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CNN Live Event/Special
Hakeem Jeffries Speaks At DNC; Former President Bill Clinton Speaks At DNC; Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Speaks At DNC. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired August 21, 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]
KENAN THOMPSON, COMEDIAN & ACTOR: And this Becky (ph).
Becky (ph) can we hear you?
BECKY (ph): Hi, Kenan. It's great to be here.
THOMPSON: Yes.
(APPLAUSE)
THOMPSON: Thank you. All right, good.
BECKY (ph): There you go.
THOMPSON: Now, Becky (ph). You're married, correct?
BECKY (ph): I am. Me and my wife have been together for about eight years.
(APPLAUSE)
THOMPSON: Oh. That's amazing. Very, very cute.
BECKY (ph): Thanks.
THOMPSON: But I have got some bad news for you.
BECKY (ph): I hate that.
THOMPSON: On page 584, Project 2025, calls for the elimination of protections for LGBTQ+ Americans.
(BOOING)
THOMPSON: So, yes, right back to the Stone Age.
BECKY (ph): That's terrible. That--
THOMPSON: I'm afraid so.
BECKY (ph): Right back to the Stone Age. That's terrible.
THOMPSON: Yes, it is. Thank you, Becky (ph), for being here, and making that wonderful point.
All right, next up, we have Nirvana (ph).
Nirvana (ph), are you with us?
(CHEERING)
THOMPSON: And your people are with us as well? All right, good.
(CHEERING)
THOMPSON: Now, Nirvana (ph), I understand that--
NIRVANA (ph): Yes.
THOMPSON: --you are on insulin to manage your diabetes. Yes?
NIRVANA (ph): Yes, and thanks to President Biden, and Vice President Harris, I only pay $35 a month for my insulin.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
THOMPSON: That is great. That is great.
But on page 465, Project 2025, calls for millions of people, like yourself, to pay more for prescription drugs like insulin.
NIRVANA (ph): Why?
THOMPSON: Why? Well, I guess maybe to help Big Pharma make more money that they can donate to Republican politicians, I assume.
NIRVANA (ph): Yes, that makes sense.
THOMPSON: Yes, unfortunately, it does make sense.
All right, let's talk to Anita (ph).
Anita (ph), are you there? Yes. Hello, Anita (ph).
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ANITA (ph): Hello.
THOMPSON: And Anita (ph), what do you do for a living?
ANITA (ph): I am an OB-GYN, who delivers babies and does surgery.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
THOMPSON: An OB-GYN?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
THOMPSON: She is an OB-GYN that delivers babies. Uh oh.
(LAUGHTER)
ANITA (ph): Uh oh, yes, it's bad news, isn't it?
THOMPSON: It sure is. On page 459, Project 2025, resurrects a law from the 1800s called the Comstock Act to ban abortion nationwide, and throw health care providers in jail.
(BOOING)
ANITA (ph): Oh, my god. That is awful.
THOMPSON: Yes, it is awful.
All right, let's do one more. Is Sharia (ph) with us?
Sharia (ph), are you there?
SHARIA (ph): Hey, Kenan, I'm here.
THOMPSON: Yes, Sharia (ph). I love it. All right, let's talk to you. I understand that you work for the federal government?
SHARIA (ph): Yes, sir, I'm in the United States Department of Education.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHARIA (ph): I'm a proud civil servant, and a proud union president.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
THOMPSON: She works for the Department of Education, and she's a proud civil servant.
Well, unfortunately for you, on page 78, Project 2025, calls for President Trump to purge the civil service of everyone, who isn't a MAGA loyalist. Are you a MAGA loyalist?
SHARIA (ph): No, Kenan, absolutely not.
(APPLAUSE)
THOMPSON: Hey, I'm just, I'm just asking. I mean, you might as well be, because also, page 319 calls for the complete elimination of the Department of Education.
(BOOING)
THOMPSON: Yes, there's a -- there's a bunch of stuff in here. But that's all we have time for at the moment.
Just remember, everything that we just talked about is very real. It is in this book. You can read it online at kamalaharris.com/project- 2025.
And most importantly, you can stop it, from ever happening, by electing Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: "Saturday Night Live" superstar, Kenan Thompson, delivering a comic rendition, on policy plans, for the second Trump term.
