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CNN Live Event/Special
DNC Ceremonially Nominates Harris & Walz; Second Night Of Historic DNC Under Way. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired August 20, 2024 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
JEAN EVANSMORE, WEST VIRGINIA DELEGATE: Most 83-year-old that I know are spending time with their grandchildren or traveling, but I'm here suited up and ready to battle because I will not, I repeat, I will not let everything I've fought for be taken away by Donald Trump. (CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
KATHRYN PRATHER, WEST VIRGINIA DELEGATE: My name is Kathryn Prather. I am 18-years-old. And I am the youngest delegate from West Virginia.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRATHER: I'm suited up and ready for battle, because I will not let my freedoms and my future be taken away by Donald Trump.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRATHER: And that's why we're proud to cast West Virginia's 24 delegates for the next President of the United States. Kamala Harris.
EVANSMORE: And that's why we're proud to cast West Virginia's 24 delegates for the next President of the United States. Kamala Harris.
(MUSIC)
DJ CASSIDY, AMERICAN DJ AND RECORD PRODUCER: Ladies and gentlemen. My name is DJ Cassidy. Now are you ready?
(MUSIC)
JASON RAE, SECRETARY, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: My home State of Wisconsin. How do you cast your votes?
GOV. TONY EVERS (D-WI): Thank you Badger, Jason Rae, for all your good work.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EVERS: As the proud governor of the great State of Wisconsin. We're home of the Green Bay Packers.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EVERS: We're home of the -- we're home of the Wisconsin Badgers.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EVERS: We're home of the Milwaukee Brewers.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EVERS: And the Milwaukee Bucks as well as U.S. Senator, our best U.S. Senator, Tammy Baldwin.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EVERS: And our great congressional folks, Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EVERS: I'm here because I am jazzed as hell to announce that Wisconsin cast one vote present and 94 votes for -- for -- for -- where are we at? Got me going here. Former Wisconsinite, former state -- oh my God. I--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you, Tony.
EVERS: I--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you, Tony.
EVERS: I am--
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EVERS: 94 votes for.
(CROWD chanting Tony)
EVERS: I'll get there, Jason, I'll get there.
94 votes, for former Wisconsinite, Vice President, and our next President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(MUSIC)
(CHEERING)
RAE: Wyoming, how do you cast your votes?
JOSEPH MONTAGUE "JOE" BARBUTO, SWEETWATER COUNTY TREASURER, CHAIR OF THE WYOMING DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Mr. Secretary. Delegates. My name is Joe Barbuto. And these folks around me, we are honored to be representing the great State of Wyoming.
(CHEERING)
BARBUTO: Both the first state and territory in this nation to recognize a woman's right to vote, and the state that 100 years ago, elected Democrat, Nellie Tayloe Ross, our nation's first female governor.
With that legacy in mind and heart, The Equality State cast all of our votes for the woman, who will be the first woman President of the United States. Say it with me now. Kamala Harris.
(CHEERING)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Good job.
(MUSIC)
RAE: The great State of Minnesota. How do you cast your votes?
HANS STORVICK, FORMER STUDENT OF TIM WALZ: Hello, Minnesota.
(CHEERING)
STORVICK: My name is Hans Storvick. And Tim Walz was my neighbor, coach and favorite teacher.
We were excited to go to his classroom every day. If you've ever been in high school, you know that can be rare. He opened our eyes to the world. He taught us how to talk about global issues with respect, curiosity and kindness, even and especially when we disagreed.
But he wasn't just a great teacher, he was also a great neighbor and friend. In fact, when he was in the midst of a budget battle, as governor of our state, he still found time, to attend my brother's funeral.
Mr. Walz means the world to my family. He's always been there for us. And that's how I know he'll always be there for you, as Vice President.
[21:05:00]
(CHEERING)
JOHN RANDLE, FORMER MINNESOTA VIKING: Thank you, Hans.
Minnesota, let me hear you.
(CHEERING)
RANDLE: There you go.
14 years in the National Football League taught me a lot about leadership. A good leader cannot be selfish.
(CHEERING)
RANDLE: He has to look out for his team. Coach Walz is unselfish as they come. He has led Minnesota with honesty and integrity. And in November, Minnesota is going to send Tim Walz and Kamala Harris to the White House.
(CHEERING)
RANDLE: Let's go.
(CHEERING)
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): I'm Amy Klobuchar, the senator from the great State of Minnesota, where nearly everyone votes, and purple reigns.
SEN. TINA SMITH (D-MN): And I'm Tina Smith from the great State of Minnesota.
(CHEERING)
SMITH: The home of the next Vice President of the United States, Tim Walz.
(CHEERING)
SMITH: Minnesota, we cast 10 votes present, and we deliver 81 votes for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
(CHEERING)
(MUSIC)
RAE: The great State of California. How do you cast your votes?
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): My name is Governor Gavin Newsom.
