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

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin chastised former President Donald Trump's economic policies citing what he said were the millions of jobs lost during his term.

Durbin touted the Biden-Harris administration's work to bring back more manufacturing jobs to several parts of the country.

"These investments mean a strong economy, growing public schools and well-funded well-staffed first responders," he said. "These investments mean hope. That's what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are fighting for."

Durbin talked about his parents and how they were helped by a union.

"We worked not just to get by, but to get ahead," he said.

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.