We should note, of course, that President Trump and his campaign deny that Project 2025 is the blueprint for a second Trump term.
Although Dana Bash, we should note, and Abby Phillip, there certainly are a lot of Trump people, involved in the construction of Project 2025, and Mr. Trump has said very positive things about that project.
[21:05:00]
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And never mind that. If you just look at some of the specifics that they were talking about, eliminating the Department of Education, that's something that Donald Trump talks about on the stump. He's completely OK with that.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I mean, I think that it's fair to say Project 2025 is outside of the Trump campaign. But it's also the truth that this is the -- basically the skeleton of what a Trump transition would look like, the personnel, the ideas. Maybe it won't be all of it. But it's in there.
And I think that the Democrats have successfully made Project 2025 almost like a household name, at least among their base.
BASH: Absolutely.
PHILLIP: And perhaps among people, who are a little bit more informed, about politics and about current events. That's a problem for Trump and for Republicans, which is why they push back so aggressively, against the idea that it has anything to do with that.
TAPPER: And there was something that you noticed, both of you noticed, about the five real people--
BASH: Yes. TAPPER: --that Kenan was speaking with, so humorously. There was something that four of them had in common, as opposed to the fifth. And that is four of them were women.
And the gender gap, in American politics, has been trending very strongly, for years. But this year, at least according to polls, it is so strong. The women -- the women vote is overwhelmingly for Harris. The male vote overwhelmingly for Trump, though not as much.
BASH: Yes. And there's the gender gap. Then there's the idea that for the last month, the Democratic Party has been rallying around a woman, at the top of the ticket, which is, the only other time they did it, which is in 2016.
And it has been noteworthy to see how they are learning about what to do, and how to confront Donald Trump, as the opponent to a woman, 2016 and now, very different campaigns, very different female candidates.
But they are doing so in trying to put forward male figures, Tim Walz being one of them, Doug Emhoff, last night, who can speak to men, out there, who might not be the sort of testosterone-laden gun-toting kind of guy, who wants to listen to Hulk Hogan, and the kind of players that came out at the RNC, or might want to listen to that.
But also, in addition, understand that it's OK, in 2024, to be a man, comfortable in his own skin, who supports a woman. And that's something that they really are--
PHILLIP: Yes.
BASH: --trying to work on, with male voters, beyond the base.
PHILLIP: It's--
TAPPER: Abby, we were talking about this earlier.
PHILLIP: Yes.
TAPPER: The different definitions of masculinity in 2024.
PHILLIP: Right. Right.
TAPPER: And what we saw at the Trump convention, which was, as you know, somebody, I forget -- forget exactly who said it, testosterone (ph), with Kid Rock, and the ultimate fighting champion guy--
BASH: Well, yes, that guy.
TAPPER: --and Hulk Hogan who--
PHILLIP: Dana White and all--
TAPPER: Yes.
PHILLIP: Yes.
TAPPER: Remember, Hulk Hogan actually ripped off his shirt--
PHILLIP: Yes.
TAPPER: --and he had another shirt underneath, which, I think is not exactly what the rip off the shirt thing is supposed to be. But in any case, I digress.
BASH: When you do it, it's not like that.
PHILLIP: Well, I mean, just on the Hulk Hogan of it all. I mean, look, I will talk about--
TAPPER: Who, by the way, said something racist, the other night.
PHILLIP: Yes, I was just going to say. I mean, just recently, he drunkenly asked a crowd, whether they wanted him to body slam Kamala Harris. So, when we talk about the kind of testosterone that they put on display, at the RNC, that's what it was.
There is a contrast that is going to be on display tonight here. I mean, there are going to be people associated with Planned Parenthood, the Human Rights Campaign, the LGBTQ+ organization. They are going to be putting those people on the stage, to talk about a different version of America.
But for Democrats, it's always this balancing act, between feeding the need for their base, to hear these messages of affirmation, about a sort of Rainbow coalition, if you will, of their party. But they do also have to talk to the people, who maybe they're not comfortable with the Hulk Hogans, but they do want the party to speak to them, right now.