(CHEERING)
NEWSOM: From the great state of Nancy Pelosi.
(CHEERING)
NEWSOM: I come from a state, like our nation of dreamers, of doers, of entrepreneurs, of innovators, that prides itself on being on the leading and cutting edge of new ideas.
California is the most diverse state in the world's most diverse democracy.
(CHEERING)
NEWSOM: And we pride ourselves. We pride ourselves on our ability to live together, and advance together, and prosper together, across every conceivable and imaginable difference.
But the thing we pride ourselves most on is that we believe the future happens in California first.
(CHEERING)
NEWSOM: And Democrats, I've had the privilege, for over 20 years, to see that future taking shape, with a star in Alameda courtroom, by the name of Kamala Harris.
(CHEERING)
NEWSOM: I saw that star. I saw that star fighting for criminal justice, racial justice, economic justice, social justice. I saw that star get even brighter, as Attorney General of California, as a United States Senator, and as Vice President of the United States of America.
Kamala Harris has always done the right thing, a champion for voting rights, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, the rights for women and girls.
(CHEERING)
NEWSOM: So Democrats and Independents, it's time for us to do the right thing. And that is to elect Kamala Harris, as the next President of the United States of America.
(CHEERING)
NEWSOM: California, we proudly cast our 482 votes for the next President, Kamala Harris.
(CHEERING)
(MUSIC)
RAE: Thank you to everyone, who participated in our celebratory roll call.
Delegates. Please know, how critical you are to this process, both now and earlier this month, when we conducted our virtual roll call.
I am thrilled to reaffirm Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
RAE: Pursuant to the convention rules of procedure. Vice President Kamala Harris has been invited to make an acceptance speech, which she will give on Thursday, August 22nd.
[21:10:00]
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
RAE: But now, a special surprise. It's my pleasure to introduce our Party's official nominee for President of the United States, live from my home state of Wisconsin, Vice President Kamala Harris.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good evening, Milwaukee!
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: And hello to everyone joining us from exciting Chicago.
The delegates at the Democratic National Convention, well, they just completed their rollcall.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: And they have nominated Coach Walz and me to be the next vice president and president of the United States of America.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: I think everyone there and here for believing in what we can do together. We are so honored to be your nominees. This is a people- powered campaign and together we will chart a new way forward.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: A future for freedom, opportunity, of optimism, and faith. So to everyone in Chicago and across America, thank you. Thank you. (CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: Thank you. And you're going to hear from our wonderful second gentleman shortly. I'll see you in two days, Chicago.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ANNOUNCER: Please welcome TV personality, loud and proud Latina, Ana Navarro.
ANA NAVARRO, "THE VIEW" CO-HOST: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE), Chicago.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
NAVARRO: So tell me, are you excited?
(CHEERING)
NAVARRO: Wow. What energy. What a moment. I have to tell you I will never stop being the little refugee girl who came to this country at the age of 8. Thank you for inviting me to be here.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
NAVARRO: Welcome to the second night of the Democratic National Convention.
Let me tell you about the Kamala Harris I know. She is legitimately a joyful, optimistic leader. She cares about policy, yes, but she also cares about people and how that policy affects real people, not just the members of Mar-a-Lago.
And you know what else? Kamala Harris, she likes dogs.
(CHEERING)
NAVARRO: And my dog Chacha likes her. Dogs are good judges of character, so are cats. We cannot elect a president who does not like dogs or hangs around with people who shoot them.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
NAVARRO: Now, let's be serious. Donald Trump and his minions call Kamala a communist. I know communism. I fled communism from Nicaragua when I was 8 years
old. I don't take it lightly. And let me tell you what communist dictators do, and it's never just for one day.
They attack the free press, they call them the enemy of the people, like Ortega does in Nicaragua. They put their unqualified relatives in cushy government jobs so they can get rich off their positions, like the Castros do in Cuba. And they refuse to accept legitimate elections when they lose and call for violence to stay in power, like Maduro is doing right now in Venezuela.
Now, you tell me something. Do any of those things sound familiar? Is there anybody running for president who reminds you of that?
And I know one thing. It's not Kamala Harris. That is not the American -- the America we love. It's not the land of freedom we treasure.
Last night, we heard President Biden say that he loves his job, but he loves his country more.
Every American needs to love our country more. Every American has the duty to put our country first. Country first before Party, country first before political ambition. Country first before habit. And in this election, putting country first means one thing and one thing only: voting for Kamala Harris.
(CHEERING)
NAVARRO: And that, that is what this night is about. That is what we're going to talk about tonight. So, you know what? Let's get it started. Let's get this fiesta going.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The yeas are 50, the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the Vice President votes in the affirmative and the nomination is confirmed. And the concurrent resolution, as amended, is adopted.
The Vice President votes in the affirmative, and the motion to proceed is agreed to. On this vote, the yeas are 50. The nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the Vice President votes in the affirmative, and the Bill, as amended, is passed.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): It is my honor to present the golden gavel to Vice President Harris. 32 tie breaking votes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: All right. It's an exciting time here for the delegates in the United Center.
