Donald Trump emphasized the power of the presidency on Friday when asked about what he could do should he get back in the Oval Office.

Well, you can do everything, said the GOP nominee at an event in Washington, D.C. for the far-right Moms for Liberty group.

The president has such power, it does. It has such power.

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Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign says it's now raised $540 million and saw a surge of donations during the Democratic National Convention, the AP reports.

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Donald Trump's aides looked to steer the former president away from brewing with anger about the Democratic National Convention.

So they booked events to keep the GOP nominee busy and to keep him in the media as he's worked to find his footing against Vice President Kamala Harris, sources told The Washington Post.

Trump doesn't like \"issues-focused speeches\" that don't entertain his base, a person close to the Trump campaign said, and has instead used events to mock Harris thanking the DNC crowd and to criticize Democrats for siding with Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out.

Trump, when asked if the Democrats' change on the ticket threw him off, said he thinks the campaign is \"doing great.\"

Check out the full report here.

Trump has at least five campaign stops set up next week, as he tries to focus attention away from the DNC.

On Monday, he is visiting Detroit to speak at a conference of the National Guard Association of the United States. On Thursday, he has a speech on the economy scheduled in Potterville, Michigan, and a town hall event in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Then on Friday, Trump has a rally planned in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, before he goes on to speak at a Moms for Liberty event in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance is set to give a speech Tuesday in Big Rapids, Michigan.

Trump campaign pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Travis Tunis are once again preempting what they believe will be good news for Harris next week with a memo to staff.

The pair warned that the huge burst of positive energy on display at the DNC would likely boost Harris in the polls, but they argued that bump would be temporary.

Post-Convention bounces are a phenomenon that happens after most party conventions, Fabrizio and Tunis wrote in their memo, dated Thursday.

They did not note that Trump did not see a polling bump after this years Republican National Convention, as Biden dropped out of the race just a few days later, prompting a surge in enthusiasm for Democrats rallying around Harris. The Trump campaign warned about a Harris honeymoon at that time, as well, although her support does not appear to have fallen as Trumps camp had predicted.

They blamed the news media for Harris success, saying, the Media decided to extend the honeymoon for over 4 weeks now.

Harris currently leads Trump nationally, according to polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight. In battleground states, however, the race is largely neck-and-neck.

Fabrizio and Tunis told staffers they needed to keep our eye on the ball that is the polling in our target states.

Our goal is to get to 270 and winning these states is how we do it. Well let the media make mountains out of molehills, while we keep driving forward, sticking to our winning plan of getting President Trump re-elected, they said.

Trump campaign pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Travis Tunis are once again preempting what they believe will be good news for Harris next week with a memo to staff.

The pair warned that the huge burst of positive energy on display at the DNC would likely boost Harris in the polls, but they argued that bump would be temporary.

“Post-Convention bounces are a phenomenon that happens after most party conventions,” Fabrizio and Tunis wrote in their memo, dated Thursday.

They did not note that Trump did not see a polling bump after this year’s Republican National Convention, as Biden dropped out of the race just a few days later, prompting a surge in enthusiasm for Democrats rallying around Harris. The Trump campaign warned about a “Harris honeymoon” at that time, as well, although her support does not appear to have fallen as Trump’s camp had predicted.

They blamed the news media for Harris’ success, saying, “the Media decided to extend the honeymoon for over 4 weeks now.”

Harris currently leads Trump nationally, according to polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight. In battleground states, however, the race is largely neck-and-neck.

Fabrizio and Tunis told staffers they needed “to keep our eye on the ball – that is the polling in our target states.”

“Our goal is to get to 270 and winning these states is how we do it. We’ll let the media make mountains out of molehills, while we keep driving forward, sticking to our winning plan of getting President Trump re-elected,” they said.

Democrats have to keep this off-the-charts momentum going for 72 more days and mobilize swarms of voters to turn out for Harris presidential campaign.

If they cant, given that this race is currently so tight that it could ultimately be decided by a handful of votes in certain precincts in swing states, there is a very real possibility that she will lose to Trump.

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Two people close to Trump told The New York Times that the former president has spoken to them about how he finds it difficult to avoid making personal attacks on his opponents. Apparently, Trump said that its a tough habit to curb because of the overwhelming animosity he feels for people like Harris and President Joe Biden.

Trump has seemed to make an effort over the past two weeks to focus more on policy issues, but he has still managed to veer off script. As the Times noted, Trump delivers his prepared remarks with a notable lack of energy, becoming highly animated only when ad-libbing.

A dozen former White House lawyers who worked in the presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush put out a letter warning about the threat that Trump poses to the nation.

\"We endorse Kamala Harris and support her election as President because we believe that returning former President Trump to office would threaten American democracy and undermine the rule of law in our country,\" the lawyers wrote, according to a Fox News report.

The letter, released Friday, urged \"all patriotic Republicans, former Republicans, conservative and center-right citizens, and independent voters to place love of country above party and ideology and join us in supporting Kamala Harris.\" It noted that people who worked at the most senior levels in the first Trump administration now refuse to endorse him.

\"We believe this election presents a binary choice, and Trump is utterly disqualified,\" the letter read.

Signatories included J. Michael Luttig, a retired federal judge who has been a conservative critic of Trumps for years.

Writing on Truth Social at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Trump reiterated his usual attacks against President Joe Biden and Harris, calling her the Weakest Presidential Candidate in History on Crime.

Trump once again claimed without evidence that Harris allowed escaped mental institution patients and terrorists to cross the southern U.S. border. He brought up his past complaint that Harris did not go through the usual primary process, even though that was the case due to the unusually late date in which Biden dropped out of the White House race.

What gives her the right to run for President? Trump asked. \"This is a Threat to Democracy!\"

Hours after suspending his campaign and endorsing Donald Trump, RFK Jr. joined the former president onstage at an Arizona rally to thunderous applause, the AP reports.

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Kamala Harris may have wowed both Democrats and political observers with her speech Thursday accepting her partys nomination for president, but for her opponent, Donald Trump, there were just too many thank-yous.

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For any American out there who is tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward, ours is a campaign for you, Harris-Walz campaign chair Jen OMalley Dillon said in a statement after Kennedy announced he was suspending his campaign.

\"Even if we do not agree on every issue, Kamala Harris knows there is more that unites us than divides us: respect for our rights, public safety, protecting our freedoms, and opportunity for all, she continued.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. devoted the bulk of his rambling speech to complaints.

He spoke about being excluded from the presidential debates -- unfairly, in his opinion. He spoke about the Democratic Party staging a palace coup against Biden and criticized Harris for not yet giving a major interview. And he spoke for a long time about ultra-processed foods, which he suggested were linked to a variety of physical and mental health issues.

Our country has the earliest puberty rates of any continent on the Earth. And no, this isnt because of better nutrition. This isnt normal. Breast cancer is also estrogen-driven and now strikes one in eight women. We are mass poisoning all of our children or adults, Kennedy said.

The good news is we can change all this, he said. First, we need to root out the corruption in our health agencies. Second, we need to change incentives in our health care system. And third, we need to inspire Americans to get healthy again.

Five of Kennedys siblings released a statement denouncing him for his Trump endorsement, saying its a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story.\"

They reaffirmed their support for the Harris-Walz campaign.

Kennedy thanked the campaigns volunteers for helping his ticket make the ballot on a state-by-state basis, navigating an insurmountable tangle of arbitrary rules for collecting signatures.

Read more here.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed that relentless systematic censorship and media control led him to conclude he needed to suspend his campaign, although he is working to scrub his name from ballots in 10 battleground states.

I want everyone to know that I am not terminating my campaign. I am simply suspending it, and not ending it. My name will remain on the ballot in most states, Kennedy said.

I encourage you to vote for me,\" he continued. \"And if enough of you do vote for me, and neither of the major party candidates win 270 votes, which is quite possible, in fact, today our polling shows them tying at 269 and 269 I could conceivably end up in the White House in a contingent election.

(Presidential candidates need to amass at least 270 electoral college votes in order to win.)

Its with a sense of victory, and not defeat, that Im suspending my campaign activities, Kennedy said.

Kennedy clarified he is suspending his campaign, not fully ending it.

\"I am not terminating my campaign, I'm simply suspending it,\" he said, explaining that he will remain on the ballot in certain states that are not considered battlegrounds.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. remarked on his decision to suspend his independent bid for the presidency.

I began this journey as a Democrat the party of my father, my uncle, the party I pledged my allegiance to long before I was old enough to vote, Kennedy said during a press conference in Arizona.

He recalled attending his first Democratic National Convention in 1960, at age 6, and noted that his disenchantment with the party led him to eventually become an independent.

The mainstream of American politics and journalism derided my decision, Kennedy said. The naysayers told us that we were climbing a glass version of Mount Impossible.

The first thing I want to tell you is that we proved them wrong we inspired a massive political movement,\" he added.

Nicole Shanahan, a Silicon Valley lawyer, shared a brief message on social media as news emerged that her independent presidential campaign with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had ended.

Im not a Kamala Democrat. Im not a Trump Republican. Im an INDEPENDENT American who is endorsing ideas, not a person or a party, Shanahan wrote. I will continue working to give a voice to the voiceless and bring power back to the people.

In a separate post, she wrote, \"In a world that seems to have lost its way, my promise to each of you is to keep doing my part to make it a little less crazy.\"

Trump, who has repeatedly taken credit for demolishing the nationwide right to an abortion, took to Truth Social to make a substance-free claim about a second term in office.

My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights, Trump wrote.

The Associated Press reports Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a Pennsylvania court filing that he will endorse Donald Trump for president. Kennedy is expected to give a speech in a few moments.

The Associated Press reports Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a Pennsylvania court filing that he will endorse Donald Trump for president. Kennedy is expected to give a speech in a few moments.

• Making patriotism cool for liberals again
• A bittersweet speech from President Biden passing the torch of party leadership
• Powerful remarks from both Michelle and Barack Obama
• A speech from Tim Walz that was in turns fiery and emotional
• A high-octane roll call the likes of which we've never seen
• A glaring lack of representation for Palestinian Americans critical of Israels war in Gaza
• A speech from Pennsylvanias popular governor that Trump later attacked in an ugly way
• Plenty of Republican speakers, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)
• A cute lesson from Harris nieces on how to properly say her name

Asked if she is bothered that Biden appears to be upset with her over her efforts to get him to step out of the race, Pelosi replied: What bothers me would have been the reelection of Donald Trump as president of the United States.

Thats what bothers me and I think that would bother him, she told Politicos Jonathan Martin.

Pelosi said she would still invite Biden and his family over for dinner at her home.

Are you kidding me? she asked. Joe Biden is welcome any place he wants to go.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) spoke of her long relationship with Harris as she took stock of the unprecedented nature in which the vice president ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket.

\"She is an extraordinary person, and she meets this moment for America, Warren told MSNBCs Morning Joe. We are so lucky to have her.\"

Former first lady Michelle Obama praised Harris for her impassioned and powerful speech last night, but warned Democrats they shouldnt let this momentum die down ahead of November.

Harris did her part with grace, strength, and determination, Obama wrote on X, formerly Twitter. \"And now, its up to us, regardless of how we identify politically, to do the same. Each of us must do what we know in our hearts is right.