TAPPER: Let's listen in right now. Here is the House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries from New York. If Democrats take back the House, he would be the first Black Speaker of the house ever. Let's listen in.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Good evening, Democrats.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: It's a high honor, and a distinct privilege, as a Brooklynite, New Yorker, and as an American.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: To stand before you today, and unequivocally express my support for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, to be the next President and Vice President of the United States of America.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[21:10:00]
JEFFRIES: Over the last few years, House Democrats have been hard at work. And we could not have asked for a better leader, to partner with, than President Joseph Robinette Biden, who will go down as one of the most consequential presidents of all time.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Last month, President Biden selflessly passed the torch, to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is ready, willing and able to fight for the people.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Kamala Harris is a courageous leader, a compassionate leader, and a commonsense leader, who will deliver real results for everyday Americans.
Kamala Harris is fighting for our freedom. Kamala Harris is fighting for our families. Kamala Harris is fighting for our future. Together, let's make Kamala Harris the 47th President of the United States of America.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: In our great country, when you work hard, and play by the rules, you deserve to earn a living wage. You deserve to have an affordable place to call home. You deserve to educate your children, in a great public school that is free from gun violence.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: And you deserve high-quality, affordable health care, and you deserve the chance to one day retire with grace and with dignity.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: But for far too many people, in our great country, they are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. And, as a result, the American Dream is out of reach.
Here's the thing. Extreme MAGA Republicans don't care about everyday Americans. They only care about themselves.
Our approach, led by Kamala Harris and Coach Walz is very different. We care about you, the American people.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: And we will fight hard to make sure that the American Dream is alive and well in every single community.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Now, the road ahead will not be easy. Which brings me to you know who. Donald Trump is like an old boyfriend, who you broke up with, but he just won't go away.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: 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.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Trump was the mastermind of the GOP tax scam, where 83 percent of the benefits went to the wealthiest 1 percent in America.
Trump failed our country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump is a chaos agent who is focused on himself, not the American people.
Trump tried to destroy our democracy by lying about the election and inciting a violent mob to attack the Capitol.
Trump put three extreme justices on the Supreme Court who destroyed Roe v. Wade.
We broke up with you for a reason.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Donald Trump can spin the block all he wants. But there's no reason for us to ever get back together.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Been there. Done that. We're not going back.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Kamala Harris--
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Kamala Harris and House Democrats will always put people over politics.
Kamala Harris and House Democrats will lower costs and grow the middle-class.
Kamala Harris and House Democrats will fix our broken immigration system and secure the border.
Kamala Harris and House Democrats will strengthen the relationship between the police and the community.
Kamala Harris and House Democrats will continue to combat the climate crisis with the fierce urgency of now.
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Kamala Harris and House Democrats will protect Social Security, protect Medicare, protect Medicaid, protect the Affordable Care Act, protect working families, protect small businesses--
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[21:15:00]
JEFFRIES: --protect the middle-class, protect free enterprise, protect our children, protect our seniors, protect our veterans, protect our unions, protect our DREAMers, and always protect a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: The extreme MAGA Republicans want to divide us. But the Constitution promises equal protection under the law. We are one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Together. Together. (CROWD chanting "USA")
JEFFRIES: Together, let's build a brighter future for our children and our grandchildren.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: In the Old Testament, Book of Psalms, the Scripture tells us that weeping may endure during the long night, but joy will come in the morning.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Here's how we do it. Strategize on Sunday. Meet the moment, on Monday. Take it to him, on Tuesday. Work it out on Wednesday. Thank the Lord, on Thursday. Fight the power on Friday. Set it off on Saturday. Get a few hours of sleep, wake up the next day, and do it all over again, until joy, joy, joy comes in the morning.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Now, there's only 76 days left. There are only 76 days left. We must continue to speak up. We must continue to show up. We must continue to stand up, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans.
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: And when we do, nothing can stop Kamala Harris from becoming the 47th President of the United States of America.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: Nothing can stop House Democrats from taking back the majority.
Nothing can stop the American people from continuing our march toward a more perfect union. Nothing can stop us. We're all the way out.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFRIES: God bless you. God bless Kamala Harris. May God bless the United States of America.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I think, for many people, this may be the first time they have heard Congressman Hakeem Jeffries speak. But certainly, in this room, he has -- he has the room.