Kaitlan Collins is on the floor.
Kaitlan? KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Jake. I am with Governor Gavin Newsom, who, of course, was the last one to go, to put California over the top, with Vice President Harris there.
What does this moment mean? I mean, you have known Vice President Harris for 30 years.
NEWSOM: Yes.
COLLINS: What does this moment mean?
NEWSOM: Look, it's remarkable. You kind of pinch yourself. When we're just two people, with mutual friends, having dinner, none of us even imagined we'd be in politics. The idea that I'd be here, today, announcing those 482 votes, and she's our nominee for the party.
It's a surreal and just obvious point of pride, what a point of privilege, and what an opportunity to showcase someone, who's next level talent that's out of now of the shadow of being Vice President, has a chance to shine in.
COLLINS: Yes, you obviously speak to her often. I mean, what is she saying about what this last month has been like, what this moment has been like, for her.
NEWSOM: I don't know that she's even had a chance to process. I don't think any of us -- few of us, have had a chance to process the last three-and-a-half weeks, let alone the last three-and-a-half years, to be candid with you. I mean COVID, and all the stress, the polarization that we're all experiencing.
So, look, this is a sprint. She recognizes what's at stake, and she recognizes you got to stay on the offense. Got to stay on the offense, every single day, in every single way. No one, no one is denying what's on the other side. But look, no one is also denying the choice. This is daylight and darkness, and the contrast couldn't be more acute.
And it's a beautiful thing to watch. I mean this. It's a beautiful thing to watch. Donald Trump spinning. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know how to do it. But he'll ultimately land somewhere. And that's why we also have to be humble, as it relates to what's in front of us, in the next few months.
COLLINS: And we just saw where she is. That's in Milwaukee, where Republicans just had their convention. That is exactly where they just showed Vice President Harris on stage.
NEWSOM: Yes.
COLLINS: Why do think he hasn't been able to figure out how to go up against her?
NEWSOM: I think there're a lot of theories. I have my own humble one. I don't think he ever imagined this would happen. I don't think he imagined it would happen so quickly. I don't think he imagined we would consolidate, as a party, so quickly.
And I don't think he also imagined the one intangible. There's a sense of spirit and pride. There's the intangible, the thing that sort of defies the policy positions of the delegate count.
[21:15:00]
There's a sense of energy that's beyond just these four walls. You see it out there, you feel it out there. And that energy is impacting Donald Trump, and it's impacting the people around him that are now openly expressing concern, that are openly offering advice to a president, who's not easily -- well, not easy to take advice.
So, I just think it's an interesting moment. But it's a moment. And the question is, is it a movement beyond this convention? And that's why, I think, as Democrats, we can't take anything for granted.
COLLINS: Governor Gavin Newsom, thank you for that.
Jake. Back to you.
TAPPER: All right. Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much.
It was good to hear Tupac, when California was casting the final delegates, and bringing the nomination to Kamala Harris.
And I will say, as much as the first night was logistically problematic, the Democrats are doing a very good job of exciting the crowd here. Normally, roll calls are pretty boring and awful. And that one, especially with some cameos from Sean Astin, and Eva Longoria, and Lil Jon, of course, not to mention all, of course, the governors and mayors, really, had the crowd on their feet.
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: There's no question that this is a room, this is a party that wants to party. They're just, they're feeling it.
Even without the DJ, even without the music, assigned to different states, the people here are so desperate, to have their nominee, to rally around their nominee, and have their nominee be the person, out there, because they like her, but also because of who she's running against.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: I think the theme of tonight is 2008 energy. That's what one Biden adviser told me, on the air, earlier today. With Barack Obama and Michelle Obama coming, they wanted to -- they need to amp this place up, to kind of capture that feeling that a lot of people last felt, back in 2008, when they were about to do something historic.
I think that that is where people are right now. You saw so many of the states. That was one of the top things mentioned, the history that would be made with Vice President Harris, if she were to be elected.
And this is a room full of people, who are more than ready for that moment to happen, not just for her as a Black woman and a South Asian woman, but for her as a woman in general, for the United States, to finally meet that moment.
BASH: And the fact that she was in Wisconsin, Jake.
TAPPER: Yes.
BASH: This -- one of the states that they ask, desperately need, and also going back to 2016, one that Hillary Clinton didn't visit, it's really telling and important, strategically.
TAPPER: And absolutely, they are certainly paying a lot of attention, to the blue wall states, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Of course.
Let's listen in. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York, speaking now.
ANNOUNCER: Please welcome Senate Majority Leader and New York Senator Chuck Schumer.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, (D) NEW YORK AND MAJORITY LEADER : Everybody. Wasn't that a great roll call?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: Now, just let me hear you if you're ready for President Kamala Harris.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: Friends, we're here to talk about one thing: tomorrow and building a better tomorrow for all Americans. This November, we can choose a brighter, a fairer, a freer future, or we can relive the dark night of Trump's American carnage.