We must vote like our lives depend on it. We must rally our neighbors and communities. And we must start now. Dont wait. We cant let this momentum die down, she added.

Obama offered a strong endorsement of Harris with her own speech on the second night of the DNC.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the ballot in Arizona late Thursday, a day before he and Trump were set to appear just miles apart as speculation grows that Kennedy will drop out and endorse the former president.

Kennedy is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. Eastern time in Phoenix about the present historical moment and his path forward, according to his campaign. Hours later, Trump will hold a rally in neighboring Glendale, the Associated Press reported.

Former President Barack Obama shared on X a photo of Harris speaking at the convention and said she \"showed the world what I have known to be true.\"

\"She is ready on day one to be President and represents the best of America. Lets get to work,\" he wrote.

Yon Park, a DNC attendee from the East Bay who is an immigrant woman of color, told me she really loved how Kamala came out very strong

I am very motivated, excited & taking that energy back home, she said, adding she hopes to be in DC in January to see Harris inaugurated. pic.twitter.com/ECtXfKVQjF

Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) August 23, 2024

DNC attendee Yon Park said she is \"very motivated, excited and taking that energy back home. Let's get back to work!\"

She said she believes women \"have the power to make change.\"

Yon Park, a DNC attendee from the East Bay who is an immigrant woman of color, told me she really loved how Kamala came out very strong

I am very motivated, excited & taking that energy back home, she said, adding she hopes to be in DC in January to see Harris inaugurated. pic.twitter.com/ECtXfKVQjF

— Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) August 23, 2024

Unfortunately, Queen Bey did not hit the stage at the 2024 Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, putting an end to tons of online speculation and some false reports.

A representative for the star shut the claims down completely, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Beyonc was never scheduled to be there, the source told THR. The report of a performance is untrue.

Shawna Ackerson, a delegate from Missouri whos running for the statehouse there, told me the night was a lesson in the importance of getting involved in politics and the highlight for her was Kamala, thats it! pic.twitter.com/4yWCCMBOLG

Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) August 23, 2024

\"I cried through it, it was so amazing, it's surreal to be here. You have to experience this once in a lifetime,\" said an excited Shawna Ackerson, a delegate from Missouri.

\"Get involved in politics, if you want to make sure your future is secure. So vote, that is the number one thing to do,\" she said.

Her highlight?

\"Kamala!\"

Shawna Ackerson, a delegate from Missouri whos running for the statehouse there, told me the night was a lesson in the importance of getting involved in politics and the highlight for her was Kamala, thats it! pic.twitter.com/4yWCCMBOLG

— Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) August 23, 2024

\"We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world,\" Harris said as she wrapped her speech. \"And on behalf of our children, and our grandchildren, and all of those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment.\"

\"It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done: guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish, and to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on earth the privilege and pride of being an American,\" she said.

I see an America where we hold fast to the fearless belief that built our nation and inspired the world. That here, in this country, anything is possible, that nothing is out of reach, Harris said.

Biden has frequently said in his speeches that Americans can do anything if they work together.

She went on, describing an America where we care for one another, look out for one another, and recognize that we have so much more in common than what separates us.

Harris made reproductive rights a centerpiece of her speech. She called out Trump for bragging about hand-picking the Supreme Court Justices who repealed Roe v. Wade, and promised to restore reproductive freedom if elected in November.

Over the past two years, I've traveled across our country. Women have told me their stories, husbands and fathers have shared theirs, she told the crowd. Stories of women miscarrying in a parking lot, developing sepsis, losing the ability to ever again have children all because doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients.

This is what's happening in our country because of Donald Trump, she said, and he is not done.

She talked about his Project 2025 agenda, which would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress.

Simply put, they are out of their minds, she said of Trump and his allies.

When Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom. As president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law,\" she added.

Harris dedicated a section of her address to the ongoing war in Gaza, a subject thats driven a rift among Democrats for months and particularly during the convention.

She condemned the Hamas-led attack inside Israel on Oct. 7 that sparked the current fighting, noting sexual violence by Palestinian fighters and the killing of attendees of the Nova music festival, and said she would stand for Israels right to defend itself.

Yet, in keeping with her pattern of more forthrightly recognizing skeptics of the war than President Joe Biden had, she also spoke of heartbreaking suffering in Gaza and specifically endorsed the idea of Palestinian self-determination, something that hard-right Israelis and some of their allies in the U.S. outright reject.

Still, Harris comments did not go as far as some Gaza war critics had hoped they might for instance by noting that Israels devastating campaign and assaults on civilian targets appear to violate U.S. and international laws governing the use of force.

I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un, who are rooting for Trump. Because you know, they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors, Harris said. They know Trump wont hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself.

I know where I stand, and I know where the United States belongs,\" she added.

Harris tied the lack of significant legislation to address the border crisis to Trump and his demand that Republicans tank bipartisan legislation earlier this year.

Donald Trump believes a border deal with hurt his campaign, Harris said. Well, I refuse to play politics with our security. And here is my pledge to you: I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed and I will sign it into law.

We can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system,\" she added.

The middle class is where I come from, Harris told the crowd, pledging to support an opportunity economy where everyone has the chance to compete and a chance to succeed.

We will end America's housing shortage! Harris said, to applause.

We will pass a middle class tax cut that will benefit more than 100 million Americans! Harris said, to more applause.

Now compare that to Donald Trump,\" she went on, \"Because I think everyone here knows he doesn't actually fight for the middle class. ... Instead, he fights for himself and his billionaire friends.\"

Trump is clearly watching Harris speak, posting on his Truth Social platform, among other things: IS SHE TALKING ABOUT ME?

She is.

Harris went hard on Trump for his election denialism.

Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes, she said. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers. When politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help, he did the opposite he fanned the flames.

She warned of how dangerous a second Trump presidency would be, given his efforts to thwart democracy.

Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails, and how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he has ever had: himself, she said.

In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man, Harris said. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious. Consider not only the chaos and calamity of when he was in office, but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election.

Speaking on the division in the country, Harris said she promises to be a president for all Americans,\" no matter their politics.

I know there are people of various political views watching tonight, Harris said. And I want you to know I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self, to hold sacred Americas fundamental principles, from the rule of law to free and fair elections, to the peaceful transfer of power.

Harris has officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president.

On behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks, on behalf of my mother, and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey, on behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another, on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth I accept your nomination to be President of the United States of America,\" she said to big cheers from the crowd.

Harris has officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president.

“On behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks, on behalf of my mother, and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey, on behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another, on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth — I accept your nomination to be President of the United States of America,\" she said to big cheers from the crowd.

My mother was a brilliant, five-foot-tall brown woman with an accent, Harris said of her late mother, the scientist Shyamala Gopalan Harris. And as the eldest child, I saw how the world would sometimes treat her, but my mother never lost her cool.

She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it, she continued, adding: She also taught us, never do anything half-assed and that is a direct quote.

Joe, I am filled with gratitude, Harris began, after a shoutout to her husband and family in the crowd. Your record is extraordinary, as history will show, and your character will show.

Harris stepped on stage to an extended standing ovation and chants of her name just after 10:30 p.m. ET.

Harris stepped on stage to an extended standing ovation and chants of her name just after 10:30 p.m. ET.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) spoke about the years when he and Harris were both attorneys general and commended her for work she did to help California homeowners whod been ripped off by big banks.

Even if you don't agree with her on everything, Kamala Harris will fight for you to the very end, Cooper said. For families who need better health care or a safer place to live, Kamala will fight for you. For parents who want better schools for their kids, for workers worried about a secure retirement for themselves, Kamala will fight for you.

Harris younger sister, Maya Harris, talked up her sibling and their late mother Thursday night, after also appearing in multiple videos shown at the DNC this week.

When others want to drag us to the past, my sister says, Hold up now, we are not going back, Maya Harris said. Because Kamala understands that we have so much more in common than what separates us. She knows the measure of our success isnt just winning an election, its about who we bring along and lift up in the process.

I so wish that Mommy could be here tonight. I can just see her smiling, saying how proud she is of Kamala. And then, without missing a beat, shell say, Thats enough, you got work to do.

Many of the thousands of attendees here are wearing white in honor of the suffragette movement and the prospect of Americas first female president.

This delegate from Florida added an extra touch: a sash nodding to history that reads VOTES FOR WOMEN.

Many of the thousands of attendees here are wearing white in honor of the suffragette movement and the prospect of America’s first female president.

This delegate from Florida added an extra touch: a sash nodding to history that reads “VOTES FOR WOMEN.”

Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of just 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role on Jan. 6, issued a scathing takedown of the former president.

Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party, Kinzinger said.

His fundamental weakness has coursed through my party like an illness, sapping our strength, softening our spine, whipping us into a fever that has untethered us from our values.\"

Actor Eva Longoria put a new twist on an old political saying in the Latino community: Si, se puede!

The Spanish phrase means, Yes, we can!

Tonight, Im here to tell you: Yes, she can, Longoria said of Harris. So were going to say, 'She, se puede!

She went on: When someone asks you, Is she ready to lead this country forward? Were going to say, 'She, se puede! When somebody says, Is she qualified for the job? Were going to say, 'She, se puede! When somebody asks, Is she going to be the first female president of the United States? Were going to say, She, se puede!

Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running for Senate in Arizona, spoke about his service as a Marine and what it means to take care of U.S. soldiers when they come home.

We have a duty to take care of our patriots who serve our nation, Gallego said.

Gallego brought out other lawmakers who have served in the military, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who lost a leg when the Black Hawk helicopter she was on was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq in 2004.

Vice President Harris has stood up for us and our families, always, Gallego said. Tim Walz served for24 years.

As service members filled the stage, Gallego mentioned former Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), who was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam war. Gallego brought up Trumps previous comments calling McCain a loser.

John McCain was an American hero, Gallego said. Show some respect.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly spoke to Harris national security bonafides, emphasizing the importance of supporting NATO and Ukraine while keeping others like Iran, North Korea, China and Russia in check.

Whats Trumps answer? he asked, then answered: He invited Russia to do and these are his words, not mine whatever the hell they want.

Kelly also noted that Harris served on the Senate Intelligence Committee and had investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election.

She defends free and fair elections everywhere, he said. You already know how Trump feels about those.

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta went after Trump for remarks he reportedly made in which he allegedly called Americans who died in war losers and suckers.

Donald Trump does not understand the world, and he does not understand the service and sacrifice of our military, Panetta said. Our fallen veterans are not suckers, they are not losers, they are our heroes.

Every president since World War II has shared the belief that America must protect democracy in the world, he went on. Every president has honored our veterans and their sacrifices. Every president but one.

The pop star performed a version of her hit What About Us with a simple guitar accompaniment and several guest singers.

The pop star performed a version of her hit “What About Us” with a simple guitar accompaniment and several guest singers.

Despite protesters reaching almost the end of the march route, organizers said they are holding the street even if their permit time expires because Harris is about to take the stage at the DNC.

Chants of Long live Palestine and Move, cops, get out the way echo down the street. Police are not pushing back at the moment but are standing at the ready.

Despite protesters reaching almost the end of the march route, organizers said they are holding the street — even if their permit time expires — because Harris is about to take the stage at the DNC.

Chants of “Long live Palestine” and “Move, cops, get out the way” echo down the street. Police are not pushing back at the moment but are standing at the ready.

