The Democratic National Convention’s third night featured Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton as headliners.
Clinton has spoken at 13 straight Democratic National Conventions, going back to 1976. On Wednesday night he confessed, “I have no idea how many more of these I’ll be able to come to.”
It was a striking admission from a politician whose dominance earned him the nickname The Big Dog. Clinton, who just turned 78, didn't shrink from his age, instead turning it into a poke at the GOP nominee, declaring, “I’m still younger than Donald Trump."
.@BillClinton on Kamala Harris: "When she was young, she worked at McDonald's...I will be so happy when she actually enters the White House as president because she will break my record as the president who spent the most time at @McDonalds. pic.twitter.com/OcMGynwe7t
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 22, 2024
In his 27-minute speech, Clinton leaned into what he’s seen over the decades and the burdens of history. He warned the convention crowd that, however good they feel, the campaign will be tough.
As the evening's closer, Walz accepted his party's nomination for vice president and used his speech to thank the packed arena for “bringing the joy” to an election transformed by the elevation of Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket.
“We're all here tonight for one simple, beautiful reason: We love this country," Walz said.
.@Tim_Walz: "It's the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States." #DNC #DNCConvention pic.twitter.com/d0H937CWBV
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 22, 2024
It was the peptalk of a lifetime for the former football coach. Telling Democrats in his remarks, “Let me finish with this, team. It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal. But we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball.”
He said they have to do the “blocking and tackling,” making phone calls and knocking on doors over the next 76 days. “There will be time to sleep when you’re dead,” he said.
On Thursday, the final night of the convention, Vice President Kamala Harris will giver her speech and formally accept her nomination.
Catch up on what happened on Day 3 in NPR's DNC live blog.