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, he has the room, and he made it look affluent. Those, he was layering hip-hop references, hip- hop references. He's a hip-hop fanatic. Everybody knows that. He was wearing sneakers.
Look, Nancy Pelosi stepped aside for him to be able to step forward. Joe Biden stepped aside, for Kamala to be able to step forward. This is a different -- they're putting the party back in Democratic Party. This is a very different feel, because a new generation has taken the seat.
COOPER: And yet, in a moment, we are going to hear from Bill Clinton.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, which is, I--
COOPER: And, by the way, Speaker Pelosi.
AXELROD: 12 years ago, he -- Bill -- we asked Bill Clinton to nominate President Obama, again. And it was people were, why would you have a former President? And he did an incredible job, because he can take complicated issues, and present them in a colloquial way.
And he talked very much about the economy. Then, at another time, when people were troubled, by the economy, we were coming out of an economic crisis, but people weren't feeling it.
It will be interesting to see what he does with his time tonight.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Bill Clinton makes me think about my dad, in Western Kentucky. When I was growing up, out there, my dad and all the other guys, like my dad, blue-collar guys, they loved Bill Clinton. All Clinton guys.
And now, my dad, and every single one of them that I know, all Donald Trump guys.
When I see him, come out here, tonight, and I think about the audience, in this convention, I think the Democratic Party did once have a bunch of people, who Bill Clinton would appeal to. I think they're gone. I think the people who, the labor, the blue-collar labor piece of the Democratic Party, that propelled Bill Clinton in the 90s, has completely and totally migrated over to Donald Trump.
And so, I wonder about the younger audience, and how they view somebody like Bill Clinton, today, because he's not a blue-collar hero to them. They know a lot of other things about him that, frankly, make me wonder how in the world he still makes these kinds of stages, to be honest.
JONES: Well, I see it differently in that. There's something--
COOPER: That's for now.
JONES: There's something about charisma that translates. And you're going to see it, right now. It translates. It translates.
[21:20:00]
COOPER: Let's listen. Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States.
(MUSIC)
BILL CLINTON, 42ND U.S. PRESIDENT: Thank you.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(MUSIC)
CLINTON: Thank you.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Thank you.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Whoa.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Let me ask you something.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: After the last two days, aren't you proud to be a Democrat?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And I am very grateful to the Republicans and Independents that have joined us, have been up here on the stage, and I hope they feel better about it now. Because I've seen all these things that even I have to be reminded of, from time to time, when I get my spirits down.
I love seeing the Obamas here. I love seeing President Biden. (CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And I thought Hillary gave a great speech too.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And I love--
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: But I love seeing all these young leaders. Much of them are coming up after me. And they look better, they sound better, and they will be exciting.
I do want to say one word about President Biden. Remember, he had an improbable turn that made him president. And we were in the middle of a pandemic and an economic crash. He healed our sick, and put the rest of us back to work.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And he strengthens our alliances, for peace and security. He stood up for Ukraine. He's trying desperately to get a ceasefire in the Middle East.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And then he did something that's really hard for a politician to do. He voluntarily gave up political power. And--
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: George Washington knew that, and he did it. And he set the standard for us serving two terms before it was mandatory. It helped his legacy. And it will enhance Joe Biden's legacy. And you--
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And it's a stark contrast to what goes on in the other party.
So, I want to thank him, for his courage, compassion, his class, his service, his sacrifice. (CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Joe Biden.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(CROWD chanting "Thank you, Joe")
CLINTON: Thank you.
(CROWD chanting "Thank you, Joe")
CLINTON: And--
(CROWD chanting "Thank you, Joe")
CLINTON: He kept the faith, and he's infected a lot of the rest of us.
Now let's cut to this chase. I am too old to gild the lily.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: Two days ago, I turned 78, the oldest man in my family in four generations.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And the only personal vanity I want to assert is I'm still younger than Donald Trump.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Last night--
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[21:25:00]
CLINTON: Last night, in what I thought was a very moving series of episodes, we nominated Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And just think about that. Two leaders with all American but still improbable life stories. It can only happen here. Their careers, after all, started in community courtrooms and classrooms, two leaders who spent a lifetime getting the good job done.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Now, one of the things that I've noticed over my increasingly long life, that is a presidential election is unique in several ways.