(BOOING)
SCHUMER: Only one candidate will move America forward: Kamala Harris. Vice President Harris has been the best partner Senate Democrats could ever have asked for. Under her and President Biden's leadership, Senate Democrats lowered prescription drug prices and created millions, millions of good paying American jobs.
I worked with Kamala Harris when she was Senator Harris. I saw a leader who was fearless, who stood up for middle class families like the one she was raised in, who focused on things that really mattered. Helping parents raise their kids, safe neighborhoods, safe schools, and building an opportunity economy that gives everyone a shot at the American dream.
She will lead America forward into a brighter future, but she can't do it alone. She needs a Democratic majority in the Senate of the United States. (APPLAUSE)
[21:20:00]
SCHUMER: Now, my friends, two years ago, two years ago, the naysayers said Senate Democrats should stood no chance in the midterms. I told them, just you wait. We're going to keep the Senate and maybe pick up a seat or two, and that's exactly what happened.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: Well, ladies and gentlemen, my good friends at this convention, I am telling all of you now, we're going to hold the Senate again and we're poised to pick up seats --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: -- a Democratic majority to create good-paying jobs and lower costs, to defend a woman's right to choose, to deliver for communities back home.
Our senators are doing it, like Jacky Rosen delivering high-speed rail for Nevada.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: Jon Tester bringing high-check jobs to Montana.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: And Bobby Casey and Sherrod Brown and Tammy Baldwin and Martin Heinrich fixing bridges in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Wisconsin and New Mexico.
We also have amazing candidates, Ruben Gallego, Angela Alsobrooks, Andy Kim, Elissa Slotkin, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Colin Allred, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. And, folks, listen to this. More than half of our candidates are candidates of color.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: We're making the Senate look like America.
Now let's compare that with Senate Republicans. Senate Republicans pretend to care about middle-class families, but they voted no on expanding the child tax credit, and J.D. Vance didn't even show up to vote.
(BOOING)
SCHUMER: Senate Republicans pretend to care about the border, but they voted no on the strongest border bill in a decade.
Republicans tend to care about freedom, but they voted no on a woman's right to choose, no to safeguard IVF, no to birth control. That is just a taste of their extreme agenda. Is that what we want for America?
CROWD: No!
SCHUMER: Do we want a Republican Senate that assaults reproductive freedoms?
CROWD: No!
SCHUMER: Do we want a Republican Senate that cuts taxes for the rich, rigs the game for big oil and big pharma?
CROWD: No!
SCHUMER: Well, folks, the choice is ours.
Now, let me close on a personal note. As the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: -- I want my grandkids and all grandkids to never, never face discrimination because of who they are.
But Donald Trump, this is a guy who peddles antisemitic stereotypes. He even invited a white supremacist to Mar-a-Lago.
And, unfortunately, his prejudice goes in all directions. He fueled Islamophobia and issued a Muslim ban as president. Tonight, folks, I am wearing this blue square to stand up to antisemitism, to stand up to all hate.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: Our children, our grandchildren, no matter their race, no matter their creed, their gender or family, deserve better than Donald Trump's American carnage.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: So, are you ready to make sure Donald Trump never, ever gets near the White House again?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: So, let's elect Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and a Democratic majority in the Senate and keep the torch of freedom burning bright for generations to come. On to victory in November.
[21:25:00]
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Together, we will build what I call an opportunity economy. I will take on the high costs that matter most to most Americans.
Compare my plan with what Donald Trump intends to do. He wants to impose what is, in effect, a national sales tax on everyday products and basic necessities that we import from other countries. It will mean higher prices on just about every one of your daily needs. Donald Trump's plan would cost a typical family $3,900 a year. He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which 45 million Americans rely on for health care. He plans to give billionaires massive tax cuts year after year. And he plans to cut corporate taxes by over a trillion dollars.
If you want to know who someone cares about, look who they fight for. We capped the price of insulin at $35 a month and the total cost of prescription drugs at $2,000 a year for seniors. And just yesterday, we announced that we are lowering the price for 10 more life-saving drugs.
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: As president, I will work to build the housing we need. And by the end of my first term, we will end America's housing shortage by building 3 million new homes and rentals that are affordable for the middle class.
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: More than 100 million Americans will get a tax cut by restoring the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit through which millions of Americans with children got to keep more of their hard-earned income. We will provide $6,000 in tax relief to families during the first year of a child's life.
Now is the time to chart a new way forward. I will fight to give money back to working and middle class Americans, increase the security and stability financially of your family, and expand opportunity for working and middle class Americans. (APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Chuck Schumer.
Senator Bernie Sanders is coming up next.
Van Jones.
VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yes.
