From left: Bill Clinton, Stevie Wonder and Oprah Winfrey all brought the DNC crowd to its feet on Wednesday.
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Chip Somodevilla, Saul Loeb, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The NPR network will be reporting live from Chicago all week to bring you Latest news on the Democratic National Convention.
Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention is over. And while the night ended with Tim Walz accepting the party’s vice presidential nomination, there were a few other surprises along the way.
Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance and Stevie Wonder addressed the crowd before performing “Higher Ground”.
Reproductive rights were once again at the center of the night, along with justice and the theme of “joy,” as senior Democrats sought to paint a picture of unity under Kamala Harris and chaos under Donald Trump.
Stay tuned for keynote speeches from the night.
Tim Walz — Governor of Minnesota
As he walked out to a standing ovation and a sea of ”Coach Walz” banners across the arena, Tim Walz gave a personal and relatively brief speech. send to DNC.
He talked about his progressive policies, admiration for Vice President Harris and love for family.
He ended by calling on the crowd to chant: “When we fight, we win!”
Bill Clinton — former president
Former President Bill Clinton thanks President Biden for his service, praises Harris and stressed the importance of the November election.
“Let’s get straight to the point. I’m too old to sugarcoat things,” said Clinton, who just turned 78. “But I’m still younger than Donald Trump,” he added, to thunderous applause.
“In 2024, we have a clear choice:“We the people” versus “Me, myself and I,” Clinton continued. “We the people” is the theme of Wednesday’s convention.
Oprah Winfrey — media owner
Oprah Winfrey, media mogul and influential talk show host, gave a powerful speech in support of the Harris-Walz campaign..
“We are so excited right now, we can’t wait to get out of here and do something, and what we’re going to do is elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States,” she said.
Pete Buttigieg — Secretary of Transportation
Before a cheering crowd, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg focused on the “joy” theme that Harris’ campaign is all about.
“The structure of the kitchen table, the existence of my family, is just one example of something that was truly impossible 25 years ago, when an anxious teenager growing up in Indiana wondered if he would ever find a connection to this world,” he said.
He called for “better politics” and end Trump’s “dark politics.”
Amanda Gorman — poet
In addition to musical and comedy performances from the likes of Stevie Wonder and Kenan Thompson, Amanda Gorman submitted a poem to rouse the audience during Harris’s celebration. In keeping with the night’s liberal theme, Gorman spoke about the “audacity of hope” and the vitality of voting in this election.
Wes Moore — Governor of Maryland
deferment of medical obligations
“I joined the army when I was 17. I was actually too young to sign the papers. I had to ask my mother to sign the papers for me because I didn’t have bone spurs,” he said.
Trump’s deferment of military service in Vietnam is said to be due to bone reasons.
Stevie Wonder — musician
Stevie Wonder was on the show to perform, but also took to the podium to inspire the crowd and preach a message of peace.
“We must choose courage over complacency. It’s time to stand up and vote,” the singer-songwriter said. “Even though our hearts are broken and battered, in addition to prayer, I know the importance of action. And now is the time to understand where we are and what we need to do to win.”
Geoff Duncan — former lieutenant governor of Georgia
Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan joined a group of other Republicans in pledging support for Harris. on Wednesday, calling Trump a fundamental threat to American democracy.
“I am a Republican, but I stand here tonight as an American,” Duncan told the cheering crowd. “An American who cares more about the future of this country than the future of Donald Trump.”
Duncan publicly distanced himself from the Republican Party in 2020 as he rejected Trump’s lies that the election was stolen from him.
Olivia Julianna — content creator
For the first time, hundreds of Social media creators invited to cover the DNC.
Among them is Olivia Julianna, who not only created the content but also spoke at the conference on Wednesday night. She speak All things considered that she doesn’t pretend to be impartial, but instead sees herself as an activist.
“My number one goal is to get people involved in politics, to help them understand how government works,” she said.
Alexis McGill Johnson — President of Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson took the stage after speeches by several leaders of prominent political advocacy groups.including one of her predecessors at Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards.
“We cannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,” she said, detailing the challenges faced by those seeking reproductive care and abortion services in the US.
Olivia Troye — former Trump administration national security official
Olivia Troye, a national security official in the Trump administration, said being part of his White House was “terrifying.”
Troye, a Latino and the child of immigrants, said she is now proud to endorse Harris. because she believes in “protecting our freedom.”
Troye was a homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence but left the White House in August 2020 after seeing the risks Trump’s leadership posed to the country.
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg — parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken hostage by Hamas
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, are emotional as they have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, took the podium called for a ceasefire so the remaining 109 Hamas hostages could return home.
Polin and Goldberg have begun wearing a patch on their chest with the number of days their son has been incarcerated written in marker. Today, the number is: 320.
Goldberg struggled to speak as the crowd chanted “Send them home!”
NPR’s Bruce Grant helped produce this article.