Abbey Clements was a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 when a gunman attacked the school, killing 20 kids and six adults. While standing on the DNC stage with other people whose lives have been touched by gun violence, she described the horror she faced that day.

Suddenly a loud crash, 154 gunshots blaring, Clements said.

Clements described hiding in a closet with her young students, trying to sing and read to them as gunshots rang out.

I carry that horrific day with me, Clements said. They should still be here.

Kim Rubios daughter was killed in the Uvalde, Texas school shooting in 2022, along with 18 other students and two teachers.

Rubio described her daughter posing for photos shortly before the shooting, with a smile that lights up the room. Thirty minutes later, her child was dead.

I reach out for the daughter I will never hold again, Rubio said.

Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords took the stage with her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), by her side. She was shot in the head during an assassination attempt in 2011 and has since become a fierce advocate for gun reform.

I fought for my life and I survived. I learned to walk again, one step at a time, I learned to talk again one word at a time, she said, going on to issue broad support for Harris gun policies. She is tough, she has grit. Kamala can beat the gun lobby.

Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords took the stage with her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), by her side. She was shot in the head during an assassination attempt in 2011 and has since become a fierce advocate for gun reform.

“I fought for my life and I survived. I learned to walk again, one step at a time, I learned to talk again one word at a time,” she said, going on to issue broad support for Harris’ gun policies. “She is tough, she has grit. Kamala can beat the gun lobby.”

I can tell you this: I dont blame Donald Trump for not wanting to debate Kamala. Ive been married to a Black woman for 40 years and I aint won one debate. Im 0 and 93,000.

Of course Trump is saying Kamala isnt Black. I guarantee you this: Kamalas been Black a lot longer than Trumps been a Republican.

And if he keeps sliding in the polls the way he is, the only way he can keep Kamala out of the White House is if he buys it and refuses to rent it to her.

And finally: Kamalas getting broad support. Theyve got Black men for Kamala. White men for Kamala. Latinos and Asians for Kamala. They even have Republicans for Kamala! I guess Donald Trump will finally know what its like when you get left for a younger woman.

Actor Kerry Washington brought Harris two nieces on stage to make sure everyone at the DNC knew how to pronounce Harris first name something Republicans regularly bungle.

It's come to my attention that there are some folks who struggle or pretend to struggle with the proper pronunciation of our future president's name, Washington said. So hear me out: Confusion is understandable, disrespect is not. So tonight, we are going to help everyone get it right.

Enter Harris two young nieces.

First you say comma, like a comma in a sentence, one explained. Then you say la, like, la, la, la, la, the other sang. They then had the entire DNC crowd repeat after them.

Washington was also joined on stage briefly by her Scandal co-star Tony Goldwyn, who helped her film a video with the crowd.

You are the messengers. You are the fixers. Dare I say it, you are the Olivia Popes, Washington said, referencing her Scandal characters D.C. job.

Actor Kerry Washington brought Harris’ two nieces on stage to make sure everyone at the DNC knew how to pronounce Harris’ first name — something Republicans regularly bungle.

“It's come to my attention that there are some folks who struggle — or pretend to struggle — with the proper pronunciation of our future president's name,” Washington said. “So hear me out: Confusion is understandable, disrespect is not. So tonight, we are going to help everyone get it right.”

Enter Harris’ two young nieces.

“First you say ‘comma,’ like a comma in a sentence,” one explained. “Then you say ‘la,’ like, “la, la, la, la,” the other sang. They then had the entire DNC crowd repeat after them.

Washington was also joined on stage briefly by her “Scandal” co-star Tony Goldwyn, who helped her film a video with the crowd.

“You are the messengers. You are the fixers. Dare I say it, you are the Olivia Popes,” Washington said, referencing her “Scandal” character’s D.C. job.

The president said he and first lady Jill Biden spoke with Harris ahead of her speech later tonight, and cant wait to watch her accept this historic nomination.

Kamala and Tim will inspire a generation and lead us into the future, Biden wrote on X.

Ella Emhoff, the 25-year-old daughter of Doug Emhoff, praised her stepmom, Kamala Harris, saying she was always there for me.

Kamala came into my life when I was 14, famously a very easy time for a teenager, Emhoff joked. But no matter what, Kamala was there for me. She was patient, caring, and always took me seriously.

Shes never stopped listening to me, and shell never stop listening to all of us, she added.

As the Democratic convention rolled into its final night of speeches on Thursday, Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman stood just outside the building reading a speech of her own one that critics of President Joe Bidens role in the war in Gaza had hoped to deliver on the stage inside, but their efforts were denied.

This speech was written specifically from the perspective of good faith, Romman, who is Palestinian American, said in brief remarks before reading her speech aloud. \"We wanted to write a speech that would represent what the DNC would have liked to see on that stage in a way that would have been, frankly, a compromise.

She said that as a Palestinian American elected official, shes had to walk a fine line between the grief that I have felt over my people being mass-murdered and the fact that a President Donald Trump would be a greater threat to Palestinians than a President Kamala Harris.

This was symbolism, she said, referring to Gaza war critics wanting a voice at the convention. To show there is space for us in this party.

Its very unfortunate, Romman added.

Click here to watch Romman deliver her full speech.

The night is young for the final night of the DNC, with a huge slate of political superstars and celebrity performers yet to come.

Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), will both speak, as will former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. And Govs. Gretchen Whitmer and Roy Cooper will amp up the crowd before the vice president closes out the convention.

Pink is on the schedule as the remaining musical guest, but there could be more.

For the past four days, the DNC schedule has been jam-packed with musical performances from iconic music artists like Stevie Wonder and Patti LaBelle vastly outnumbering the performances from Kid Rock, Lee Greenwood and Chris Janson during the RNC last month.

So far, the DNC stage has also seen performances by Jason Isbell, Common and Jonathan McReynolds, Lil Jon, Mickey Guyton, John Legend and Sheila E. and Maren Morris.

The Chicks, formerly known as The Dixie Chicks, sang the national anthem Thursday. Pink is scheduled to perform later.

Online speculation of a surprise Thursday night performance from Beyonc or Taylor Swift has excited fans.

Both TMZ and The Hill reported that Beyonc was the surprise performer, citing unnamed sources, though no official announcement has been made by the DNC.

Texas Rep. Colin Allred, whos running to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz, told delegates they had a name for people like Cruz and Trump when he was playing in the NFL: Me guys.

You know the type, he said. Talk a big game, only care about themselves. But you dont want to be stuck with them at a BBQ.

Allred then drilled down on selfish politicians who miss the beauty and power of America.

The truth is, America has never been about me,'\" he continued. As President Obama said, the single most important word in our democracy is the word we. We the people. We shall overcome. Yes, we can.

And weve got a message for the we guys,\" he concluded. We is more powerful than me. We will restore reproductive freedom. We will secure the border. We will protect Medicare and social security.

Florida resident Anya Cook appeared onstage with her partner and their baby to share her story of experiencing a miscarriage in the abortion-hostile state.

I needed care, but my states abortion restrictions kept it from me, Cook said. I miscarried in a bathroom. Ill never forget my husbands face as he tried to stop the bleeding. Trying to do what doctors should have been doing. When I reached the hospital, I lost nearly half the blood in my body.

I cant change the past, but I can we can choose a different future, she said.

Craig Sicknick, whose brother, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, died after responding to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, issued a strong rebuke of Trumps leadership.

My family knows how dangerous Trump is, Sicknick said. We need a real leader not an autocrat who is stuck in the past.

Fresh off of sealing the gold medal win at the Olympics for mens basketball, Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry appeared via video to endorse Harris.

Harris will continue to inspire the world, Curry said.

Thats why I believe that Kamala as president can bring that unity back and continue to move our country forward, he added.

Fresh off of sealing the gold medal win at the Olympics for men’s basketball, Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry appeared via video to endorse Harris.

Harris will “continue to inspire the world,” Curry said.

“That’s why I believe that Kamala as president can bring that unity back and continue to move our country forward,” he added.

Rep. Maxwell Frost (Fla.), Gen Zs first member of Congress, focused his remarks on Democrats commitment to fighting climate change.

Fighting the climate crisis is patriotic, Frost said, identifying himself as a Florida man a nod to the years-old meme.

Unlike Trump, our patriotism is more than some damn slogan on a hat, he said in a clear knock on Trumps MAGA gear. Its about actually giving a damn about the people who live in this country.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, slammed Trumps environmental policies after a video montage of him questioning the science behind it.

He made it easier for big companies to poison our air and water, Haaland, who was identified as a former New Mexico representative, said. An American president must lead the world in tackling climate change. We need a president who understands that assignment.

Its the first major mention of climate change this week.

Courtney Baldwin, a youth organizer and human trafficking survivor, told the delegates how she was sold for sex in 2013 by a trafficker who controlled every aspect of her life.

I didnt know it yet, but waiting for me on the other side were people who were fighting for survivors, she said. One of them was Kamala Harris.

Baldwin recalled how as California attorney general, Harris filed criminal charges against Backpage.com, describing the website as a page that let me and thousands of others be bought and sold. Harris actions ultimately forced the website to cease operations.

Vice President Harris is fearless, compassionate, and she still gives me hope, she said.

Tonight, both men and women are donning white, the color of the womens suffrage movement, in honor of the possibility that Harris becomes the first female U.S. president.

Tonight, both men and women are donning white, the color of the women’s suffrage movement, in honor of the possibility that Harris becomes the first female U.S. president.

As the convention rolls on, protesters outside continue to march on the streets.

As the convention rolls on, protesters outside continue to march on the streets.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey called Harris a fighter for all Americans and said she is looking forward to the vice president facing off against Trump on the debate stage in September.

Kamala Harris fights for all Americans, she stays on offense and she wins, Healey said. I cant wait to see her prosecute the case against Donald Trump on the debate stage in September.

Marc Morial, the president of the National Urban League, noted that Trump was sued for refusing to rent his apartments to the Black community.

In the 1970s, Donald Trump was sued for refusing to rent his apartments to African Americans, Morial said. His employees were told to put those applications in a drawer and leave them there. It was straight-up housing discrimination it was racism and civil rights advocacy put an end to it.

Morial pointed out that Harris has a plan to keep rent prices fair and help more Americans own homes. Trump will not, he said.

Donald Trump, you denied people the American dream, he said. And Kamala Harris is creating a future where every family every family have a place to call home.

Rev. Al Sharpton introduced four members of the Central Park Five, now known as the Exonerated Five: Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise and Raymond Santana. The men of color were falsely accused of attacking a New York City jogger in 1989 as teens and young men. Trump infamously spent $85,000 on a full-page ad in The New York Times suggesting they be executed.

Donald Trump says he still stands by the original guilty verdict, said Salaam. He dismisses the scientific evidence rather than admit he was wrong. He has never changed, and he never will.

That man thinks that hate is the animating force in America. It is not,\" Salaam said. I want you to walk with us. I want you to march with us. I want you to vote with us.\"

The Rev. Al Sharpton joined the litany of other folks responding to Trumps Black jobs remark in the presidential debate and drawing attention to Trump's racist past.

He reminded delegates that Trump once paid a \"small fortune\" in newspaper ads to call for the execution of the \"Central Park Five,\" who were exonerated after serving time in prison.

This man [Trump] sat right here in Chicago a few weeks ago refusing to apologize for claims that migrants were taking Black jobs. Well, in November, we going to show him when Blacks do they job, Sharpton said.

