Monday marks Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention and the man who, up until a month ago, was expected to be the party's nominee, will instead lend his support to Vice President Kamala Harris.
President Joe Biden will be Monday's featured speaker at the Democratic National Convention. President Biden's address comes just under a month after he dropped out of the presidential election and endorsed Harris.
The speech is a bittersweet one for President Biden, as he contended for weeks that he would remain in the presidential race even as his support among Democrats eroded.
"The president is looking forward to it," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. "He sees it as an important moment to talk directly, not just to the party, the Democratic Party and delegates, but also, obviously, to the American people."
In addition to President Biden, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton will speak on Monday.
The night's other speakers include:
- UAW President Sean Fain
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Rep. Jamie Raskin
- Rep. Jasmine Crockett
- Rep. Grace Meng
- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
- Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock
- Sen. Chris Coons
Speakers later in the week are expected to include former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former first lady Michelle Obama and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz will deliver the keynote speech Wednesday, and the week will wrap up Thursday with Harris' acceptance speech.
Party platform released
Thousands of Democratic delegates will vote this week on the party's platform, which is a 91-page document that outlines priorities for a potential Harris presidency. The platform has nine sections.
"President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats are running to finish the job. To grow our economy from the middle out and bottom up, not the top down. To reward work, not wealth," the platform reads. To lower costs. To tackle the climate crisis, lower energy costs, and secure energy independence. To protect communities and tackle the scourge of gun violence. To secure the border and fix the broken immigration system. To advance the President’s Unity Agenda. To strengthen American leadership worldwide."
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Although the platform is intended to guide Democrats, it is also one that attempts to contrast the party's policies to those of Republican nominee former President Donald Trump. Trump's name is mentioned nearly 150 times throughout the document.
"Donald Trump has a very different vision — one focused not on opportunity and optimism, but on revenge and retribution; not on the American people, but on himself," the platform reads. "He and his extreme MAGA allies are ripping away our bedrock personal freedoms, dictating what health care decisions women can make, banning books, and telling people who they can love."
Republicans' counterprogramming
As Democrats take the spotlight for the next four days, Republicans are doing what they can to stop Harris' momentum.
On Monday, House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee released a report claiming President Biden engaged in "impeachable conduct" as vice president. Republicans accused President Biden of "engaging in a conspiracy to peddle influence to enrich his family."
“Our impeachment inquiry shows conclusively that Joe Biden abused his public office for the private financial benefit of the Biden family and Biden business associates," said House Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan. "The facts speak for themselves, and Democrats can no longer stretch the truth to cover for President Biden. As Democrats celebrate Joe Biden and crown Kamala Harris as his heir apparent this week, Americans should remember the reality of the Biden-Harris Administration: crime, chaos, and corruption."
The report comes out days after the New York Times reported that President Biden's son Hunter Biden sought assistance from the government for a work project while his father was vice president. The White House told the New York Times that President Biden was unaware his son had reached out to officials on behalf of his company Burisma.
Additionally, Republicans will continue their presidential campaign. Trump and running mate JD Vance will rally supporters in North Carolina on Wednesday.