COOPER: There's a lot of Republicans, in the Trump campaign, who have been trying to say that Kamala Harris is to the left--
JONES: Yes.
COOPER: --of Bernie Sanders.
JONES: Well she's not.
COOPER: Which, by the way, Bernie Sanders laughs about.
JONES: Exactly. And so is everybody else.
I just want to say. Kamala Harris has put the party back in the Democratic Party. This was an extraordinary moment, in terms of just that people needed to get some release. And I've never seen -- who had on their bingo card that the biggest dance party of the summer would be the DNC? I don't think anybody had that on the bingo card.
Look, Bernie Sanders is leading an important movement, in this party. But it is not Kamala Harris' movement. And that will be clear tonight.
COOPER: Is there a danger, David Axelrod, in having Bernie Sanders?
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER OBAMA SENIOR ADVISER: No, I don't think. Look, the truth is that Bernie Sanders is going to get up there, and he's going to talk about economic issues, I'm sure, that are very, very central to people, in their lives. And that is his wheelhouse.
And that's really what she's -- she -- you know, you can say, and I'm sure Scott will, well, she's running on Bernie Sanders' platform, if, raising the minimum wage and family leave, and child care tax credits and so on, are that. I think that's fine. I think that's going to be a real help to her. And that's a focus she wants.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: One of the takeaways from the Trump years, though, is that the Republican Party, instead of looking at their autopsy, and saying, here's how we need to change, here's how we appeal to the middle, they ushered in the era of Trump. And the idea was like, let's stick to our guns about what we believe, and that energy is going to draw more people in. This is a view of a Democratic Party that might be approaching things, the same way, that's saying, instead of being like, oh no, someone called me a liberal, you just say, great. I'm going to own it, I'm going to make it a party. And maybe that will draw more people in. And that's a different posture from so many years of kind of like, we need to compromise, we need to appeal, we need to move to the middle. It will be interesting to see.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, Sanders being here is another affirmation, of what Republicans already think about her, because of the way she ran for president before. Medicare for All, friendly with Defund the Police, permissive immigration structure. I mean, she ran on a lot of very, very progressive things.
Now, anonymous campaign sources now say she's no longer for any of that. But for Republicans, that's not going to be good enough.
AXELROD: Right.
COOPER: All right. Well--
AXELROD: It'd be interesting to see them on the same debate stage.
JENNINGS: Yes.
AXELROD: And they'll have a conversation about this, I'm sure.
COOPER: And here's Bernie Sanders.
ANNOUNCER: Please welcome Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: Thank you. Thank you.
(CROWD chanting Bernie!)
SANDERS: My fellow Americans, it is an honor to be with you tonight because we are laying the groundwork for Kamala Harris to become our next president.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: And let me, let me tell you why that is so important. I want you all to remember where we were three-and-a-half years ago. We were in the midst of the worst public health crisis in 100 years and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Three thousand Americans were dying every day and hospitals were overwhelmed with COVID patients.
All across the country, businesses were shutting down, unemployment was soaring, workers were losing their health insurance, schools where closing, state and city budgets were running out of money, people were being evicted from their homes, children in America were going hungry. That was the reality the Biden-Harris administration faced as they entered the Oval Office, a nation suffering, a nation frightened and people looking to their government for support.
And within two months of taking office, our government did respond.
[21:30:00]
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: We passed the American Rescue Plan, which provided $1,400 for every man, woman, and child in the working class.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: We extended and expanded benefits for the unemployed. We provided emergency assistance for small businesses to stay open. We guaranteed healthcare coverage to tens of millions of Americans through one of the largest expansions of Medicaid in history.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: We provided rent relief and mortgage assistance which prevented tenants and homeowners from being evicted.
We established emergency food programs for hungry children and the elderly, and protected the pensions of millions of union workers and retirees from being slashed by up to 65 percent.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: Oh, and by the way we cut childhood poverty by over 40 percent to an expanded child tax credit.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: Thank you, President Biden. Thank you, Vice President Harris. Thank you, Democratic Congress.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: Now I say all of this not to relive that difficult moment but to make one simple point: when the political will is there government can effectively deliver for the people of our country.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: And now, we need to summon that will again, because too many of our fellow Americans are struggling every day to just get by, to put food on the table, to pay the rents and to get the health care they need.
Brothers and sisters, bottom line, we need an economy that works for all of us, not just the billionaire class.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: My fellow Americans, when 60 percent of our people live paycheck to paycheck, the top 1 percent have never ever had it so good.
And these oligarchs tell us we shouldn't tax the rich, the oligarchs tell us we shouldn't take on price gouging, we shouldn't expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision, and we shouldn't increase Social Security benefits for struggling seniors.
