Eight years ago, Hillary Clinton addressed the Democratic National Convention as the first woman to lead a major party’s presidential ticket, hoping to break the proverbial glass ceiling. On Monday night, she was back on the DNC stage—only this time in a slightly different role.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]As the Democratic Party finds itself once again on the cusp of potentially electing its first female President, Clinton, now 76, used her speech to rally behind Vice President Kamala Harris, salute President Joe Biden, and remind Democrats of the progress made and the opportunities still within reach since her historic presidential run in 2016.
The convention crowd gave Clinton a standing ovation that lasted more than two minutes—one of the longest of the night—and erupted with chants of her name. “There’s a lot of energy in this room just like there is across the country,” she said.
Here are some of the biggest moments from Clinton’s speech at the DNC.
The former 2016 presidential candidate spoke about Harris possibly breaking the glass ceiling to become America’s first woman president. “Together, we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling,” she said, echoing a remark she famously made at the Democratic convention in 2008 after losing the nomination to former President Barack Obama. “On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th President of the United States.”
Clinton spoke with a blend of nostalgia and optimism, recounting the challenges and breakthroughs of her 2016 campaign and framing Harris’ campaign as the latest chapter in a continuing historical struggle for gender equality in American politics. She noted the barrier-busters who came before her—including former Rep. Shirley Chisholm, who ran for President in 1972; and former Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, who was nominated for vice president in 1984.
“My friends, the future is here. I wish my mother and Kamala’s mother could see us. They would say ‘keep going,’” Clinton said as the crowd cheered and then chanted “keep going.”
In 2016, Clinton’s campaign embodied the hope and anticipation of breaking the ultimate political glass ceiling. Her acceptance of the Democratic nomination was celebrated with a dramatic visual of glass shattering, symbolizing a significant crack in the barriers faced by women in American politics. Clinton won the popular vote by nearly three million ballots, but she fell short in the electoral college.
After Clinton referenced former President Donald Trump’s criminal record, the convention crowd chanted “lock him up,” turning on its head the “lock her up” chants that were often used at Trump’s campaign events to attack Clinton in 2016.
“Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial, and when he woke up, he made his own kind of history—the first person to run for President with 34 felony convictions,” she said before the chants erupted. Clinton smiled at the crowd, and then paused for several seconds.
Crowds have chanted the same phrase at some Harris events, noting her background as a former federal prosecutor. While Harris has sought to shut down such chants, Clinton took a moment to soak them in.
Clinton began her speech by thanking Biden, saying he “has been democracy’s champion at home and abroad.”
“Let’s salute President Biden,” she said to applause. “He brought dignity, decency and competence back to the White House. And he showed what it means to be a true patriot. Thank you, Joe Biden, for your lifetime of service and leadership.”
Biden, who would speak at the end of the first night of the convention on Monday, exited the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Harris to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in July after a number of Democrats lost confidence in him following a disastrous debate performance against Trump.
During Clinton’s remarks, the audience—including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who reportedly worked behind the scenes to push Biden to exit the race—broke into chants of “Thank you, Joe.”