First of all, it's the greatest job interview for the greatest job in the world.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Secondly, the Constitution says we, the people, get to do the hiring.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And the third thing is that every four years, we get to change the requirements for the job.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: So, here's what I'm thinking. Because I try to apply this in every election.
Will this President take us backward or forward? Will this President give our kids a brighter future? Depends.
Will this president bring us together or tear us apart?
Will the President increase the peace, security and stability and freedom, that we enjoy, and extend it to others, as we can?
We, the people, we have to make a decision about these kind of questions.
And every four years, it's a little different, because the people come at the candidates -- come at the candidates, and they say, as they're saying now: Here are our problems. Solve them. Here are our opportunities. Seize them. Here are our fears. Ease them. Here are our dreams. Help them come true.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: A president can answer that call by saying, I'll do my part, but you have to help me, we have to work together. 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 for the people.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And the other guy, who's proved even more than the first go- around that he's about me, myself and I.
I know which one I like better for our country.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Kamala Harris will work to solve our problems, seize our opportunities, ease our fears, and make sure every single American, however they vote, has a chance to chase their dreams.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: You know, when she was young, she worked at McDonald's, and she greeted every person with that 1,000-watt smile and said, How can I help you? Now she's at the pinnacle of power, and she's still asking, How can I help you?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: I will be--
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[21:30:00]
CLINTON: I'll 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.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Now.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: But we got an election to win.
And remember, we've got a guy that's pretty good at what he does. Donald Trump has been a paragon of consistency. He's still dividing. He's still blaming. He's still belittling other people. He creates chaos, and then he sort of curates it, as if it were precious art. Let me say, not a single day goes by, even though I've been gone for well over 23 years, from the White House, not a day goes by that I don't thank the Lord for the chance I had to serve, and what it meant.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And one of the reasons--
(CROWD chanting "Thank you, Bill")
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Thank you.
(CROWD chanting "Thank you, Bill")
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Well. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: One of the reasons--
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: One of the reasons I loved the job so much, is that in the toughest times, even on the darkest days, if you tried hard enough, there was always something good you could do for somebody else.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Now, some days, that's not easy to do. You've got to deal with all these emergencies, or there's something going on here, there, or yonder.
But Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race who has the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will, and, yes, the sheer joy.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: To get something done.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: I mean, look, what does her opponent do with his voice? He mostly talks about himself, right? So, the next time you hear him, don't count the lies. Count the Is.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Count the Is.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: His vendettas, his vengeance, his complaints, his conspiracies. He's like one of those tenors, opening up, before he walks out on stage, like I did, trying to get his lungs open, by singing, me, me, me, me, me, me.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: When Kamala Harris is president, every day will begin with you, you, you, you.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: So, we got to ask ourselves the questions if we're going to hire a president. Do you want to build a strong economy from the bottom-up, and the middle-out? Or do you want to spend the next four years talking about crowd sizes?
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: You're going to have a hard time believing this. But so help me. I triple-checked it. Since the end of the Cold War, in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: I swear, I checked this three times. Even I couldn't believe it. What's the score? Democrats, 50. Republicans, one.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[21:35:00] CLINTON: I'm glad that we've got a championship-winning coach on our team.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: But even the most limited of us, and what we know about football, or any other sport, knows that if you're got 50, and the other side's got one, you're ahead.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: What about affordable housing? It's a terrible problem in America now. We need more.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And affordable health care. That's why the Democrats put a limit on monthly payments for insulin, and a $2,000 a year out-of- pocket limit, and are trying to cover more drugs by bargaining for prices.
We need more financing for small businesses.
We need still to strengthen our alliances.
I almost croaked in the first debate of this election season, when President Trump said nobody respected America anymore, like they did when he was president.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: Wait, wait. And with a straight face.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: Look, you got to give him. He's a good actor. With its--
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: With a straight face, he cited as evidence of the respect that existed for us when he was there, the presidents of North Korea and Russia.
(LAUGHTER)
(BOOING)
CLINTON: I'd rather have the people who respect us now.