Well, I've got some bad news for them.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: That is precisely what we are going to do.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: And we're going to win this struggle because this is precisely what the American people want from their government.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: And, my friends, at the very top of that to-do list is the need to get big money out of our political process. Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy elections, including primary elections.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[21:35:00]
SANDERS: For the sake of our democracy, we must overturn the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: -- and move toward public funding of elections.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: And let me tell you what else we must do. We need to join the rest of the industrialized world and guarantee healthcare to all people as a human right, not a privilege.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: We need to raise the minimum wage to a living wage.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: We need to pass the PRO Act, so that workers can organize in unions --
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
SANDERS: -- and gain the decent pay and benefits they deserve. We need to strengthen public education --
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: -- raise teachers' salaries --
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: -- and make sure that every American, regardless of income, receives the higher education he or she needs.
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
SANDERS: We need to take on Big Pharma --
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: -- and cut our prescription drug costs in half so that we no longer pay any more than other countries.
Joe and Kamala made sure that no senior in America pays over $35 a month for insulin. We need to make sure that reality is true for every American.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: I look forward to working with Kamala and Tim to pass this agenda. And let us be very clear, this is not a radical agenda. But let me tell you what a radical agenda is. And that is Trump's Project 2025.
(BOOING)
SANDERS: At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, giving more tax breaks to billionaires is radical.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: Putting forth budgets that cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is radical. Letting polluters destroy our planet is radical. And my friends, we won't let that happen.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: Fellow Americans, in the last three and a half years, working together, we have accomplished more than any government since FDR.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: But much, much more remains to be done. We must summon the courage to stand up to wealth and power and deliver justice for people at home and abroad.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: Abroad, we must and this horrific war in Gaza, --
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: -- bring home the hostages and demand an immediate cease- fire.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: At home, right here, we must take on Big Pharma, Big Oil, Big Ag, Big Tech and all the other corporate monopolists whose greed is denying progress for working people.
(APPLAUSE)
[21:40:00]
SANDERS: On November 5th, let us elect Kamala Harris as our president, and let us go forward to create the nation we know we can become.
Thank you all very much.
(APPLAUSE)
(CROWD chanting Bernie!)
ANNOUNCER: Please welcome, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): Fellow Democrats, welcome to Chicago.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: A great American city in a proud blue state. Our patriotism was formed in frost and in fire, and in the steel we forged to survive both. Our love of country has been a tapestry of faith that weaves from Abraham Lincoln reuniting a house divided to Barack Obama declaring blue states and red states make one United States.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: Now, Illinois' presidential pedigree is unmatched, and given that Vice President Kamala Harris spent some of her early life right here, I speak for the entire Illinois delegation when I say we claim her too.
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: Now, one president we will never claim is the con artist the Republicans nominated in Milwaukee last month.
(BOOING)
PRITZKER: Donald Trump once called Chicago embarrassing. To quote a great Chicagoan who won six world championships on these very grounds, we take that personally.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: I had to govern for two years while Trump was president. Let me tell you what's embarrassing. In Illinois, we passed a massive bill to fix our roads and bridges. When Donald Trump proposed his own plan, he turned right around and called it stupid. We eliminated the grocery tax.
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: Donald hasn't been in a grocery store since his first bankruptcy. Illinois invested in clean energy and the jobs it brings. Donald claimed that windmills in the ocean made the whales a little batty.
During COVID, we supported small businesses and jobs, and Donald, well, Donald told us to inject bleach. Donald Trump thinks that we should trust him on the economy because he claims to be very rich, but take it from an actual billionaire.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: Trump is rich in only one thing, stupidity.
(APPLAUSE) PRITZKER: Now, I meet with business leaders all the time, and there's one universal thing they all need, people. They need more workers to fill all the jobs they have, but the anti-freedom, anti-family policies of MAGA Republicans are driving workers away.
Here's the thing. Americans don't want to be forced to drive 100 miles to deliver a baby because a draconian abortion law shut down the maternity ward.
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: Americans want the hope of giving birth through IVF, not the fear that it might be taken away. Americans with LGBTQ kids don't want them facing discrimination at school because the state sanctioned it.
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: Americans want to go to their neighborhood grocery store and not have to worry about some random guy open-carrying an AR-15.
(APPLAUSE)
[21:45:00]
PRITZKER: Americans don't want their kids to be taught in history class that slavery was a JOBS (sp?) program.
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: And if Americans are black or brown, they want to get promoted at work without being derided as a DEI hire for the sin of being successful while not white.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: Let's be clear. It's not woke that limits economic growth. It's weird.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: And these guys aren't just weird. They're dangerous.
Democrats are for lower taxes and higher wages, less inflation and more business growth. We just think it's wrong to craft those policies for Elon Musk, and not for everyday working people.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: That includes a secure retirement and good health care.
We think the government should help you prosper, not police who you're sleeping with.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: More than anything, Democrats want economic policies that are kind, not cruel.
