CHICAGO—During his speech, President Joe Biden discussed some of the policies his administration has fought for over the past three and a half years.
He celebrated Vice President Kamala Harris’s tie-breaking vote that pushed the Inflation Reduction Act over the line; the legislation gave the president the power to negotiate lower prices on key drugs for Medicare patients. Biden also emphasized the work he did toward improving infrastructure with the American Rescue Plan.
CHICAGO—After an introduction from his daughter Ashley, President Joe Biden, in tears, took the stage amid resounding applause.
“Thank you, thank you. I love you,” he told the audience as they entered into a standing ovation, chanting, “We love Joe.”
CHICAGO—Hillary Clinton took the stage at the Democratic National Convention to urge delegates to support Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to become the first woman to serve as President of the United States.
Clinton, 76, was the first woman to gain a major party’s nomination for president. The former First Lady, who went on to serve two terms as a senator from New York and as U.S. Secretary of State, lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump.
Reflecting on that outcome in her Aug. 19 remarks, Clinton said, “Together, we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest, glass ceiling, and tonight ... tonight, we’re so close to breaking through.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom arrived at the Democratic National Convention a little before 10 p.m. CDT and spent time shaking hands and taking pictures with attendees in the concourse of the United Center.
While clearly a crowd favorite based on reactions from hundreds of people that spotted him in the hallway, he told The Epoch Times he isn't scheduled to speak on stage during the week.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), who’s often credited as a key factor in President Joe Biden’s landslide 2020 primary victory in South Carolina, praised the president and Vice President Kamala Harris during his late-night speech to the Democratic National Convention Monday.
“Thanks to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we reopened our schools, brought back our businesses, and restored our faith in the American can-do spirit,” Clyburn said.
CHICAGO—Voters favoring candidates on both sides of the aisle made their way to Chicago on the first day of the Democratic National Convention to voice their opinions.
Sporting Kamala Harris shirts, two lifelong friends said they’re looking forward to the festivities and the election in November.
Democrats who gathered for the first day of the Democratic National Convention told The Epoch Times they'd seen renewed energy among Democrats since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, even as they looked forward to hearing him address the convention on the evening of Aug. 19.
CHICAGO—Democrats have seen a groundswell in volunteer support in the wake of President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race, the chair of the Ohio Democratic Party told The Epoch Times.
“We are so grateful for President Biden's service and his incredible legacy, but we definitely feel the energy, the enthusiasm, the joy,” Liz Walters, the leader of the Buckeye State delegation, said.
CHICAGO—Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), who represents a suburban district in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, said her concerns are aligned with Vice President Kamala Harris related to efforts to stop price gouging at grocery stores.
“It is a concern. It's something I've been working on in Congress, trying to address consolidation of foodstuff,” Scanlon told The Epoch Times at the Democratic National Convention.
CHICAGO—Shortly before 5 p.m. CDT, pro-Palestinian protesters breached a perimeter fence around the United Center at Chicago’s Park 578, just north of the venue.
Chicago police officers quickly responded, forming a line between the protesters and another barrier.
U.S. officials have concluded that the Iranian regime was behind an attempted hacking operation targeting former President Donald Trump’s campaign.
The FBI on Aug. 12 had announced that it was investigating reports that hackers potentially linked with Iran had targeted the Trump campaign.
PHILADELPHIA—The Republican vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), answered questions from news reporters traveling with him on the campaign aircraft dubbed “Trump Force Two” on Aug. 19.
In response to a question from The Epoch Times, Vance explained how he and former President Donald Trump hope to appeal to “disaffected Democrats,” especially in Pennsylvania and other Rust Belt states that could prove pivotal in the Nov. 5 election.
Former President Donald Trump, his running mate, and their allies are “barnstorming” across battleground states this week, his campaign announced.
While the opposing party gathers in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention Aug. 19–22, the Republican presidential team, Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), “will bring their America First message to voters,” a news release said.
In addition, Trump surrogates will conduct daily press conferences in Chicago to get out their side of the story, the campaign said, and other events will be held in various swing states.
CHICAGO—David Hogg, a leading gun control activist, told The Epoch Times he’s confident that Vice President Kamala Harris will pursue progressive gun control priorities if she wins the White House in November.
“What I look for more than anything, more than campaign promises, is what have you done,” Hogg said. “They're actively out there talking about the need to do things like ban assault weapons, the need to fund programs that prevent people from wanting to feel the need to pick up a gun and harm somebody else.”
CHICAGO—On the fringes of Union Park, Hassan Abdel Salam was opening up a cardboard box containing posters reading, “Abandon Harris ‘24.”
