The Democratic National Convention's first night featured speeches from the last Democrat to lose to Donald Trump and the last one to beat him.
Hillary Clinton painted a vision of Vice President Kamala Harris “on the other side" of the glass ceiling, taking the oath of office as the first female president.
President Joe Biden wrapped up the convention’s opening night by beginning his long political farewell with an address that both framed his own legacy and signaled he was ready to start ceding control of the party to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Speaking clearly and energetically, Biden appeared to relish the chance to defend his record, advocate for his vice president and go on the attack against Trump. His delivery was more reminiscent of the Biden who won in 2020 than the mumbling and sometimes incoherent one-time candidate whose debate performance against Trump in June sparked the downfall of his reelection campaign.
Biden, in his remarks, repeated his 2020 theme that “we’re in a battle for the very soul of America,” and pressed the case for why Harris and her running mate Tim Walz were best prepared to wage it.
“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 to whom he handed over his political operation.
President Biden: "I've got five months left in my presidency. I've got a lot to do. I intend to get it done. It's been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love the job, but I love my country more." #DNC pic.twitter.com/Wox80ZeWJg
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 20, 2024
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.”
Catch up on what happened on Day 1 in NPR's DNC live blog.
More from NPR: Here’s who’s speaking on Day 2 of the DNC