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

"I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you," Biden said.

Last Updated: August 19, 2024, 10:08 PM EDT

Democrats kicked off their convention Monday with a who's who of guests who all touted Vice President Kamala Harris' run for the White House.

Several topics came up during the night including the future of reproductive rights and Project 2025.

Harris made a surprise appearance after several Democratic VIPS took the stage, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The main stars of the night were some of the Democrats' longstanding figures including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

But the main spotlight came as President Joe Biden spoke to the cheering crowd, reflecting on his four years as president and his decision to "pass the torch" to Harris.

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Here's how the news is developing:
Aug 19, 2024, 10:08 PM EDT

Crowd chants 'lock him up' during Hillary Clinton speech

The crowd erupted in chants of "lock him up" during Hillary Clinton's speech after she highlighted the history that was made with his 34 felony convictions in New York.

After trying to continue her speech at the start of the chants, Clinton smiled and nodded before carrying on with her remarks.

Trump famously encouraged "lock her up" chants during his 2016 run against Clinton, accusing her of criminal wrongdoing though she never faced a single charge.

Aug 19, 2024, 9:58 PM EDT

Harris family members, friends appear in video to discuss her background

Actor Tony Goldwyn kickstarted a segment about Harris' story, which he said began in a middle-class, tight-knit neighborhood in the East Bay of California.

"These are the experiences that made her the leader she is today," Goldwyn said.

A video then aired featuring testimonials of a young Harris from her sister Maya Harris, her friend Stacey Johnson-Batiste and her mother's friend Lenore Pomerance.

Johnson-Batiste recalled a young Kamala Harris defending her on the playground.

"This one particular day, we had made some clay art and this one boy in our class had taken mine for whatever reason and threw it on the ground and it shattered. So Kamala, being very protective, just jumped in front of me and stood up to him. To me, that shows the kind of person that she has always been, to stand up to the bully and to stand up for the underdog and to stand up for what is right," Johnson-Batiste said.

Aug 19, 2024, 9:47 PM EDT

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez riles up crowd while going after Trump

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez riled up the crowd when she went after Trump while urging voters to make history in electing Harris as president.

"Chicago, we have to help her win, because we know that Donald Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends," she said.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks on Day one of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Aug. 19, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters

"And I, for one, am tired of hearing about how a two-bit union buster thinks of himself as more of a patriot than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out from under the boots of greed trampling on our way of life," she said to rapturous applause.

"The truth is, Don, you cannot love this country if you only fight for the wealthy and big business. To love this country is to fight for its people," she continued.

Ocasio-Cortez briefly mentioned the Israel-Hamas war, saying Harris is "working tirelessly" to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and bring hostages home.

Ocasio-Cortez riled up the crowd when she went after Trump while urging voters to make history in electing Harris as president.
Ocasio-Cortez riled up the crowd when she went after Trump while urging voters to make history in electing Harris as president.

Aug 19, 2024, 9:41 PM EDT

'Trump's a scab': UAW president

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain took the stage and began by thanking President Joe Biden for joining the picket lines during their strikes against the major auto companies last year.

Fain praised Vice President Kamala Harris for her years of supporting the UAW and for fighting for workers' rights.

"It's real simple. Kamala Harris is one of us. She's a fighter for the working class. And Donald Trump is a scab," Fain said to the crowd who chanted "Trump is a scab."

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain praised Vice President Kamala Harris for her years of supporting the UAW and for fighting for workers rights.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain praised Vice President Kamala Harris for her years of supporting the UAW and for fighting for workers rights.

Fain revealed a shirt with that statement along with "Vote Harris" midway through his speech citing Nelly's 2002 song "Hot in Here."

"It's hot in here because you're fired up and you're fed up and the American working class is fired up and fed up," he said.

Fain also called out Trump's rhetoric blaming economic problems on several groups including immigrants and LGTBQ groups.

"Trump is pushing divide and conquer tactics of the rich. It's the oldest trick in the book," he said.

"They do that because they want working-class people to be divided into focus and keep the focus off the one true enemy: corporate greed. The rich think we're stupid, but working class Americans see this for what it is," Fain added.