(CHEERING) (APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And one of the things--
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: One of the things is when you send a signal, to the other countries, you want them to know whether they agree with you or not, at least that you're on the level. Here's where you are, and what you believe.
What are they supposed to make to these endless tributes to the late great Hannibal Lecter?
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: I mean, President Obama once gave me the great honor of saying, I was the Explainer-in-Chief. Folks. I've thought and thought about it, and I don't know what to say.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Like Hakeem Jeffries, I too want an America that's more joyful, more inclusive, more future-focused. Just think, what a burden it's been on us, to get up day after day after day after day, buried in meaningless, hot rhetoric, when there's so many opportunities out there, so many problems that need to be solved. I want that.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And that's the America Kamala Harris will lead.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And she's already made her first presidential decision, and she knocked it out of the park, when she asked Governor Tim Walz to be her nominee for vice president.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: As they used to say, when I was a young man, growing up in Arkansas, you do not have to be all broke out with brilliance.
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: You just look at Tim Walz, listen to him, follow his record, as a teacher, as a coach, and the National Guard, as a congressman, where he was the only Democrat -- saved one elected in that district in more than 100 years.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And he stayed a long time.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[21:40:00]
CLINTON: And then he became a great governor. And by all accounts, he was a crack shot, who had the courage, among his rural constituents, to say, we do not need these assault weapons available to people who can kill our kids in school.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: So, armed with her first decision, Kamala Harris confronts an interesting dilemma. We're going to walk out of here feeling pretty good, I think.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: We've got energy. We are happy. We feel like a load's off our shoulders. And we know we're just being asked to fight the same fight that the forces of progress have had to fight for 250 years.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: In the face of stiff and often violent opposition, we have to find a way to go forward together, where we the people, make our union more perfect.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: So that's a good thing. How could we possibly lose?
Kamala Harris has fought for kids her whole life that were left out and left behind. She's taken on gangs trafficking across the border. She's fought to protect the rights of homeowners. She's been our leader in the fight for reproductive freedoms, and we know a majority of the American people are with us on that.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And she's gained an invaluable amount of experience as vice president advancing our values and interests around the world. She's already said she's going to work really hard to make sure that no American working full-time lives in poverty, or has to worry about their children living in poverty.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: She said that we got to make homeownership an achievable dream for everyone, not just the privileged.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: She said that it -- and this meant a lot to me that she would protect everybody's right to vote, whether or not they voted for her, they were citizens, and they deserved the right to vote.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: The other day, her opponent implied that if his people voted one more time, they'd be able to rig it from now on, and they wouldn't have to vote again.
You think they're kidding. But I know a lot of these folks. Most of them are really good people. But some of them think that they are bound to dominate America, politically, economically and socially, and they have to use politics to do it, and they should rig the system.
I don't believe that.
And so here's what I want to tell you. We've seen more than one election slip away from us, when we thought it couldn't happen, when people got distracted by phony issues, or overconfident. This is a brutal, tough business.
I want you to be happy. One of the reasons that president-to-be Harris is doing so well is that we're all so happy.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: But you should never underestimate your adversary. And these people are really good at distracting us, at triggering doubt, at triggering buyers' remorse.
[21:45:00]
As the Obamas said so eloquently, last night, they are human, you know. They're bound to make a mistake now and then. We got to be tough.
And so, as somebody who spends a lot of time in small towns and rural areas, in New York and Arkansas and other places, I want--
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: I urge you to talk to all your neighbors. I urge you to meet people, where they are. I urge you not to demean them, but not to pretend you don't disagree with them, if you do. Treat them with respect just the way you'd like them to treat you.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Ask for their help and then follow our leader, Kamala, and ask them, How can I help you?
We Democrats right now have a lot of hay in the barn. We've got massive achievements, massive advances. But there's still a lot of slips between today and Election Day that we have to navigate.
And so, I want to say this from the bottom of my heart. I have no idea how many or more of these I'll be able to come to. I started in '76 and I've been everyone since.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: But -- no.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: '72. Lord, I'm getting old.
But here's what I want you to know. If you vote for this team, if you can get them elected, and let him bring in this breath of fresh air, you will be proud of it for the rest of your life.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Your children will be proud of it. Your grandchildren will be proud of it.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Take it from a man who once had the honor to be called in this convention, a man from Hope.
