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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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'Union yes!' chant breaks out
A chant of "Union yes!" broke out as AFSCME President Lee Saunders took to the podium while joined by other union leaders on the stage.
Sen. Dick Durbin lauds Democrats' policies to help working class Americans
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.
COVID-19 response continues to be talking point
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.
Former Trump supporter Rich Logis says he's 'all in' for Harris
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."