But Trump chooses cruelty every time. After all, everything he's achieved in his own life has been by hurting someone else. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, well, they have spent their lives lifting people up, not pushing them down. They know that a White House that leads with kindness looks at someone who is struggling and sees not what they might cost society, but what they might create for it.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: Americans want policies that give every American a chance to make it to the middle class. They want to grow small businesses, and Democrats want to cut taxes for everyday people.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: More than anything, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz want a country where we can all live with a little serenity, the serenity that comes with a balanced checkbook, an affordable grocery bill, and a housing market that has room for everyone.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: And if there's one thing I know about Donald Trump, he's not bringing anyone any kind of serenity.
We have a choice, America, between the man who left our country a total mess and the woman who has spent four years cleaning it up.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: And I think it's time we stop expecting women to clean up messes without the authority and the title to match the job.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: Vice president was a good title for Kamala Harris, but you know an even better one?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: President of the United States of America!
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PRITZKER: Let's go get 'em!
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ANNOUNCER: Please welcome former chair and CEO of American Express and current chair and managing director of General Catalyst, Ken Chenault.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
KENNETH CHENAULT, CHAIR, GENERAL CATALYST PARTNERS: My fellow Americans, for 17 years, I ran American Express, one of the greatest companies in this country.
America has thousands of great companies, more than any other nation in the world. And that's not by accident. The United States is the best place in the world to do business because of the values on which our country was built, democracy, the rule of law, free and fair elections, the peaceful transfer of power.
As a business leader, I have seen firsthand why democracy is so important. Democracy provides the foundation upon which American business and our economy depend. Character and values matter.
In business, nothing is more important than trust. In America, we have to trust our president will protect democracy. We have to be certain they'll follow the law and serve the nation, not themselves. Business requires stability and certainty that our democracy will endure. Our economy and democracy are tightly linked. Both only grow stronger when Americans, despite our differences, are willing to work together.
At this moment, when our politics pits one group against another, that's what's remarkable about Kamala Harris. She is for all Americans. She understands it's possible, in fact, necessary, for a president to be both pro-business and pro-worker. Kamala Harris understands that government must work in partnership with the business community. She knows that a market-based economy needs a strong and effective government.
Kamala Harris understands that we need to help entrepreneurs turn good ideas into thriving companies. That we can create good-paying jobs by helping manufacturers expand. Kamala Harris believes in growing the economic pie for the benefit of current and future generations. Unlike her opponent, she knows the way not to build an advanced economy is a broad tariff that would only raise prices, hurt consumers and businesses, and cost jobs.
She knows the way not to do it is to give people like me a tax cut, when that money should be invested to grow the middle class.
(APPLAUSE)
CHENAULT: If you want to lead, you have to be willing to serve. Kamala Harris's vision for the economy serves us all. She has demonstrated throughout her career that she wants to serve all people and wants all Americans to have the opportunity to work, to achieve their own share of the American dream.
Our economy goes up and down, but the reason America is the strongest nation in the world is because of her commitment to something bigger than ourselves. Our commitment to each other, to democracy. That's what this election is about. It's more than a choice between two parties or sets of policies. It's a choice about who we're going to be as a country.
In his words and actions, Kamala Harris's opponent has shown that he does not believe in our democratic values and he will seek only to serve himself and his desire for vindication and vengeance.
Kamala Harris will face the facts. She will navigate this country, the greatest country in the world, through the inevitable challenges while also leading with the hope and values that America was founded on.
Kamala Harris understands that the role of a leader is to instill hope, to repudiate the merchants of fear, and focus on ensuring that the best days are ahead of us. She believes in America, its principles, the hopes and dreams of our people, and the promise of our future. That is why I believe Kamala Harris should be the next president of the United States of America.
God bless America.
(APPLAUSE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT (R) AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Repeal Obamacare.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI, MSNBC'S "MORNING JOE" ANCHOR: Donald Trump over the weekend again threatened to repeal Obamacare.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE #1: This would lead to Americans having their health insurance taken away.
MATTHEW FIEDLER, SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS SCHAEFFER INITIATIVE FOR HEALTH POLICY: There about 90 million people with coverage to Medicaid expansion, another 16 million enrolled through the ACA's health marketplaces and we'd be probably talking about many millions of people becoming uninsured.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE #2: Biggest worries, losing the safety net of pre- existing conditions coverage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE #3: What happens if you lose this insurance?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE #1: Our son would die.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE #4: What makes you think this isn't just a hollow threat?
This is one of the few campaign promises that he actually tried very hard to keep. So, we better believe him when he says he's coming after this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE #5: Even if you have insurance from your employer, you will be affected because your premiums would be going up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE #2: We're looking at a lot of people who could lose their health insurance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker.
We are heading into what may be an emotional hot point of the night. Second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, sharing his personal insights into Kamala Harris, as his wife and stepmother in their blended family.
And then, the marquee events, speeches by former first lady Michelle Obama, former President Barack Obama. Stay right here. You see it all live. We'll be right back.
[21:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: We are back at the Democratic National Convention, in Chicago, with some of the most highly anticipated speeches, coming up, from second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, former first lady Michelle Obama, and former President Barack Obama.