He was previously involved in the “Abandon Biden” movement, which set a deadline of Oct. 31, 2023, for the president to advocate for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel–Hamas war.
“The Abandon Biden campaign’s goal is to ensure that Biden loses the swing states,” its website states.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre provided insights into President Joe Biden’s upcoming speech as Air Force One made its journey to Chicago Monday.
“This is a fulfilling moment for him. He is eager to talk about the historic results he has delivered for the country," she said to members of the press.
Pennsylvania’s Gov. Josh Shapiro appeared before the Democratic National Convention’s Labor Council meeting on Aug. 19, promising the pro-union voters that under a Harris presidency, America will never become a right-to-work nation.
Right-to-work refers to legislation intended to protect workers from being forced to join a union in order to get work.
CHICAGO—The Trump campaign is holding daily press conferences at the Trump Hotel in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention, and Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) were the featured guests on Aug. 19.
They focused on inflation and policies they say are detrimental to the nation.
CHICAGO—Liz Shuler, president of AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States, said that Vice President Kamala Harris has strong support among union households in battleground states.
AFL-CIO issued a statement on July 3, endorsing President Joe Biden and Harris.
A mile or two west of the Democratic National Convention, the streets of the Fulton Market District were eerily quiet on Monday morning.
The district is usually a busy neighborhood, especially on a weekday. It’s home to many restaurants, bars, and corporate offices, including the headquarters of McDonald’s (located on the site once occupied by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Studios). The word on the street is that many workers were told they could stay home to avoid the blocked streets, increased law enforcement presence, and anticipated protests.
Here’s to Expect From the DNC
Starting Monday, Democrats will hold their long-anticipated national convention during which the party will outline to voters their vision for the future and is expected to rally behind their presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.Earlier this month, Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, were formally nominated after a virtual roll call—a departure from tradition where the formal nomination occurs at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
The vice president and governor will give speeches delivered on the final two nights of the event.
This is set to be a very different convention than voters expected at the beginning of the election cycle, when President Joe Biden led the ticket for Democrats.
However, a pressure campaign forced Biden out of the candidacy after an underwhelming debate performance shock up the political landscape.
Since Harris took over the ticket, Democrats have enjoyed a boost in polling. Still, the stakes are high for Harris and the Democrats, who will need to put on a united front after months of division within the party.
Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), were nominated at the Republican National Convention last month.
When and Where
The DNC will be held from Monday, Aug. 19, to Thursday, Aug. 22, in Chicago.Democrats have a long history of holding their conventions in the windy city—this will be the 12th time since 1864 that the convention has been hosted there.
The last DNC to be held in Chicago was in 1996, when President Bill Clinton was easily re-nominated by his party.
The main event this year is being held at the United Center, a convention center that doubles as the home stadium for the Chicago Bulls basketball team and the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team.
Around 50,000 attendees are expected, including the party’s approximately 5,000 delegates. Like most major political events, it won’t be open to the public.
However, it will stream on a variety of platforms, according to the party.
In addition to the normal media coverage of the event each night, voters will also be able to watch the convention online, courtesy of C-Span.
The event will also be streamed in its entirety via Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube using the vertical style popularized by those apps.
Speakers
The convention will feature speeches from an array of Democrat notables.Biden will be among the first speakers.
As is tradition at these events, neither Walz nor Harris are expected to speak until the final two days: Walz is likely to speak on the second to last day of the convention, and Harris on the final night.
Speaker are expected to appear according to this schedule:
- President Joe Biden
- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
- Former President Barack Obama
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
- Vice President Kamala Harris
- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
- Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
- Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
- Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.)
Platform
During the convention, Democrats will also formally adopt their party’s draft platform.It also details Democrats’ position on an array of issues.
It reiterates Democrats’ demands for a federal codification of Roe v. Wade—unsurprising as abortion is one of Democrats’ strongest polling issues.
Economically, there’s not much in the platform that’s especially new: it calls for the federal minimum wage to be raised to $15 an hour by 2026, policies to increase the affordability of childcare and healthcare, and making the Child Tax Credit permanent.
Additionally, the platform repeats Democrats’ long-held demands for higher taxation of very wealthy individuals and corporations.
The draft platform also calls for securing the southern border while providing a “pathway to citizenship” for the millions of illegal immigrants in the country.
However, this platform, released in early July, hasn’t been updated since Biden dropped out.
Now, hours before the convention kicks off, it still lists Biden as the party’s candidate.
Protests
While Democrats seek to project an image of unity, there’s one factor that’s outside of the party’s control: expected protests from interest groups on the left.Namely, protestors are expected to move full steam ahead with protests originally planned against Biden.
The event already has the highest possible federal security classification.
By Joseph Lord