The Democratic National Convention began on Monday with a number of notable moments from key speakers, including a surprise appearance from Vice President Kamala Harris.
Here are five memorable moments from the first night.
Biden was visibly moved as he took the stage for his convention remarks following his daughter Ashley’s introduction.
The president wiped tears away as he hugged his daughter and stood at the podium amid thunderous applause and chants of “thank you, Joe.” Members of the crowd also carried signs reading “thank you, Joe.”
The address will arguably be one of the most memorable speeches of Biden’s decades-long career and comes weeks after he dropped out of the race amid pressure from his fellow Democrats.
Still, Biden struck a positive, forward-looking tone during the speech and touted his administration’s accomplishments.
“I made a lot of my mistake in my career, but I gave my best to you,” Biden said to applause. “For 50 years, like many of you, I gave my heart and my soul to our nation. And I’ve been blessed a million times in return to support the American people.”
“I was too young to be in the Senate,” Biden said. “And too old to stay as president. I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you."
Harris made a surprise appearance on stage at the convention, greeting attendees early on in the evening.
The vice president received a rockstar welcome in Chicago’s United Center as she walked onto the stage to “Freedom” by Beyonce.
The appearance comes three days before Harris is slated to formally accept her party’s nomination on Thursday evening.
It’s unusual for the party nominee to attend the first night of the nominating convention. However, former President Trump appeared at every night of the Republican National Convention last month including the first night following the assassination attempt against him.
“Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation and for all you continue to do,” she said “We are forever grateful to you,” Harris said, speaking to the crowd.
Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was also there for a passing of the torch moment and expressed her hope that the vice president could be the first woman to break the glass ceiling in her presidential run.
Harris is notably the first woman to lead a major party’s presidential ticket since Clinton ran in 2016. Clinton was the first woman in U.S. history to lead a major party’s ticket. Clinton and Harris are the only women Trump has run against in a general election.
“On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris taking the oath of office as our 47th president of the United States,” she said. “When a barrier falls, it clears the way for all of us.”
Clinton invoked other American women who have broken barriers in running for elected office including Shirley Chisholm, Geraldine Ferraro, and herself.
“Afterwards, we refused to give up on America. Millions marched, many ran for office, we kept our eyes on the future,” Clinton said, referring to her 2016 loss to Trump. “Well, my friends, the future is here. I wish my mother & Kamala's mother could see us. They would say: keep going.”
Civil rights leader and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson made an emotional appearance on stage at the convention, receiving a standing ovation from attendees and supporters.
Jackson, who has Parkinson's Disease, was escorted in a wheelchair on stage by several of his supporters including his two sons Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) and Yusef Jackson, along with civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton.
The former 1984 Democratic presidential candidate did not deliver remarks, but waved and gave thumbs up to supporters. Many members of the crowd appeared emotional and moved by Jackson’s appearance.
The former presidential candidate’s supporters say he has created a path for Black Americans, including Harris to run for elected office.
“Rev. Jackson’s presidential campaigns helped pave the way for future elections, and the United Center was deeply moved by the well-deserved tribute to his life, impact, and legacy,” Sharpton said in a post on X following the appearance.
Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) delivered a fiery speech that was largely geared to middle-class and working-class Americans during the first night of the party’s nominating convention.
Ocasio-Cortez also used her remarks to take a number of jabs at Trump.
“Donald Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends,” Ocasio-Cortez exclaimed. “And I, for one, am tired of hearing about how a two bit union buster thinks of himself as more of a patriot than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out from under the boots of greed trampling on our way of life.”
“The truth is Don, you cannot love this country if you only fight for the wealthy and the big business,” she continued. “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.”
