … I wouldn’t trust them to move my couch.
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Warren is known for her campaigning against corporate influence, and is telling the convention that Kamala Harris is a fellow traveler.
“You know what I love best about Kamala Harris? Kamala Harris can’t be bought and she can’t be bossed around,” Warren said.
She recounted how they first met in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, when “Kamala was protecting families, as California’s attorney general, and Donald was scamming students at Trump University and trying to make money off people losing their homes”.
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Elizabeth Warren addresses Democratic convention
Massachusetts senator and progressive leader Elizabeth Warren is on stage now at the Democratic national convention.
She’s being greeted with long and loud applause, and appears to be fighting back tears.
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Central Park Five and mass shooting survivors to address convention
The Democratic National Convention Committee has released the full schedule of the night’s speakers, which shows that, in addition to a host of powerful and prominent lawmakers, delegates will hear from people affected by issues that the party wants to address.
The 8pm hour will feature “a conversation on gun violence” with people from Newtown, Connecticut; Uvalde, Texas; Charleston, South Carolina; and Chicago – all places that have been the site of mass shootings.
Representatives of the Central Park Five, the group of Black and Latino boys wrongfully convicted of raping a jogger in New York, will speak at about 7pm CT. Donald Trump was a cheerleader of their prosecution, something they will no doubt bring up.
On a lighter note, we’ll be seeing comedian DL Hughley on the convention stage tonight, along with The Chicks, who will perform the national anthem.
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DNC kicks off final night
The final night of the Democratic national convention is officially under way, with Congresswoman Veronica Escobar gaveling in the session.
Even though Kamala Harris will not speak for another four hours, the United Center already looks quite crowded.
The delegates representing California, Harris’s home state, are clearly fired up about her speech tonight. They were already chanting “California!” before the session even began.
The United Center already looks quite crowded, with tonight’s programming about to get underway. Harris won’t address the convention until roughly 10pm CT. pic.twitter.com/FT98QJpYUW
— Joan Greve (@joanegreve) August 22, 2024
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Chicago has been revelling in its status as host city of the Democratic national convention.
Among its pearls is the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, which opened in 1938 and is a treasure trove of autographs, letters, rare books, presidential memorabilia and reproductions of Lincoln and civil war photos.
It currently has an exhibition of artifacts from Chicago’s first political nominating convention in 1860 – the one that set Lincoln on course for the White House.
James Carville popped up for a tour of the bookshop on Thursday and posed for photos while holding a picture of William Sherman, a union army general during the civil war.
In a discussion with shop owner Daniel Weinberg and former White House official Sidney Blumenthal, the veteran Democratic strategist observed: “If you listen to Fox, Chicago is this giant hellhole: homeless people, streets, they’re shooting everybody. It’s one of nicest goddamn, places I’ve ever been.
“My only problem with Chicago as a convention site is that the United Centre is too far away. I don’t know there’s much you can do about it. At some point, Chicago should build a downtown arena like that but I think it’s just a marvellous city. You can get in and out of it.”
Weinberg noted Mark Twain’s saying that history rhymes. Carville, who led Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign, replied: “I think it more than rhymes. There’s a lot to be learned from European history – you’re not supposed to say that – but just the power alliances that live with us today.
“Internal conflicts: the movies that we’re seeing, the books that are being written, January 6 – I’m sorry, that’s a little more than rhyming. Forty percent of the people in 10 different states want to secede. History, I can’t say it repeats itself but I think it repeats itself more than it rhymes.”
Blumenthal, a Guardian columnist currently working on the fourth volume of a monumental Lincoln biography, rejoined: “What I’ve been saying is the deeper I get into the past, the closer I get to the present.”
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Harris set for biggest speech of her political career on final night of Democratic convention
Good evening, US politics blog readers, and thanks for joining us as we cover the fourth and final night of the Democratic national convention in Chicago. This evening’s big event is Kamala Harris’s speech closing out the convention, which will be her most high-profile opportunity yet to make the case that she is a better choice for president than Donald Trump. Expect the vice-president to aim to create a signature moment or line that will be repeated by Democratic faithful as they seek to rally the party’s voters in the less than three months that remain before election day, as polls show a tight contest against the Republican former president.
Before the vice-president takes the stage, we expect to hear from another batch of party luminaries, including progressive senator Elizabeth Warren, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, Mark Kelly, the Arizona senator who was on Harris’ short list to be vice-president, and former congresswoman and shooting survivor Gabby Giffords. We also hear rumors that there will be a surprise musical guest, but there’s no saying who that might be. Keep in mind that the Democratic party does have the power to dazzle – yesterday, Oprah Winfrey strolled on stage without warning, and made a speech calling on independent voters to back Harris.
The convention kicks off at 6pm CT, and the White House said to expect Harris to speak at 9.45pm.
Here’s more about what we’ll watching out for this evening:
Will the Democrats allow a Palestinian-American to speak at the convention? Outside the United Center, activists and delegates are holding a sit-in to pressure convention organizers to allow a speaker from the community. Yesterday, the convention heard from the family of a US citizen taken hostage on October 7, but the Uncommitted National Movement, which has 30 delegates at the convention, wants a Palestinian to be able to offer their views, as well.
The two names flying around as potential surprise musical guests are Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. Either one could be huge for Democrats as they seek to underscore the breadth of support for Harris.
Cornel West, the independent presidential candidate, was spotted outside the convention hall. Is he just coming to watch, or might he be here to announce his support for Harris?
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