Vice President Kamala Harris will complete the coup against President Joe Biden on Thursday night when she speaks at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the dysfunctional Democratic Party gathering in Chicago, Illinois.
Harris’ speech caps a tumultuous month since the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July, when Biden withdrew from the presidential race following a debate disaster after weeks of dogged competition that forced Democrats to hastily rally around Harris. Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, delivered a 15-minute acceptance speech on Wednesday night, a day after the Obamas, Barack and Michelle Obama, delivered keynote addresses on Tuesday and Biden himself delivered keynote addresses on Monday.
The first month of Harris’s tenure as the front-runner has been a period of euphoria for Democrats, but through her speeches and messages at the top of the Democratic National Convention, she has consistently warned that as a party, Democrats are not actually winning this election and that they need to get serious if they really want to stop Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump. Indeed, Walz himself acknowledged in a short speech on Wednesday that Democrats are losing the election, using a football analogy to say that Democrats are down a field goal in the fourth quarter, but they have the football and a chance to score. So now the attention shifts to the front-runner. Can Kamala Harris pull off a Tom Brady-style comeback victory? Or will she fizzle out the moment the spotlight is on her?
The answers to these questions will likely not be known tonight (unless Harris makes a huge mistake) because tonight’s event, like all previous DNCs, is tightly scripted. But the pressure is growing on Harris and Walz to let off the hook and actually start campaigning. They’ve only ever performed scripted appearances and have never spoken off a teleprompter. So while Harris’ big day will probably end with the fake “joy” for the rest of the week, the real campaigning starts tomorrow.
Vice President Kamala Harris addresses delegates during a livestreamed speech after the ceremonial roll call vote during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, on August 20, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Another thing to watch this evening is whether the Democrats can get their candidates on the podium to speak before primetime ends. Of course, TV stations will continue to broadcast any important speeches live no matter how late it is, but the big question is whether anyone will be watching when it hits 11pm on the East Coast. The Democrats have failed to get major events on the podium in primetime all week – Biden on Monday, Obama on Tuesday, and Waltz on Wednesday. Will they fail on Thursday too? Probably because all the Democrats are laughing at the Harris campaign and senior adviser Stephanie Cutter who is frantically calling around to get the speech cut short. Nobody is listening because most other Democrats want their chances at the White House in 2028, which of course is only if Trump wins and Harris loses.
While Americans will likely be dozing off as the tedious Democratic Convention drags on, those of us who work in this industry will be following the show until the very end, so be sure to follow us here at Breitbart News for live updates on news and analysis throughout the night.
Update 8:46 PM ET:
The brother of Brian Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was killed after the Jan. 6 riot, made the remarks during a montage of Democratic National Convention speakers highlighting a range of issues.
Update 8:43 PM ET:
Representative Collin Allred (D-Texas), the Democratic candidate running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in the Texas U.S. Senate election, is speaking now. “I think I’m going to lose to Ted Cruz,” Allred said in November.
“I’m the guy who’s going to flip that Texas Senate seat to the Democrats,” Allred said.
Allred was referring to his time in the NFL, where he played several seasons with the Tennessee Titans.
Update: 8:40 p.m. ET:
Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry is currently actively supporting Kamala Harris, speaking via video at the Democratic National Convention.
Update 8:34 PM ET:
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) delivered an impassioned speech about the “climate crisis” and said this election is about water and air.
Update 8:16 PM ET:
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey will now speak.
Update 8:09pm ET:
According to TMZ, Beyoncé is scheduled to perform at the DNC tonight.
Update 8:04 p.m. ET:
Members of the infamous “Central Park Five” also spoke alongside Sharpton.
Update 7:57 PM ET:
Reverend Al Sharpton spoke, repeatedly criticizing Trump.
As for a surprise speaker, Bush’s press secretary, Freddie Ford, said Bush will not be speaking at the Democratic National Convention.
Retiring Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah has also said he is not attending the Democratic National Convention.
Update 7:47 PM ET:
Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Michigan, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), is speaking right now. She’s a particularly weak Senate candidate who warned Democrats earlier Thursday that they don’t have an advantage in this election. Slotkin is focusing on “national security,” arguing that Democrats will do better than Republicans, even though literally no one trusts Harris to take on America’s adversaries on the world stage.
Update 7:45 PM ET:
There’s been a lot of speculation about a possible “surprise” guest like Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, but former CNN anchor Don Lemon has said the guest could be former Republican President George W. Bush. If that’s who it is, Trump could be very lucky.
Update 7:44 PM ET:
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) is currently speaking from the convention hall on the main stage, and he’s reeling off the usual anti-Trump platitudes we’ve grown accustomed to all week. This Trump Derangement Syndrome is exhausting.
Update 7:42 PM ET:
Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project made a huge bullshit statement in response to a totally legitimate question outside the Democratic National Convention.
Update 7:38 PM ET:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a senator from Massachusetts who represents a largely Native American state, is currently speaking at the Democratic National Convention, and she is shouting from the stage about “right-wing extremists.”