And we are going to join with whites and browns and Asians, and we're going to do a job on those that have done a job on us, he continued. We've endured Jan. 6. We've endured conspiracy theories. We've endured lies and areas of darkness. But if we stay together, Black, white, Latina, Asian, Indian, American, if we stay together, joy! Joy! Joy!

New York Rep. Pat Ryan recalled how Harris visited West Point last year for graduation and proceeded to shake hands with every one of the 4,400 cadets. It is important to look the person in the eye who could one day send you to war, he said as a graduate himself.

Donald Trump, he said, cannot honorably or credibly fill that role.

At West Point you learn the honor code: A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do, he said. Well theres a candidate whos violated every word in that code. A serial liar, cheater, thief, who looked soldiers in the eye, then turned around and called fallen heroes 'suckers and losers,' who insulted Medal of Honor recipients just last week.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), a frequent critic of Trump, delivered some news he called \"so disappointing\": he is not the surprise guest at the DNC tonight.

A secret someone is expected to appear during tonight's event, and social media users have spent the day speculating who it might be. Many have guessed Beyonce, who gave Harris permission to use her song \"Freedom\" as a campaign anthem, or Taylor Swift, who has openly criticized Trump in the past.

\"Contrary to fake news posts, I am not the surprise guest at the DNC tonight,\" Romney posted to X, formerly Twitter. \"My guess is that it will be Beyonc or Taylor Swift. So disappointing, I know!\"

While carrying the book that contains Project 2025, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), an Army veteran, told the DNC crowd that Donald Trump's Project 2025 would abandon our troops, abandon our veterans, our allies and our principles.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running to fill Sen. Debbie Stabenows seat in Michigan, attacked Trumps fondness for dictators and said he treats the countrys adversaries as friends.

Trump has continued to tout his close relationships to North Koreas Kim Jong Un, Russias Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the campaign trail.

March has begun. pic.twitter.com/HrK3OgjGDN

Sanjana Karanth (@sanjanakaranth) August 22, 2024

March has begun. pic.twitter.com/HrK3OgjGDN

— Sanjana Karanth (@sanjanakaranth) August 22, 2024

Leaders in the Uncommitted movement of delegates protesting U.S. policy in the Gaza war confirmed at a Thursday evening press conference that their push for a Palestinian American convention speaker was unsuccessful but urged Harris to meet with representatives of their community by Sept. 15.

We had a very simple ask, said Abbas Alawieh, one of the groups co-founders and a DNC delegate from Michigan, a swing state with a large Arab American population.

There are forces with Democratic Party leadership who do not want us to talk about Palestinian human rights but thats not sustainable, Alawieh continued.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) went after Donald Trump while lauding Harris during her speech at the DNC.

We need to make life more affordable for working people. Donald Trump, the felon, has no plans to lower costs for families. He doesn't know how, and basically, he doesnt really care, she said. When did he ever fill up a gas tank or worry about a grocery bill? The only bills he worries about are from his criminal defense lawyers.

She went on, slamming Trump and his running mate while referencing the infamous couch joke that spread about JD Vance.

\"Trust Donald Trump and JD Vance to look out for your family? Shoot, I wouldn't trust them to move my couch, she said.

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey told delegates that much of the inflation theyre seeing at grocery stores can be traced back to dishonest corporations scheming to raise costs in unison.

Most companies are good companies, he said. But companies extorting families at the checkout counter are not.

Casey then credited Harris with pushing back against corporate greed-flation, and hinted shed do more as president.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren gets the biggest welcome of the night so far, wiping away tears as shes greeted by roars. The crowd was on its feet before she asked them to let her begin speaking.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) couldnt resist getting in a crowd-size joke at Trumps expense as he addressed the delegates.

As a computer science major, I am so impressed with how large this AI-generated crowd looks tonight! he said as he took the stage.

The joke was a dig at Trump having falsely accused his opponent of using artificial intelligence to fake a large crowd at a rally near Detroit earlier this month. The crowd of roughly 15,000 people was, in fact, very real.

Lieu went on to discuss his work with Harris during the foreclosure crisis and her efforts as attorney general to root out fraud in the mortgage industry.

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) recounted his time working with Harris in previous years and emphasized her devotion to making life better for Americans, describing her as a fearless United States senator.

Padilla took over for Harris as a California senator after she became vice president.

When Kamala became vice president, I was honored to fill her seat. But I knew that I had some big Chuck Taylors to fill, he said.

The fourth and final day of the DNC has been gaveled in by Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas). Follow along here for updates throughout the night, which will culminate with Harris big acceptance speech.

Spoke to Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss who is livid that the DNC did not give Palestinians the same opportunity to voice their pain as the parents of an Israeli hostage. He says the silence has to end.

Also gave me a @NetureiKarta pamphlet titled The Zionist Genocide in Gaza pic.twitter.com/QY33Wq1iR7

Sanjana Karanth (@sanjanakaranth) August 22, 2024

Spoke to Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss who is livid that the DNC did not give Palestinians the same opportunity to voice their pain as the parents of an Israeli hostage. He says the silence has to end.

Also gave me a @NetureiKarta pamphlet titled The Zionist Genocide in Gaza pic.twitter.com/QY33Wq1iR7

— Sanjana Karanth (@sanjanakaranth) August 22, 2024

The Harris campaign is now on Twitch, the live video streaming platform.

The channel, which went live Thursday, has 5,000 followers at the time of this post.

Trump also has an active Twitch account with more than 170,000 followers. The account was reinstated in July after a three-year ban.

Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff were married on Aug. 22, 2014, in a ceremony officiated by her younger sister, Maya Harris, in Santa Barbara, California. Emhoff told the story of how they first met during his speech on Tuesday night, saying that he left an awkward voicemail that Harris makes him listen to once a year.

It was just, it was adorable,\" Harris said of hearing Emhoffs voice for the first time, speaking in a 2020 interview with CBS News. The thing about Doug is that he is exactly who he is. He's just fully authentic and clear about the things he cares about.

Harris wished her husband a happy anniversary on X, formerly Twitter, writing, I wouldnt want to be on this journey with anyone but you.

I regret to inform yall that Vivek Ramaswamy is here, surrounded by MAGA agitators. Everyones immediately driving him away and roasting him with:

Wheres your girlfriend Ann Coulter
I like your makeup, very gender-affirming
Racist go home pic.twitter.com/XLTWVSUlSJ

Sanjana Karanth (@sanjanakaranth) August 22, 2024

I regret to inform yall that Vivek Ramaswamy is here, surrounded by MAGA agitators. Everyones immediately driving him away and roasting him with:

Wheres your girlfriend Ann Coulter
I like your makeup, very gender-affirming
Racist go home pic.twitter.com/XLTWVSUlSJ

— Sanjana Karanth (@sanjanakaranth) August 22, 2024

At Thursdays March on the DNC, organizer Hatem Abudayyeh told HuffPost that he is disgusted but unsurprised that the DNC rejected demands to have a Palestinian speaker at the convention.

Abudayyeh, who co-chairs the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said he doesnt begrudge Uncommitted delegates and anti-genocide lawmakers for trying to fix things from inside the convention and the party.

Everybody has a role to play in the movement, he said. If they feel like they can move folks on the inside, I wish them all the luck in the world.

At Thursday’s March on the DNC, organizer Hatem Abudayyeh told HuffPost that he is “disgusted” but unsurprised that the DNC rejected demands to have a Palestinian speaker at the convention.

Abudayyeh, who co-chairs the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said he doesn’t begrudge Uncommitted delegates and anti-genocide lawmakers for trying to fix things from inside the convention and the party.

“Everybody has a role to play in the movement,” he said. “If they feel like they can move folks on the inside, I wish them all the luck in the world.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the most prominent Muslim speaker at the Democratic National Convention, endorsed the national Uncommitted movements request that Democrats feature a Palestinian-American speaker on the final night of the convention.

A Palestinian-American sharing his or her story, calling for cease fire and release of all hostages, and calling everyone to support the ticket against facism would be powerful, Ellison posted on X on Thursday.

Convention organizers refusal to make such a commitment prompted Uncommitted delegates to stage a sit-in Wednesday outside the United Center where the convention is taking place.

Sometime after midnight on Thursday at a party in Chicago, Jimmy Baker was still basking in the joy of having just been on stage at the Democratic convention.

Tim Walz was Bakers high school football coach more than 20 years ago when he led the Mankato West High School team to victory in the state championships. Earlier that evening at the convention, Baker was one of 15 guys who unexpectedly walked out on the stage at the convention, dressed in their old high school football jerseys, in a show of bro support for their former coach.

Everyone at this late-night party recognized Baker as one of those football dudes. He was still wearing his number 13 jersey and, at least for one night, Baker was being treated like a star. People were bringing him free drinks (all the drinks were free) as partygoers routinely walked up to meet him and pose together in photos.

Baker, a single dad of three who lives in Makato, Minnesota, told HuffPost it was awesome to be able to show up for Walz, who is now the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Baker said he wasnt the most engaged student in high school academics, but when it came to football, Walz had a tremendous effect on him.

He was probably one of the most positive and encouraging guys Ive ever met, said Baker, shouting over the noise of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts performing live at this background. By a lot.

Baker said his former high school football teammates had already been talking about getting together for the 25th anniversary of their state championship win when, last week, the Harris-Walz campaign reached out to one of them about making an appearance at the convention. There were 45 former teammates already in touch, so they sorted out who could go and who even wanted to go.

The group was split about 50/50 in terms of political party, said Baker, so some didnt want to be part of the Democratic convention.

For Baker, though, there was no question he would show up for Walz.He was always encouraging, supportive, inclusive, he said. I would support him wherever he was. Whatever I can do to help him, I will do it.

Sometime after midnight on Thursday at a party in Chicago, Jimmy Baker was still basking in the joy of having just been on stage at the Democratic convention.

Tim Walz was Baker’s high school football coach more than 20 years ago when he led the Mankato West High School team to victory in the state championships. Earlier that evening at the convention, Baker was one of 15 guys who unexpectedly walked out on the stage at the convention, dressed in their old high school football jerseys, in a show of bro support for their former coach.

Everyone at this late-night party recognized Baker as one of those football dudes. He was still wearing his number 13 jersey and, at least for one night, Baker was being treated like a star. People were bringing him free drinks (all the drinks were free) as partygoers routinely walked up to meet him and pose together in photos.

Baker, a single dad of three who lives in Makato, Minnesota, told HuffPost it was “awesome” to be able to show up for Walz, who is now the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Baker said he wasn’t the most engaged student in high school academics, but when it came to football, Walz had a tremendous effect on him.

“He was probably one of the most positive and encouraging guys I’ve ever met,” said Baker, shouting over the noise of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts performing live at this background. “By a lot.”

Baker said his former high school football teammates had already been talking about getting together for the 25th anniversary of their state championship win when, last week, the Harris-Walz campaign reached out to one of them about making an appearance at the convention. There were 45 former teammates already in touch, so they sorted out who could go and who even wanted to go.

The group was split “about 50/50” in terms of political party, said Baker, so some didn’t want to be part of the Democratic convention.

For Baker, though, there was no question he would show up for Walz.“He was always encouraging, supportive, inclusive,” he said. “I would support him wherever he was. Whatever I can do to help him, I will do it.”