David Axelrod, it was for, you know, there was criticism of, sort of the producing of the event, last night.
Tonight, though. I mean, it is not only--
AXELROD: Oh, yes.
COOPER: --sharply done. There was a huge muscle flex of when the roll call was done, going live to the arena, where the Republican convention had taken place--
AXELROD: Yes.
COOPER: --where Vice President Harris and Governor Walz spoke. AXELROD: Yes, whatever the hiccups were, last night, they've certainly addressed it here.
They, you know, this is the second consecutive convention, where they've done really creative things, with a roll call, which was -- it's usually buzzkill, for viewers and so on. The Republicans threw it away in their convention, so.
And the speeches are moving along. It seems like they're moving along in time, which they didn't, last night. And it's a well-conceived mix. It's interesting to hear the former Chairman of American Express and CEO, following Bernie Sanders.
JENNINGS: Well, you left out Pritzker. I mean, that was -- that was what was the most amazing, a minute ago. So, they had Sanders out here, trying to defenestrate all the billionaires. And it's, ladies and gentlemen, here comes $3.5 billion Chief--
AXELROD: Yes. But of course, he made the point that I'm a billionaire, who understands what the proper role of government should be.
JENNINGS: All right. The dual--
AXELROD: So.
JENNINGS: The duality of Democrats on display.
AXELROD: He said, take it from a real billionaire, which was a pretty good line, actually.
JONES: Yes, we have a broad party. You had Bernie Sanders. You got one of the great titans of industry here, Pritzker. This is a party that has room for you. If you want government to be strong, and good? If you want business to be strong and good? If you want community to be strong and good? If you want faith to be strong and good? If you want strong and good? You're welcome here. And that's what you're seeing tonight.
JENNINGS: But does Sanders doesn't want -- I mean.
JONES: Yes.
JENNINGS: He literally doesn't want the billionaires to exist, though. You know.
JONES: I think that -- we have a broad party. We have a broad party.
JENNINGS: OK.
COOPER: In terms of what the Obamas are going to do tonight. What do you expect?
[21:55:00]
AXELROD: Well, I think that they are going to, in some subtle ways, talk about the prospect of getting back to a positive, people-based sort of politics that unifies instead of divide. So, I think that's going to be a lot of what they're going to talk about.
And I think they're going to talk a lot about middle-class economics. And Michelle Obama's father worked at the water filtration plant here, for 37 years. She comes from a solid working-class family, and that's something that's in her bones.
JONES: Yes.
AXELROD: And she talks about it very persuasively. And Barack Obama as well, from his own family experience. I think you're going to hear a lot about that.
But I think you're going to hear about coming together as a country, instead of being torn apart, which I think is a hidden, but important issue in this campaign.
COOPER: Let's listen in to the Governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham.
ANNOUNCER: Please welcome New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
(CHEERING)
GOV. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM, (D) NEW MEXICO: Good evening, America. I'm Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor of the great state of New Mexico. And in my state, we like things spicy, a little chilly on everything, a little kick in our campaigns. And let me tell you, we are feeling en fuego right now.
(LAUGHTER)
GRISHAM: We are fired up to elect Kamala Harris President of the United States.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
GRISHAM: This election is about protecting our democracy and securing our freedoms, including the right to affordable quality healthcare.
(CHEERING)
GRISHAM: Now, this issue is personal to Vice President Harris, whose mom passed away after a battle with colon cancer. And it's personal to me.
At two years old, my sister was diagnosed with a tumor that was incurable and made her uninsurable by the time she was three. And it's personal to Americans across the country who know what it's like when someone they love gets sick. Donald Trump and JD Vance want to dismantle our healthcare system, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions. Either these guys don't get it, or they just don't care. You know who gets it? Kamala Harris gets it. And she cares.
(CHEERING)
GRISHAM: As Attorney General, she took on drug companies that jacked up prices and hospitals that overcharged patients. And when Republicans tried to kill the Affordable Care Act, she stood up in the Senate, voting not just no, but hell no.
(CHEERING)
GRISHAM: And Kamala Harris hasn't just stopped Republicans from making our healthcare system worse. She fights every day to make it better. And I know I spent 20 years working to get Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices. As Vice President, Kamala Harris delivered it.
(CHEERING)
GRISHAM: You know what Donald Trump delivered? Junk plans, higher premiums, and abortion bans.
(BOOING)
GRISHAM: And if you don't think a second term would be worse, then I've got a box of Trump steaks to sell you. We have not just a better choice, America, we have the best choice.
(CHEERING)
GRISHAM: Yes, we do. Kamala Harris will protect your right to care. She'll cap drug costs. She'll go after corporate price gougers and ensure every woman who needs it can access reproductive healthcare. That's the President I want. And that's the President America needs. And with your help, that's the next President of the United States.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
GRISHAM: President Kamala Harris.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
