Olin Nafziger

President Joe Biden waves to the crowd after arriving at the podium, preparing to give the keynote speech Monday night. Mr. Biden’s speech spoke on Gaza, reproductive rights and his pride in his more than 50 years of service. “Folks, I’ve got five months left in my presidency. I’ve got a lot to do. I intend to get it done,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love the job, but I love my country more.”

In an emotional and electric night, the Democratic National Convention kicked off on Monday, Aug. 19, amid booming cheers and a message of party unity and hope. Throughout the night, guests and speakers celebrated President Joe Biden’s legacy of service while honoring the passing of the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s 2024 nominee.

Mr. Biden delivered the keynote speech for the evening. In an emotional entrance, he was met onstage with a roaring standing ovation from the crowd chanting “Thank you, Joe.” In his speech, Biden reflected on his 50 years of service. He recited a list of accomplishments, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the historic appointment of the Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Additional topics included union support, health care, jobs and climate action.

“Folks, I’ve got five months left in my presidency. I’ve got a lot to do. I intend to get it done,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love the job, but I love my country more.”

About 10 minutes into his speech, audience members towards the back of the arena held up a banner reading “Stop arming Israel.” The delegates began another “We love Joe” chant, and covered the banner with “We ❤ Joe” signs before it was removed.

Mr. Biden also turned his eye to the future to speak on future changes, including the ban of assault weapons, a ceasefire and additional aid in Gaza, and the restoration of reproductive rights, a topic that was mentioned frequently throughout the night.

Mr. Biden said, “We’re facing an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history where the decisions we make now will determine the world for decades to come.”

At the end of his speech, Ms. Harris went onstage for the second time in the evening, this time alongside Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, the Biden family, and First Lady Jill Biden, who in an earlier speech had praised her husband’s courageous decision to step down.

In a surprise visit earlier in the evening, Ms. Harris greeted the cheering audience. She thanked President Biden for their partnership and his lifetime of service. 

Ms. Harris said, “This November we will come together and declare with one voice, as one people, we are moving forward, with optimism, hope, and faith, guided by our love as a country, knowing we all have so much more in common than what separates us.”

Other highlights of the first night:

• Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, received a standing ovation and gave a powerful speech about the “highest glass ceiling.” She commended Ms. Harris for her grit and urged voters to usher in change. She said, “This is our time, America. This is when we stand up. This is when we break through.”
• Some speakers criticized the Trump administration’s actions during the pandemic. Earlier in the evening, speakers including U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia of California and Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan spoke about Mr. Trump’s actions during the pandemic, including the spreading of conspiracy theories, which they said failed to protect Americans. Mr. Garcia’s mother and stepfather died of COVID-19, as did Ms. Flanagan’s brother.
• Multiple speakers condemned former President Donald Trump. U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas gave an impassioned and emotional speech, where she contrasted Ms. Harris’s career as a former prosecutor with Mr. Trump’s 34 criminal convictions. Ms. Crockett said, “Kamala Harris has a résumé. Donald Trump has a rap sheet.” U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland spoke about the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Mr. Raskin said, “We’re going to defeat Donald Trump, the career criminal and incorrigible recidivist con man and his pet chameleon JD Vance.”
• The fight for reproductive rights took center stage on the convention’s opening night. Three women, Amanda Zurawski, Kaitlyn Joshua and Hadley Duvall, shared their stories about abortion access and the dangers of post-Roe America. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear spoke on the necessity of protecting those rights, a sentiment which Mr. Biden later echoed. Mr. Beshear also slammed U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, for his comments on pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, which he called “inconvenient.” Mr. Beshear said, “Their policies give rapists more rights than their victims. That’s not inconvenient, that’s just plain wrong.”
• Multiple speakers touched on fighting big business. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who received a booming applause, spoke to workers’ rights and criticized Mr. Trump for his protection of “corporate greed.” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said, “To love this country is to fight for its people — all people, working people, everyday Americans like bartenders and factory workers and fast-food cashiers who punch a clock and are on their feet all day in some of the toughest jobs out there.” Shawn Fain, the president of the powerful United Auto Workers union, revealed a shirt that read “Trump’s a scab.” As one of the multiple speakers representing unions, he also endorsed Ms. Harris.
• Thousands of people gathered outside the convention to protest Israel’s war in Gaza. Inside the convention, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and Mr. Biden both mentioned the importance of a ceasefire. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said Ms. Harris is “working tirelessly to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and bringing the hostages home,” as the crowd cheered.
• The fight for civil rights was also highlighted throughout the evening. California Representative Maxine Waters paid tribute to civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer, a Black activist who fought for a seat at the DNC in 1964. Ms. Waters said about Kamala Harris, “When the dust settles in November, and Americans of all stripes have elected her as their president, I know she’ll be thinking of Fannie Lou, who I happen to know is one of Kamala’s heroes. In that moment, all of us, from New York to Pennsylvania to Arizona to California, we can ask ourselves: is this America? And we will be able to say, loudly and proudly, you’re damn right it is.” Jesse Jackson, a Chicagoan and civil rights icon, also appeared onstage alongside his family. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia gave a powerful speech on voting rights and the impact of the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Trump. Rev. Warnock said, “The lie and the logic of Jan. 6 is a sickness, it is a kind of cancer that metastasized into voter suppression laws all across the country.”