The extremist Project 2025 is continuing to cause headaches for the Trump campaign throughout the DNC, as each night at least one speaker has lugged out a printed copy of the 900-page blueprint for government overhaul. During his news conference at the Southern U.S. border in Arizona, Trump once again distanced himself from the plan.

Theyve been told officially, legally, in every way that we have nothing to do with [it], he said, per The New York Times.

There are, however, many links between Trump and the Heritage Foundationbacked project.

Just met @KarthikForTexas, a committed delegate speaking up on Gaza

I am 100% behind this ticket& Im also for a ceasefire, the return of the hostages & for a Palestinian American speaker to be able to speak

Netanyahu is trying to stop Kamala Harris from getting elected pic.twitter.com/TiUdlvLHM1

Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) August 22, 2024

Just met @KarthikForTexas, a committed delegate speaking up on Gaza

I am 100% behind this ticket& Im also for a ceasefire, the return of the hostages & for a Palestinian American speaker to be able to speak

Netanyahu is trying to stop Kamala Harris from getting elected pic.twitter.com/TiUdlvLHM1

— Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) August 22, 2024

Critics of the war in Gaza are continuing their fight to secure a speaking slot on the conventions main stage for a Palestinian American. The speaker they have in mind is Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Georgia state legislator.

HuffPost obtained a copy of the speech Romman wants to deliver a message thats focused on party unity in the face of Trump.

Read the text below:

My name is Ruwa Romman, and Im honored to be the first Palestinian elected to public office in the great state of Georgia and the first Palestinian to ever speak at the Democratic National Convention.

My story begins in a small village near Jerusalem, called Suba, where my dads family is from. My moms roots trace back to Al Khalil, or Hebron. My parents, born in Jordan, brought us to Georgia when I was eight, where I now live with my wonderful husband and our sweet pets.

Growing up, my grandfather and I shared a special bond. He was my partner in mischiefwhether it was sneaking me sweets from the bodega or slipping a $20 into my pocket with that familiar wink and smile. He was my rock, but he passed away a few years ago, never seeing Suba or any part of Palestine again. Not a day goes by that I dont miss him.

This past year has been especially hard. As weve been moral witnesses to the massacres in Gaza, Ive thought of him, wondering if this was the pain he knew too well. When we watched Palestinians displaced from one end of the Gaza Strip to the other I wanted to ask him how he found the strength to walk all those miles decades ago and leave everything behind.

But in this pain, Ive also witnessed something profounda beautiful, multifaith, multiracial, and multigenerational coalition rising from despair within our Democratic Party. For 320 days, weve stood together, demanding to enforce our laws on friend and foe alike to reach a ceasefire, end the killing of Palestinians, free all the Israeli and Palestinian hostages, and to begin the difficult work of building a path to collective peace and safety.

Thats why we are heremembers of this Democratic Party committed to equal rights and dignity for all. What we do here echoes around the world. Theyll say this is how its always been, that nothing can change. But remember Fannie Lou Hamershunned for her courage, yet she paved the way for an integrated Democratic Party. Her legacy lives on, and its her example we follow. But we cant do it alone.

This historic moment is full of promise, but only if we stand together. Our partys greatest strength has always been our ability to unite. Some see that as a weakness, but its time we flex that strength. Lets commit to each other, to electing Vice President Harris and defeating Donald Trump who uses my identity as a Palestinian as a slur. Lets fight for the policies long overduefrom restoring access to abortions to ensuring a living wage, to demanding an end to reckless war and a ceasefire in Gaza.

To those who doubt us, to the cynics and the naysayers, I say, yes we can yes we can be a Democratic Party that prioritizes funding our schools and hospitals, not for endless wars. That fights for an America that belongs to all of usblack, brown, and white, Jews and Palestinians, all of us, like my grandfather taught me, together.

Instead of a Palestinian American speaker, the DNC has offered a meeting with staff.

The move echoes the Biden admin offering meetings to its staff who were horrified by US Gaza policy. Lily Greenberg Call, who quit the admin, told me she sees a parallel of an empty promise. pic.twitter.com/WoEMLl6zyp

Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) August 22, 2024

Instead of a Palestinian American speaker, the DNC has offered a meeting with staff.

The move echoes the Biden admin offering meetings to its staff who were horrified by US Gaza policy. Lily Greenberg Call, who quit the admin, told me she sees a parallel of an empty promise. pic.twitter.com/WoEMLl6zyp

— Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) August 22, 2024

Trump will speak next week at the annual summit of Moms For Liberty, a national conservative extremist group bent on pushing a hard-right agenda through public education.

The Joyful Warrior Summit will be a time to unify, educate, and empower parents across the country to defend their parental rights and advocate for change within the public school system, wrote Moms For Liberty in a joint press release disseminated by the Trump campaign.

Itll be the second time in two years Trump has addressed the summit, which has previously attracted top Republicans from across the country including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in support of dismantling public education in America. Last year, Trump promised to eliminate the Education Department altogether and allow parents to elect their own principals in local jurisdictions.

Moms For Liberty has been rocked by numerous scandals since its founding and meteoric rise in 2020. Most recently, co-founder Bridget Ziegler faced calls to resign from the Sarasota County, Florida, school board she sat on, amid allegations of sexual assault against her husband, Christian.

In an interview with The Daily Mail published Thursday, Trump claimed he turned down intelligence briefings that U.S. agencies typically offer presidential candidates who receive the party nomination.

I don't want them, because, number one, I know what's happening. It's very easy to see what's happening, Trump said before going on to call Harris and Biden incompetent leaders.

He baselessly claimed that if he were to participate in the briefings, someone would leak information and then he would be blamed.

So the best way to handle that situation is, I don't need that briefing. They come in, they give you a briefing, and then two days later, they leak it, and then they say you leaked it, he continued. So the only way to solve that problem is not to take it, I don't want it, understood. I'll have plenty of them when I get in.

While Trumps case for mishandling classified documents was dismissed by a judge last month, critics questioned whether he should be allowed to take part in the routine briefings.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Vanity Fair that giving her DNC speech was a cathartic\" experience.

And based on both the reception I got in the hall and the follow-on outreach that Ive gotten, it was cathartic for many, many people, she said.

Clinton told Vanity Fair that her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was the first person to read her speech, which was originally planned for Bidens nomination at the DNC.

How would I feel when another woman would be hopefully on the brink of getting into the Oval Office? Clinton said she considered after Harris became the nominee. And I felt really good.

Speechwriter Dan Schwerin, who helped Clinton write the remarks, told Vanity Fair the speech was her lifes work\" and \"deeply personal.\"

She said the stage was close to the crowd and she could see the faces of the first row of delegates, making it an emotional sense of embrace.

Gun control advocate and former Rep. Gabby Giffords (Ariz.), who was shot while meeting with constituents at an event in Tucson in 2011, will speak at the DNC tonight ahead of Harris' speech accepting the party's nomination for president.

Trump said Thursday morning that he will be doing a LIVE PLAY BY PLAY of Harris speech tonight at the DNC.

She became the Nominee without receiving one Vote, stealing the Nomination from Crooked Joe Biden who earned it by getting 14 Million Votes, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. I am no fan of Biden, who was the Worst President in the History of the United States and, likewise, she is considered to be the Worst Vice President (and Border 'Czar') in the History of the United States, but Biden got 'shafted.' We will expose all of her Radicalism, the horrible job she did at the Border, Crime, and Foreign Relations, and her Weaponization against her Political Opponent, using corrupt Prosecutors and Courts in New York, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. I hope everybody will be following along on TRUTH, tonight!

The United Auto Workers union released a statement on X calling on the DNC to reverse its decision to deny a speaking slot to critics of Israel's offensive in Gaza.

If we want the war in Gaza to end, we cant put our heads in the sand or ignore the voices of the Palestinian Americans in the Democratic Party, the statement reads. If we want peace, if we want real democracy, and if we want to win this election, the Democratic Party must allow a Palestinian American speaker to be heard from the DNC stage tonight.

UAW President Shawn Fain addressed the convention on Monday, urging Americans to support Harris.

CHICAGO The Democratic Muslim Women for Harris-Walz group announced late Wednesday that it is disbanding, after the DNC rejected repeated requests by uncommitted delegates, Arab Americans and allies to allow a Palestinian American or someone who bore witness to the suffering in Gaza to speak on the convention stage.

We cannot in good conscience continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the uncommitted movement, that VP Harris' team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC, the group said in an Instagram post.

Uncommitted leaders said they had been asking for weeks to have a speaking slot, providing a list of potential speakers to the DNC and agreeing to pre-vetted remarks. Convention organizers reportedly waited until last night to reject the request, leading to a sit-in by delegates who called out the one-sided nature of having the parents of an Israeli hostage speak on stage but not a Palestinian.

The family of the Israeli hostage that was on the stage tonight has shown more empathy toward Palestinian Americans and Palestinians than our candidate or the DNC has, the group said in a statement. This is a terrible message to send to Democrats. Palestinians have the right to speak about Palestine.

During a speaking event last night, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the presidential race will be very close, but declined to share his prediction about which party will ultimately win in November, according to LEX 18.

McConnell endorsed Trump in March following former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haleys withdrawal from the GOP primary.

Following his speech at the DNC last night, Walz appeared at the Minnesota delegations breakfast on Thursday.

Speaking alongside his wife, Gwen Walz, the Minnesota governor said there is a lot of work to be done until Election Day for him and Harris to win the race.

This thing is not over, he said.

Harris is expected to address the DNC audience as the Chicago convention wraps up Thursday and formally accept the party nomination.

Through her speech, Harris plans to introduce herself to voters, speaking about her middle-class background and her work as a prosecutor, while also seeking to draw a contrast with Trump and evoke a sense of patriotism, an official familiar with her preparations told The Associated Press.

Read more on Harris big moment here.

\"Fox & Friends\" hosts asked Trump to respond to a clip of Walz's DNC speech on Thursday morning, and the former president responded with a meandering, three-minute ramble encompassing a familiar list of grievances.

\"Well, first of all, [Walz is] a total lightweight. And he shouldnt be even having any access to possibly being president,\" Trump started off with. He then continued on topics such as California, crime, soldiers and military bases in Afghanistan.

He again denied any knowledge of Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for a future Trump administration. \"And for him to say about project 25 is disgraceful. They know I have nothing to do with it. I had no idea what it was,\" Trump said. \"They drew up some conservative values, very conservative values, and in some case, perhaps they went over the line. Perhaps they didnt. I have no idea what project 25 is, but they use it and they know it.\"

Project 2025 architects have said they enjoy close contact with Trump.

The show hosts tried to keep the conversation focused on crime, the economy and immigration but Trump continued to ramble about Biden, Jussie Smollett, how overthrowing Roe v. Wade will actually unify the country, hybrid cars, and the quality of oil in Venezuela, among other topics.

He also claimed without evidence that Harris was sent to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin three days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After the interview, a Fox News host said he had no confirmation that that happened.

When asked about a possible endorsement from independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump said he's \"a little different kind of guy, but very smart. If he endorsed me I'd be very honored for it.\"

Jen OMalley Dillon, Harris' campaign chair, said the one thing that worries her about the upcoming presidential election is \"complacency,\" warning that Democrats aren't guaranteed to win the race.

