DNC 2024 Day 1 live updates: Emotional Joe Biden casts election as choice to 'save democracy'
"I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you," Biden said.
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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Scene inside United Center as Biden speaks
All around the stadium, attendees held up vertical "We love Joe" signs echo the shape of the delegation signposts. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was seen on the convention floor with the sign.
Others held up cards that read, "Thank you Joe."
In their box, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sat with their spouses listening to Biden's speech. Walz was emotional throughout much of the president's remarks.
DNC program over planned time
Monday night's DNC programming was scheduled to wrap over an hour ago, by 11 p.m., as Biden continues his keynote speech.
DNC officials addressed the length, blaming the "raucous applause" for going over the time.
"Because of the raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker, we ultimately skipped elements of our program to ensure we could get to President Biden as quickly as possible so that he could speak directly to the American people," convention officials said in a statement. "We are proud of the electric atmosphere in our convention hall and proud that our convention is showcasing the broad and diverse coalition behind the Harris-Walz ticket throughout the week on and off the stage."
Biden discusses Ukraine, Gaza wars
President Biden, after touting accomplishments at home, turned to his handling of conflicts around the globe.
On Ukraine, Biden praised the strength of Kyiv and of NATO in the face of Russia's aggression.
"Just as no commander in chief should ever bow down to a dictator, the way Trump bows down to Putin, I never have," Biden said. "And I promise you, Kamala Harris will never do it, will never bow down."
Biden also discussed the Israel-Gaza war, saying he is working tirelessly to get his peace plan for the Middle East approved by all sides to bring an end to the conflict and to bring hostages home.
"Those protesters in the street have a point," he said. "A lot of innocent people being killed on both sides."
'Donald Trump is going to find out the power of women in 2024': Biden
Biden brought up reproductive rights as a key election issue this November. He noted that in the Dobbs decision in which the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, the court's majority wrote that women are not without electoral or political power.
"No kidding," Biden said. "MAGA Republicans found out the power of women in 2022. And Donald Trump is going to find out the power of women in 2024. Watch."