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: We need, we need Kamala Harris, the president of joy, to lead us.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: So, I'll be doing my part. You do yours. I'll see you when we're making a real joyful noise when the votes are counted. God bless you.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: And God bless America.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TAPPER: William Jefferson Clinton, the two-term president, the man from Hope, Arkansas, speaking not just to the rally, the convention attendees here, but also speaking to people at home, perhaps some of those more moderate Democrats, Independents, even Republicans, who voted for him in '92 and '96, urging them to vote for Kamala Harris, because of the joy and prosperity she will bring.
And now, of course, they're playing a little Fleetwood Mac, a song that we got a lot of in the 90s.
Dana Bash. It's the second time, the first being Barack Obama, that a U.S. president, a successful two-term Democratic president, urged the Democrats listening, to meet undecided voters, where they are, and to treat them with grace and respect.
BASH: Really, really interesting that that was one of the many messages. But you both -- you and I both went, Oh, when we heard that. Because it is clearly something that the Democratic Party -- those here are obviously the party-faithful -- but that they realize is a blind spot.
TAPPER: And that there are people who need convincing, Abby Phillip, that there are people who need--
PHILLIP: Yes.
TAPPER: --convincing, out there, that this is far from over, even if they're on a sugar-high, right now, here at the convention.
[21:50:00]
PHILLIP: Yes, I mean, conventions are supposed to feel like it's inevitable. But I think the people, who took that stage, the former presidents, former first ladies, they've lived through the alternative, which is not -- which is not what --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE) PHILLIP: Sorry, it's deafening in here. They lived through the alternative, which is that Donald Trump defied all of the expectations.
TAPPER: Here's former speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Let's listen in. I'm sorry.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Hello, California.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: Hello, Maryland.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: Hello, Democrats.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: On January 20th, 2021, with the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we established one of the most successful presidencies of modern times.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: And we quickly proved that Democrats deliver.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: 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.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(CROWD chanting " Thank you, Joe")
PELOSI: And I know that Vice President Harris is ready to take us to new heights.
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: I've known Kamala Harris for decades. Personally, I know her, a person of deep faith, which is reflected in her community care and service. Officially, she is a leader of strength and wisdom and eloquence on policy, most recently demonstrated, fighting for women's right to choose.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: Politically, she is astute and strategic in winning difficult elections, quickly securing the nomination with dignity and grace, and choosing Tim Walz as our Vice President.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: I had the honor of serving with Tim, for 12 years, in the Congress. He united Democrats, Republicans and Independents, to turn a red district, blue.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: He showed courage when he came to Congress, in voting for the Affordable Care Act, meeting the needs of his constituents, despite Republicans' lies and misrepresentation.
When he went home, won the election, he returned to Congress, he fought for our Americans heroes, as the Democratic leader of the Veterans Affairs Committee. Thank you, Tim.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: January 6th was a perilous moment for our democracy. Never before had a President of the United States so brazenly assaulted the bedrock of our democracy, so gleefully embraced political violence, so willfully betrayed his oath of office.
Let us not forget who assaulted democracy, on January 6th. He did.
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: But let us not forget who saved democracy that day. We did.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: And thank God, we had a Democratic House of Representatives, then.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: We returned to the Capitol, that very same night. We insisted on certifying the election results, on the floors of the House and the Senate. And we demonstrated to America, and to the world, that American democracy prevailed.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[21:55:00]
PELOSI: The parable of January 6th reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with its care. And we must choose leaders, who believe in free and fair elections, who respect the peaceful transfer of power.
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: The choice couldn't be clearer. Those leaders are Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: When the sun rose on January 7th, as our national anthem declares, we gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: Now, in this election, we are called upon, to do the same. To stand together. To reject autocracy. To choose democracy. And we will do so by electing a Democratic House, with Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker of the House.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: Electing a Democratic Senate, electing Tim Walz as Vice President of the United States.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: And electing Kamala Harris as The President of the United States. (CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: Onward to victory.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TAPPER: Oprah Winfrey is coming up next.
We're going to squeeze in a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