We dont have it,\" she said at the CNN-Politico Grill. \"We are a polarized nation in a challenging time and despite all the things that are happening in this country, Donald Trump still has more support than he has had at any other point.\"

\"It is going to come down to every single vote,\" O'Malley Dillon added.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he will do an interview with \"Fox & Friends\" on Thursday morning.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) called Pennsylvania the \"ultimate swing state,\" noting that while the polls show a very tight race, he is witnessing great enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz ticket on the ground.

\"Kamala Harris is showing up in communities that are oftentimes ignored and left behind, sending a message to Pennsylvanians,\" Shapiro told ABC News. \"She cares about them. She's focused on the economy. She's focused on their communities. And I think as this race progresses, you're going to continue to see real momentum on her part.\"

Read more on Shapiro's interview with ABC's Linsey Davis here.

Former President Bill Clinton scrapped the original version of his DNC speech after watching the first night of the convention, according to multiple reports.

A Clinton aide told CNN the former president sought \"a more fun, youthful, joyful approach\" after seeing the energy inside the United Center in Chicago on Monday.

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins identified the one thing that has irritated the former president and his team about the DNC this week in Chicago.

He is watching this convention just as closely as everyone else,\" Collins said. \"And one thing that Im told that has irked him and his campaign are the constant references that youve seen almost every day of this convention to Project 2025.\"

At an event following the convention on Wednesday night, HuffPost spotted a '70s-inspired Harris poster by artist Kii Arens, based in Los Angeles.

At an event following the convention on Wednesday night, HuffPost spotted a '70s-inspired Harris poster by artist Kii Arens, based in Los Angeles.

Delegates from the Uncommitted protest movement over the Gaza war plan to continue a sit-in in front of the United Center until DNC officials agree to let a Palestinian American speak from the main stage, Uncommitted co-leader Abbas Alawieh said.

The protest includes around a dozen people, several of them elected by Democratic primary voters in various states. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) visited the group to offer them support.

Delegates from the “Uncommitted” protest movement over the Gaza war plan to continue a sit-in in front of the United Center until DNC officials agree to let a Palestinian American speak from the main stage, “Uncommitted” co-leader Abbas Alawieh said.

The protest includes around a dozen people, several of them elected by Democratic primary voters in various states. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) visited the group to offer them support.

• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz officially accepted the nomination for vice president in a speech that included emotional remarks about his family, anecdotes from his time working as a former teacher and football coach, and sharp criticisms of former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance.
• Former President Bill Clinton knocked Trump as selfish, and admitted he isn't clear why the 45th president repeatedly refers to fictional villain Hannibal Lecter in his speeches.
• Actor Mindy Kaling served as a host for a portion of the evening's events, which included performances by National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and singers John Legend and Sheila E.
• Oprah made a surprise appearance that included a crack at Vance's past comments about \"childless cat ladies.\"
• The convention featured remarks from the parents of an Israeli American who was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, but denied a speaking slot to a Palestinian American speaker despite efforts from a group of Gaza war critics.

Superstar Neil Young personally allowed the Harris-Walz campaign to use his song Rockin in the Free World to close out the DNC tonight, according to CNNs Kaitlan Collins.

Young sued the Trump campaign in 2020 for using his music, although he later dropped the case.

Walz called out Trump and Vance for what he described as them pretending they know nothing about Project 2025, the 900-page playbook for a second Trump term written by the right-wing Heritage Foundation and a constellation of other right-wing groups. The project was led by former Trump administration staffers and allies, but Trump and Vance have tried mostly in vain to distance themselves from the project.

Project 2025 will make things much, much harder for people who are just trying to live their lives, Walz said, adding: Look, I coached high school football long enough to know and trust me on this when somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, theyre going to use it.

If elected, Walz continued, Trump and Vance will start jacking up the costs on the middle class, theyll repeal the Affordable Care Act, theyll gut Social Security and Medicare, and they will ban abortion across this country, with or without Congress.

Project 2025 is an agenda nobody asked for. It's an agenda that serves nobody except the richest and the most extreme amongst us. And its an agenda that does nothing for our neighbors in need,\" Walz said. \"Is it weird? Absolutely! But its also wrong. And its dangerous.

Walz has accepted the vice presidential nomination to close out the third night of the DNC in Chicago.

All eyes will be on Harris tomorrow as she takes the stage in front of a packed arena with just 75 days to go until the election.

Walz touched on reproductive health care in his remarks, telling a story he has shared many times on the campaign trail about he and his wife, Gwen Walz, struggling to conceive a child with fertility treatments. They eventually had two kids.

It took Gwen and I years, but we had access to fertility treatments, Walz said. And when our daughter was born, we named her Hope. Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you.

The cameras panned to the Walz family, showing Gus and Hope beginning to tear up. Gus even stood to applaud for his dad, saying, \"That's my dad!\"

Im letting you in on how we started a family because this is a big part of what this election is about freedom! Walz said.

Walz touched on reproductive health care in his remarks, telling a story he has shared many times on the campaign trail about he and his wife, Gwen Walz, struggling to conceive a child with fertility treatments. They eventually had two kids.

“It took Gwen and I years, but we had access to fertility treatments,” Walz said. “And when our daughter was born, we named her Hope. Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you.”

The cameras panned to the Walz family, showing Gus and Hope beginning to tear up. Gus even stood to applaud for his dad, saying, \"That's my dad!\"

“I’m letting you in on how we started a family because this is a big part of what this election is about — freedom!” Walz said.

In his remarks, Walz talked about how being from a small town taught him the importance of community and taking care of your neighbors.

Growing up in a small town, you learn how to take care of each other, Walz said. That family down the road, they may not think like you do, they may not pray like you do, they may not love like you do, but theyre your neighbors and you look out for them and they look out for you. Everybody belongs, and everybody has a responsibility to contribute.

He said, as a teacher, it was his students who encouraged him to first run for office.

They saw in me what I had hoped to instill in them: a commitment to the common good, Walz said. An understanding that were all in this together, and the belief that a single person can make a real difference for their neighbors.

Walz is championing his work as governor, getting a huge cheer when he describes the universal free school meals to all students regardless of family income.

While other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours.

Walz is championing his work as governor, getting a huge cheer when he describes the universal free school meals to all students regardless of family income.

“While other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours.”

Walz stepped out onstage to John Mellencamps Small Town, and said it was the honor of his life to accept the partys vice presidential nomination. He spoke about his background growing up in small-town Nebraska, where there were only a couple dozen students in his class and \"nobody went to Yale.\"

Walz stepped out onstage to John Mellencamp’s “Small Town,” and said it was the honor of his life to accept the party’s vice presidential nomination. He spoke about his background growing up in small-town Nebraska, where there were only a couple dozen students in his class and \"nobody went to Yale.\"

Ben Ingman, a former student, described Walzs work as a coach and teacher, saying the candidate had helped push him out of a snowbank when he lived next to his family.

When were stuck in the snow, they push us out, Ingman recounted. We always wished people like that would run for office. Well in my neighborhood, someone like that did run for office.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar praised Walz, a fellow Minnesotan.

Klobuchar said that, in Minnesota, they trust a dad in plaid.

We trust a hunter who has stood in a deer stand in 10 degree weather, Klobuchar said. We trust a candidate who has made a viral video on how to change a burnt out headlight. And I know we arent alone, but in Minnesota, we love a dad in plaid.

The camera cut to multiple people in the crowd wearing red plaid shirts.

We look out for our neighbors, Klobuchar added. Tim has been doing that his whole life: in the farm and in the factory, with his students and with his fellow faculty members. And the truth is that matters. Who better to take on the price of gas than a guy who can pull over and help change your tire?

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar praised Walz, a fellow Minnesotan.

Klobuchar said that, in Minnesota, they trust a “dad in plaid.”

“We trust a hunter who has stood in a deer stand in 10 degree weather,” Klobuchar said. “We trust a candidate who has made a viral video on how to change a burnt out headlight. And I know we aren’t alone, but in Minnesota, we love a dad in plaid.”

The camera cut to multiple people in the crowd wearing red plaid shirts.

“We look out for our neighbors,” Klobuchar added. “Tim has been doing that his whole life: in the farm and in the factory, with his students and with his fellow faculty members. And the truth is that matters. Who better to take on the price of gas than a guy who can pull over and help change your tire?”

Singers John Legend and Sheila E. performed a cover of \"Let's Go Crazy\" by Prince, a Minnesota native, ahead of a speech by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.). The North Star State showing came ahead of remarks by Walz, the governor of Minnesota.

Ben Ingman, a former student of Walz's, gave a formal introduction to the vice presidential nominee's speech.

Singers John Legend and Sheila E. performed a cover of \"Let's Go Crazy\" by Prince, a Minnesota native, ahead of a speech by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.). The North Star State showing came ahead of remarks by Walz, the governor of Minnesota.

Ben Ingman, a former student of Walz's, gave a formal introduction to the vice presidential nominee's speech.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore mocked Trump's alleged military draft-dodging by talking about his own military record, sharing that he had to ask his mom to sign his Army enlistment papers because he was only 17 at the time.

\"I had to ask my mom to sign the paperwork for me because I don't have bone spurs,\" Moore said to laughs.

Trump was infamously medically exempt from being drafted into the military during the war in Vietnam in 1968, after a podiatrist diagnosed him with bone spurs. That podiatrist rented an office in Queens from Trump's father, and daughters of that doctor have said that their father told them he made the diagnosis as a favor to the Trumps, according to the New York Times.

Critics of Bidens role in the war in Gaza said Wednesday night they had lost a high-profile battle to secure a speaking spot during the Democratic National Convention and blamed Harris.

Vice President Harris, unfortunately, has made the decision that the child in me, the American child in me, who was certain my own government was going to kill me, is not going to get to be heard at this convention, said Abbas Alaweih, a DNC delegate from Michigan.

Alawieh, an Arab American political operative, lived through U.S.-backed Israeli bombardment in Lebanon and now is a leader in the uncommitted movement of Democrats who declined to support Biden in presidential primaries earlier this year.

Read more:

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had harsh words for Vance and the mountain of resurfaced comments that have hampered the Trump campaign.

\"At least Mike Pence was polite, he said. JD Vance is one of those guys who thinks if you dont live the life that he has in mind for you, that you dont count.

Choosing a guy like JD Vance to be Americas next vice president sends a message: And the message is that they are doubling down on negativity and grievance.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had harsh words for Vance and the mountain of resurfaced comments that have hampered the Trump campaign.

\"At least Mike Pence was polite,” he said. “JD Vance is one of those guys who thinks if you don’t live the life that he has in mind for you, that you don’t count.”

“Choosing a guy like JD Vance to be America’s next vice president sends a message: And the message is that they are doubling down on negativity and grievance.”

Winfrey, who said she herself is a registered independent, called on her fellow independents and undecided voters to choose decency and vote for Harris.

After calling out Trumps comments saying if he wins this election then his supporters wont ever have to vote again, Winfrey called voting the best of America.

Voting is the best of America, and I have always since I was eligible to vote Ive always voted my values, and that is what is needed in this election now more than ever, she said.

Winfrey called on independent and undecided voters to step up for Harris.

So Im calling on all you independents and all you undecideds: You know this is true you know Im telling you the truth that values and character matter most of all, she said. In leadership and in life and more than anything, you know this is true that decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024.

