Barack and Michelle Obama share the stage in between their speeches at the DNC.
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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.
Night 2 of the Democratic National Convention is a wrap. The program featured more Democratic heavy-hitters (and a couple of Republicans) who sought to promote a message of hope while also sharpening attacks against Donald Trump.
Former president Barack Obama closed out the night, coming after Michelle Obama and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
The cast of speakers hit on reproductive rights, healthcare, family, billionaires, the war in Gaza and the history of the Democratic Party. And there was also the ceremonial roll call — complete with a custom-picked song for every state.
Catch up and watch key speeches from the night.
Barack Obama — former president
The former president entered the stage to chants from the crowd of “Yes We Can,” echoing his original 2008 campaign slogan.
Barack Obama sought to draw a parallel between Vice President Kamala Harris’ story and his own, saying “this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible.”
Obama also picked up a key theme of the first night of the convention, using his speech to pay tribute to President Joe Biden — praising his “empathy and decency” — traits he said the country has needed in the nearly four years since Trump left office. He described Biden as someone history will remember “as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger.”
He contrasted those attributes with Trump who, he said, “has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.”
Michelle Obama — former first lady
Former first lady Michelle Obama received some of the loudest cheers of the night in Chicago as she told the excited crowd, “Hope is making a comeback!”
And in some of her sharpest comments she’s made toward Trump, she called him out for promoting birtherism and other racist comments.
Doug Emhoff — second gentleman
Following an emotional video montage that told the story of the relationship between Doug Emhoff and his wife, Kamala Harris, the Second Gentleman expressed unequivocal support for her campaign and praising the homemade brisket she brings to the Passover Seder.
“Whenever she’s needed, however she’s needed, Kamala rises to the occasion,” Emhoff added, calling her a “joyful warrior,” and praising the way she has stepped up as “Momola” to his two children, Cole and Ella.
Tammy Duckworth — Illinois senator
Combat veteran and senator Tammy Duckworth delivered a rousing speech about the importance of women’s reproductive rights, highlighting her own experience with using IVF to have her two daughters.
“My struggle with infertility was more painful than any wound I earned on the battlefield,” said Duckworth, who lost most of her right leg and her left leg below the knee in Iraq.
“So how dare a convicted felon like Donald Trump treat women seeking healthcare like they’re the ones breaking the law.”
John Giles — Mesa, Arizona mayor
Before Mesa, Ariz. Mayor John Giles addressed the DNC on Tuesday, he had a confession to make.
“I’m a lifelong Republican,” he said. “So I feel a little out of place tonight. But I feel more at home here than in today’s Republican Party.”
Giles is a co-chair of the Arizona chapter of “Republicans for Harris,” a group of Republicans campaigning on behalf of Harris — in part due to their dedication to making sure Trump doesn’t win a second term.
Michelle Lujan Grisham — New Mexico governor
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who previously served as the state’s health secretary before getting elected to Congress, spoke at the DNC on the topic of health care.
“This election is about protecting our democracy and securing our freedoms, including the right to affordable, quality healthcare,” she said.
She called healthcare a personal issue for herself and Harris, who lost her mother to colon cancer.
“And it’s personal to Americans across the country who know what it’s like when someone they love gets sick,” she said.
Bernie Sanders — Vermont senator
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ list of economic policies received a welcome reception from the crowd at United Center, but it was his call for an end to the war in Gaza that received a big response from the audience.
“We must end this horrific war in Gaza,” Sanders said. “Bring home the hostages and demand an immediate cease-fire.”
Chuck Schumer — Senate majority leader
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer offered a bleak picture of what could happen if Democrats don’t turn out in support of Harris in November.
“Friends, we are here to talk about one thing: tomorrow. And building a better tomorrow for all Americans,” Schumer said in remarks that volleyed between maintaining the cheerful tone of the evening and conveying the magnitude of the threat he warned the nation would face under a second Trump presidency.
“This November, we can choose a brighter, a fairer, a freer future, or we can relive the dark night of Trump’s American carnage.”
Stephanie Grisham — former White House press secretary for Donald Trump
Stephanie Grisham, a former Trump White House press secretary, opened by describing herself as not only a Trump supporter, but a “true believer” who spent holidays with the Trump family. That belief shattered, Grisham said, because of what she saw “when the cameras were off.”
“He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth,” she said. Grisham has been speaking out publicly against Trump for several years, after resigning in response to the January 6th attack.
Jack Schlossberg — John F. Kennedy’s grandson
In comparatively brief remarks, Jack Schlossberg said his grandfather was his hero and the torch has now been passed to a new generation.
Schlossberg is the only grandson of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He is also cousin to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but — like others in the Kennedy clan — he has strongly opposed RFK Jr.’s run for office.
Jason Carter — Jimmy Carter’s grandson
Jason Carter told the crowd his grandfather wished he could have been at the convention, and that Harris carries his legacy.
Jimmy Carter remains a popular figure in the Democratic Party, and at 99 years old is the longest living former U.S. president. Though his health has faltered in recent years, leading him into hospice care, Jimmy Carter reportedly told his son that his last goal before dying is to cast his ballot for Harris in November.
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