DNC 2024 Day 1 live updates: Biden lays out choice to 'save democracy' with Harris

Trump's COVID-19 response continues to be a talking point throughout the night.

California Rep. Robert Garcia recounted how, as mayor of Long Beach at the start of the pandemic, he fought for more tests and to make masks more accessible.

"What we needed at that moment was national leadership. But instead, we got Donald Trump," Garcia said. "While schools closed and dead bodies filled morgues, Donald Trump downplayed the virus. He told us to inject bleach into our bodies. He peddled conspiracy theories across the country. We lost hundreds of thousands of Americans, and our economy collapsed."

Among those lost were Garcia's mother and stepfather, who both died from COVID-19 in the summer of 2020, he said.

"I miss them every single day," Garcia said, adding that when Trump and his MAGA extremists "downplayed the horror of the pandemic, it should make us all furious."

In her remarks, Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood said Trump "took the COVID crisis and turned it into a catastrophe."

"We can never let him be our president again," she said.

By contrast, Underwood said Harris and Biden worked to make health care more affordable and that Harris "championed" the so-called Momnibus Act, which Underwood introduced to address maternal mortality disparities in the U.S.

"Because she protects the people who are most vulnerable," Underwood said.

In a video message, former Trump supporter Rich Logis of Florida urged Republicans and Independents against voting for the former president.

"Lying is Trump's toxic superpower. He's ripped apart families, communities, our whole country," Logis said.

"So this is my message to all the Republicans and Independents who are watching -- people like me who voted for and believed in Trump: I made a grave mistake, but it's never too late to change your mind. You don't need to agree with everything you hear tonight to do what is right. We need to be able to trust our leaders. That's why I'm all in for Kamala Harris."

Rep. Lauren Underwood wrapped up her remarks about COVID and health care by praising the work of the Biden-Harris administration.

"Four years ago, it was not safe to hold a convention like this. But tonight, thousands have gathered in this arena in my home state of Illinois to make sure Kamala Harris is the next president of the United States," Underwood said. "We have come so far these past four years and we're not going back."

The crowd immediately erupted in cheers of, "We're not going back!"

The phrase has been a hallmark of Harris' campaign so far, often arising when she is criticizing aspects of Trump's record.

Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota's lieutenant governor, returned to the stage to tout Gov. Tim Walz after he was confirmed as the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Flanagan, who would become the first Indigenous governor if Harris wins the election, talked about her upbringing as a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and how it shaped her values.

"The role of our clan is to ensure that we never leave anyone behind. That's why I am supporting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to be the next president and vice president of the United States," she said.

Flanagan got emotional when she talked about her late brother, who was one of the first Minnesota residents to die from COVID-19 in 2020.

She said former President Donald Trump "was playing games" during his COVID-19 response.

"Our country was brought to the brink by his failure to respond. But the Biden-Harris administration stepped in with quick and decisive action," Flanagan said.