Winfrey said shes voting for common sense over nonsense.

Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect, she said. Theyre the ones to give it to us.

Surprise speaker Oprah Winfrey took the podium speaking about the people who want you to see our country as a nation of us against them.\"

People who want to scare you, to rule you, said Winfrey, who broadcast her eponymous talk show from Chicago for decades. But heres the thing: When we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us.

Winfrey spoke about her travels around the country, rattling off a long list of states she said shes lived in: Mississippi, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Maryland, Indiana, Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, California and \"sweet home Chicago, Illinois. She said that shes seen racism, sexism and other ugliness from Americans.

But more often than not, what Ive witnessed and experienced are human beings, both conservative and liberal, who may not agree with each other, but who would still help you in a heartbeat if you were in trouble. These are the people who make me proud to say I am an American.\"

She went on: \"When a house is on fire, we dont ask about a homeowners race or religion. We dont wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No! We just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out, too.\" (She was, of course, referring to Vance's infamous claims about the Democratic Party being run by \"childless cat ladies.\")

Former National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, who had performed for Bidens inauguration in 2021, recited a poem she wrote called This Sacred Scene at the DNC.

It falls to us to ensure that we do not fall, for a people that cannot stand together cannot stand at all, Gorman said. We are one family, regardless of religion, class, or color. For what defines a patriot is not just our love of liberty, but our love for one another.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, she had said she was proud that Democrats wanted to include her poetry at the DNC.

I'm still just so proud that they remembered and committed and even through a change in administration, they wanted poetry represented at the DNC, she told the magazine.

Former National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, who had performed for Biden’s inauguration in 2021, recited a poem she wrote called “This Sacred Scene” at the DNC.

“It falls to us to ensure that we do not fall, for a people that cannot stand together cannot stand at all,” Gorman said. “We are one family, regardless of religion, class, or color. For what defines a patriot is not just our love of liberty, but our love for one another.”

In an interview with Vanity Fair, she had said she was proud that Democrats wanted to include her poetry at the DNC.

“I'm still just so proud that they remembered and committed and even through a change in administration, they wanted poetry represented at the DNC,” she told the magazine.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro asserted that Democrats are the real party of freedom despite the GOPs years of invoking that word in its messaging.

Its not freedom to tell our children what books to read. And its not freedom to tell women what they can do with their bodies. And it sure as hell isnt freedom to say you can go vote, but he gets to pick the winner, said Shapiro, who was reportedly one of the people Harris was considering as a running mate.

Shapiro said the word freedom at least 20 times during his remarks. Freedom is also the name of the Beyonc song Harris has been using on the campaign trail.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro asserted that Democrats are “the real party of freedom” despite the GOP’s years of invoking that word in its messaging.

“It’s not freedom to tell our children what books to read. And it’s not freedom to tell women what they can do with their bodies. And it sure as hell isn’t freedom to say you can go vote, but he gets to pick the winner,” said Shapiro, who was reportedly one of the people Harris was considering as a running mate.

Shapiro said the word “freedom” at least 20 times during his remarks. “Freedom” is also the name of the Beyoncé song Harris has been using on the campaign trail.

Clinton did not use the teleprompter for several minutes toward the end of his remarks. Many observers noticed that there was no text on screen for an extended period and that Clinton was instead referring to papers in front of him.

Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto praised Harris response to tackling crime along the southern border.

Kamala invited a group of [attorneys general] across the border to meet with Mexican officials, Cortez Masto said. We worked together to put transnational criminals and drug smugglers behind bars. Holding criminals accountable: thats Kamala Harris.

Cortez Masto, the first Latina elected to the U.S. Senate, added that Harris also had lawmakers visit victims of violence.

\"When we took on human traffickers, Kamala had us meet with survivors so that we could understand who we were fighting for, she said. Standing up for justice: thats Kamala Harris.

Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto praised Harris’ response to tackling crime along the southern border.

“Kamala invited a group of [attorneys general] across the border to meet with Mexican officials,” Cortez Masto said. “We worked together to put transnational criminals and drug smugglers behind bars. Holding criminals accountable: that’s Kamala Harris.”

Cortez Masto, the first Latina elected to the U.S. Senate, added that Harris also had lawmakers visit victims of violence.

\"When we took on human traffickers, Kamala had us meet with survivors so that we could understand who we were fighting for,” she said. “Standing up for justice: that’s Kamala Harris.”

Alexander Hudlin, Jasper Emhoff and Arden Emhoff three young adults took the stage to praise Harris, who they called their Auntie. The trio recalled the time their busy aunt made in her schedule to spend time with them and make them feel loved.

Auntie taught me about being present, and whats important, Jasper Emhoff said. Arden Emhoff added that Harris made her feel seen. The trio let Harris know they love her.

And most importantly,\" Hudlin added, \"youre a baller. And as you say, lets win this thing.

Alexander Hudlin, Jasper Emhoff and Arden Emhoff — three young adults — took the stage to praise Harris, who they called their “Auntie.” The trio recalled the time their busy aunt made in her schedule to spend time with them and make them feel loved.

“Auntie taught me about being present, and what’s important,” Jasper Emhoff said. Arden Emhoff added that Harris made her “feel seen.” The trio let Harris know they love her.

“And most importantly,\" Hudlin added, \"you’re a baller. And as you say, let’s win this thing.”

Although she is reportedly on the outs with Biden, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi talked up the achievements of the current administration right from the start of her remarks.

We established one of the most successful presidencies of modern times, she said of Biden. And we quickly proved that Democrats deliver.

Millions of jobs, stronger infrastructure and rural broadband, a Biden child tax credit, rescuing human pensions, honoring our veterans, bold climate action, lowering the cost of prescription drugs all thanks to President Bidens patriotic vision of a fairer America, doing so with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Joe! she said, prompting a chant from the crowd.

Although she is reportedly on the outs with Biden, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi talked up the achievements of the current administration right from the start of her remarks.

“We established one of the most successful presidencies of modern times,” she said of Biden. “And we quickly proved that Democrats deliver.”

“Millions of jobs, stronger infrastructure and rural broadband, a Biden child tax credit, rescuing human pensions, honoring our veterans, bold climate action, lowering the cost of prescription drugs — all thanks to President Biden’s patriotic vision of a fairer America, doing so with liberty and justice for all.”

“Thank you, Joe!” she said, prompting a chant from the crowd.

In his final remarks at the DNC, Clinton spoke about the energy and optimism seen in the Harris campaign.

Heres what I want you to know: If you vote for this team if you can get them elected and let them bring in this breath of fresh air youll be proud of it for the rest of your life, Clinton said. Your children will be proud of it, your grandchildren will be proud of it.

As Trump has routinely attacked Harris laugh, Clinton said hes proud to have a president of joy.

We need Kamala Harris the president of joy to lead us, he said.

As part of his stump speech, Trump has begun regularly talking about the late, great, Hannibal Lecter, when he discusses immigration and crime.

His meaning is unclear at best, and its baffling to Bill Clinton, who cracked a joke about it Wednesday night.

When you send a signal to the other countries, you want them to know, whether they agree with you or not, at least that youre on the level, he told the audience, then he added, incredulously: What are they supposed to make of these endless tributes to the late, great Hannibal Lecter'?

President Obama once gave me the great honor of saying I was 'the explainer in chief,'\" he added. Folks, Ive thought and thought about it, and I dont know what to say.

Former President Bill Clinton took a few minutes to talk up Democratic presidents economic track record.

Youre gonna have a hard time believing this, but so help me, I triple checked it, Clinton told the crowd. Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. I swear, I checked this three times. Even I couldnt believe it.

Whats the score? he asked. Democrats, 50 [million]. Republicans, one [million].

Even the most limited of us in what we know about football, or any other sport, knows that if youve got 50 and the other side has one, youre ahead, he joked.

Former President Bill Clinton hit at Trump, asking the DNC crowd if they want a president with compassion, or one who only looks out for himself.

Will this president take us backward or forward? Clinton asked. Will this president give our kids a brighter future? Will this president bring us together or tear us apart?

Clinton said these are the calls a president must answer.

A president can answer that call by saying, Ill do my part, but you have to help me, we have to work together, Clinton said. Or you can dodge what needs to be done by dividing, distracting and diverting us. So, in 2024, we got a pretty clear choice, it seems to me.

Kamala Harris is for the people, Clinton added. And the other guy whos proved even more than the first go-around is about me, myself, and I.

Clinton jokingly shared one unusual reason he'd be happy to see Harris in the White House.

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 McDonald's, Clinton said to roars of laughter.

Harris has said she worked at McDonalds when she was a student.

Clinton jokingly shared one unusual reason he'd be happy to see Harris in the White House.

“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 McDonald's,” Clinton said to roars of laughter.

Harris has said she worked at McDonald’s when she was a student.

Clinton, who was 46 years old when he was elected in 1992, told the delegates he turned 78 just two days ago.

And the only personal vanity I want to assert is Im still younger than Donald Trump, he said, drawing laughter and cheers from the crowd.

Former President Bill Clinton praised Bidens work during his time in office as he worked to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic crisis. But he said he was proud the president had decided to put his country over his ambition.

He did something thats really hard for a politician to do: He voluntarily gave up political power, Clinton said. George Washington knew that, and he did it. And he set the standard for our serving two terms before it was mandatory. It helped his legacy, and it will enhance Joe Bidens legacy.

\"Its a stark contrast to what goes on in the other party. So I want to thank him for his courage, his compassion, his class, his service, the sacrifice,\" he added.

Former President Bill Clinton praised Biden’s work during his time in office as he worked to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic crisis. But he said he was proud the president had decided to put his country over his ambition.

“He did something that’s really hard for a politician to do: He voluntarily gave up political power,” Clinton said. “George Washington knew that, and he did it. And he set the standard for our serving two terms before it was mandatory. It helped his legacy, and it will enhance Joe Biden’s legacy.“

\"It’s a stark contrast to what goes on in the other party. So I want to thank him for his courage, his compassion, his class, his service, the sacrifice,\" he added.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) compared Trump to an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won't go away.

He has spent the last four years spinning the block trying to get back into a relationship with the American people. Bro, we broke up with you for a reason, the New York congressman said.

Donald Trump can spin the block all he wants, but there's no reason for us to ever get back together. Been there, done that, he continued.

Jeffries also praised Biden, saying he selflessly passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Actor Mindy Kaling stepped out at the DNC to share her story of filming a cooking video with Harris in late 2019, when Harris was still in the 2020 presidential race. Kaling recalled connecting with the then-senator Harris over their mothers immigrant backgrounds from India, and said she also learned something new that day.

Kamala Harris can cook! Guys, she was so much better than me, Kaling said.

She described the selflessness she saw when Harris spoke highly of Kalings cooking abilities in front of her young daughter.

She had no desire to be seen as better than anyone else. She just wanted my kid to be impressed with her mom, Kaling said.

And when she finally bit into my dosa, she looked at me and said, Mm! Really good! And never took another bite again, she joked.

Comedian Kenan Thompson took the DNC stage to shed light on Project 2025 and he managed to make a few jokes along the way.

You ever seen a document that could kill a small animal and democracy at the same time? he asked the crowd. Thompson was holding a large book that detailed the plans of Project 2025.

For his segment, Thompson briefly told several individuals, who appeared on a screen on stage, how Project 2025 would impact their lives.

In one instance, he told someone in a same-sex marriage that Project 2025 would get rid of LGBTQ+ protections. In another, he told someone who relied on insulin that the document would raise prices for prescription drugs. He also warned about the manuals plan to ban abortion nationwide and imprison healthcare providers who provide it.

Finally, he talked to someone who works at the Department of Education, noting Project 2025 aims to eliminate the DOE and calls for President Trump to purge the civil service of everyone who isn't a MAGA loyalist.

You can stop it from ever happening by electing Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States, Thompson told the crowd before walking off and dropping the book on the stage.

Comedian Kenan Thompson took the DNC stage to shed light on Project 2025 — and he managed to make a few jokes along the way.

“You ever seen a document that could kill a small animal and democracy at the same time?” he asked the crowd. Thompson was holding a large book that detailed the plans of Project 2025.

For his segment, Thompson briefly told several individuals, who appeared on a screen on stage, how Project 2025 would impact their lives.

In one instance, he told someone in a same-sex marriage that Project 2025 would get rid of LGBTQ+ protections. In another, he told someone who relied on insulin that the document would raise prices for prescription drugs. He also warned about the manual’s plan to ban abortion nationwide and imprison healthcare providers who provide it.

Finally, he talked to someone who works at the Department of Education, noting Project 2025 aims to eliminate the DOE and “calls for President Trump to purge the civil service of everyone who isn't a MAGA loyalist.”

“You can stop it from ever happening by electing Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States,” Thompson told the crowd before walking off and dropping the book on the stage.

Before launching into a performance of Higher Ground, American R&B and funk icon Stevie Wonder reflected on the importance of the moment.

As we stand between historys pain and tomorrows promises, we must choose courage over complacency, he told the crowd. It is time to get up and go vote.

We need to choose joy over anger. Kindness over recrimination. And peace over war, he added. Every time. We must choose to be above the ugly words, the hateful anger, and the division those words and anger create. We must keep on keepin on until we truly are a united people of these United States. And then we will reach our higher ground.

Before launching into a performance of “Higher Ground,” American R&B and funk icon Stevie Wonder reflected on the importance of the moment.

“As we stand between history’s pain and tomorrow’s promises, we must choose courage over complacency,” he told the crowd. “It is time to get up and go vote.”

“We need to choose joy over anger. Kindness over recrimination. And peace over war,” he added. “Every time. We must choose to be above the ugly words, the hateful anger, and the division those words and anger create. We must keep on keepin’ on until we truly are a united people of these United States. And then we will reach our higher ground.”

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldbergs moving speech about their captive Israeli son came as uncommitted delegates and pro-Palestinian activists are still urging the DNC to include a Palestinian voice at the convention.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has remained a point of contention at the convention, with demonstrations taking place outside of the arena to rally support for getting more aid into Gaza, as well as calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Earlier Wednesday, the Uncommitted National Movement, which is leading the demonstrations, expressed its support for having the Goldbergs speak on the main stage, while also urging Democrats to reject a hierarchy of human value and ensure that Palestinian voices also get the same opportunity.

\"Excluding a Palestinian speaker betrays the partys commitment in our platform to valuing Israelis and Palestinian lives equally, the group said in a statement. Vice President Harris must unite this party with a vision that fights for everyone, including Palestinians.

Still, uncommitted delegates took their seats in the arena so they could be there for Polin and Goldbergs speech, the New York Times reported.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has criticized the U.S.s military aid for Israel, was also seen clapping for Polin and Goldbergs speech, as they called for the end of civilian suffering in Gaza, according to Associated Press congressional reporter Farnoush Amiri.

Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell received a long standing ovation as he took the stage at the DNC to talk of Trumps betrayal of him and his fellow officers.

Gonell, who helped defend the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as a mob of Trump supporters stormed it, first acknowledged the officers who died as a result of the attack.

Before I begin I need to acknowledge the sacrifices of the five officers who died as a result of Jan 6, he said.

Gonell said he immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic when he was 12 years old. He became an American citizen and was later a sergeant in the Army.

I had seen violence while serving in Iraq, but nothing nothing prepared me for January 6th, he said. We officers risk everything to protect innocent people. We were beaten and blinded. I was assaulted with a pole attached to the American flag. President Trump summoned our attackers and sided with them. He betrayed us.

When I joined the Army, I took an oath to defend the Constitution, he continued. I did so with duty in my soul, and I still feel it. To Donald Trump I ask: Why dont you?

The convention just aired a video featuring the Trump-inspired attack on Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.

\"Youll never take back our country with weakness,\" Trump told the mob before they attacked. The video recalled similar presentations played during Trump's post-insurrection-attempt impeachment, in which almost all Senate Republicans voted to acquit.

The video followed by brief remarks from Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) featured Trump's mid-Jan. 6 tweet attacking Mike Pence, and rioters' subsequent chants targeting the then-vice president. It also noted the almost 1,500 charged in connection with the Capitol attack, and said Trump \"says he will pardon them.\"

Trump has sometimes qualified his remarks about pardoning Jan. 6 defendants: The DNC video featured a 2022 interview in which Trump said that if reelected, he would consider \"full pardons with an apology to many.\"

The same video featured the several felony charges Trump still faces for his effort to overturn the 2020 election results.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who was chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, insurrection, warned about Trumps recent indications that he would once again reject the election results if he loses this year.

In this life, my father never cast a vote because of Jim Crow, so I dedicated my career to protecting the votes against violence and discrimination. You can imagine what I felt on January 6, when I saw with my own eyes those insurrectionists trying to take that away, Thompson said.

[Trump] would rather subvert democracy than submit to it. Now he's plotting again. His campaign proclaims that elections won't end until the moment of inauguration, he continued. Choose democracy, not political violence.

Republican Geoff Duncan, who was until last year the lieutenant governor of Georgia, slammed his partys presidential nominee, calling Trump a direct threat to democracy.

His actions disqualified him from ever, ever, ever stepping foot in the Oval Office again, Duncan said at the DNC.

As lieutenant governor, he witnessed Trump's attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in his state.

Im certain I dont have to talk anybody out of voting for Donald Trump here, Duncan said. So Im going to focus my attention on the millions of Republicans and independents that are at home who are sick and tired of making excuses for Donald Trump.

If Republicans are being intellectually honest with ourselves, our party is not civil or conservative. Its chaotic and crazy. And the only thing left to do is dump Trump, he said, going on to say the GOP was functioning more like a cult devoted to a felonious thug.

One of his final lines attracted chants of USA! from the crowd.

Let me be clear to my Republican friends at home watching: If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, youre not a Democrat, youre a patriot, Duncan said.

Olivia Troye, a Republican and former national security official who resigned during the Trump years, said she believed the former president continually undermined our intelligence community, our military leaders and ultimately our democratic process.

As a national security expert being inside Trumps White House was terrifying, Troye said. But what keeps me up at night is whatll happen if he gets back there. The guardrails are gone, the few adults in the room the first time resigned or were fired.

She told those watching, namely Republicans, that a vote for Harris was not a vote against their party.

You arent voting for a Democrat, youre voting for democracy, Troye added. You arent betraying our party, youre standing up for our country.

Content creator Carlos Eduardo Espina touched on immigration during his speech at the DNC on Wednesday.

As Ronald Reagan, a Republican, once said, we lead the world because unique among nations, we draw our people, our strength, from every country and every corner of the world, Espina said.

To be pro-immigrant is to be pro-America, he added. Kamala Harris understands this too, and that's why, once elected, she will reject hate and find solutions that make our nation stronger.

Oprah Winfrey is reportedly on hand to help introduce Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz before he speaks later tonight, according to CNN. The surprise addition is not on the published schedule.

Oprah Winfrey is reportedly on hand to help introduce Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz before he speaks later tonight, according to CNN. The surprise addition is not on the published schedule.

Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) introduced a video featuring the bipartisan border deal that saw Democrats giving Republicans significant concessions earlier this year the same bill Donald Trump pressured Republicans to vote against, killing it.

\"Ill fight it all the way. A lot of the senators are trying to say, respectfully, theyre blaming it on me. I say, thats okay. Please blame it on me. Please,\" Trump said in January, referring to the bill whose fate he did effectively decide.

The DNC played that quote back at Trump Wednesday, bragging that \"some of the most conservative\" lawmakers supported the bill.

In a speech clipped in the video, Harris promised to bring back the bill and sign it as president. \"Real Leadership on the Border,\" a caption read.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told the DNC crowd that when it comes to security at the Texas and Mexico border, Trump is a self-serving man.

When Donald Trump comes down to Texas and stands next to officers in uniform just like mine, hes not there to help us, Salazar said. Hes a self-serving man.

Salazar also knocked Trump for helping kill a deal on border security because Trump didnt want President Joe Biden to have a win.

Just like when he killed the border bill, he just made our jobs harder, Salazar said. Kamala, on the other hand, has been fighting border crime for years. Shes gone down to Mexico and gone to stop the traffickers. And when the traffickers didnt stop, she put them in jail.

Now in my neck of the woods, we call that foolin around and finding out, Salazar added. I might be paraphrasing a bit.

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents the district that includes El Paso, Texas, told delegates Donald Trump has no idea what hes talking about when it comes to border security.

He and his Republican imitators see the border and immigration as a political opportunity to exploit instead of an issue to address, she said.

Escobar acknowledged that Congress hasnt passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill in nearly 40 years. She then laid the blame for that squarely at the feet of the GOP.

The three times they tried, she said, Republicans blocked legislation that would have funded border security and created a more humane immigration system. They are not serious people.

President Joe Biden had been on the verge of signing one such bipartisan reform bill earlier this year before Trump urged Republicans to kill it.

Missed anything? You can catch up on all our previous DNC coverage here.

Pinned

Aug 23, 2024, 2:09 PM EDT

Sara Boboltz

In Case You Missed The DNC

After four days of speeches, music and dancing, the DNC wrapped up late Thursday with Harris formal acceptance of her partys presidential nomination. She also had some sharp words for the opposition, who, in her words, are "out of their minds."

Read more about Harris speech here .

Other notable moments included:

• Making patriotism cool for liberals again
• A bittersweet speech from President Biden passing the torch of party leadership
• Powerful remarks from both Michelle and Barack Obama
• A speech from Tim Walz that was in turns fiery and emotional
• A high-octane roll call the likes of which we've never seen
• A glaring lack of representation for Palestinian Americans critical of Israels war in Gaza
• A speech from Pennsylvanias popular governor that Trump later attacked in an ugly way
• Plenty of Republican speakers, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)
• A cute lesson from Harris nieces on how to properly say her name

Aug 31, 2024, 3:19 AM EDT

Ben Blanchet

Trump Remarks On 'Power' Of Presidency At DC Event: 'You Can Do Everything'

Donald Trump emphasized the power of the presidency on Friday when asked about what he could do should he get back in the Oval Office.

Well, you can do everything, said the GOP nominee at an event in Washington, D.C. for the far-right Moms for Liberty group.

The president has such power, it does. It has such power.

Read more:

Aug 25, 2024, 6:59 AM EDT

Ben Blanchet

Harris Campaign Says It Saw Surge Of Donations During DNC

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign says it's now raised $540 million and saw a surge of donations during the Democratic National Convention, the AP reports.

Read more: