Hillary Clinton Expected to Speak at Democratic National Convention
Plus, the Bidens emerge for Cancer Moonshot initiative and Chelsea Clinton talks to Harper’s Bazaar about her outlook.
Once seeking the nation’s highest office against the same Republican foe, Secretary Hillary Clinton—the 2016 presidential nominee and a former first lady—will be among the high profile speakers at the Democratic National Convention next week in Chicago.
And while an official slate of speakers has not yet been released by the DNC, news outlets CNN and NBC News sources say that Sec. Clinton and President Joe Biden will speak on Monday, former President Barack Obama on Tuesday, former President Bill Clinton and Minnesota Gov. and vice president candidate Tim Walz on Wednesday, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s nominee, on Thursday.
It is also expected that Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be featured prominently.
No one could have conceived of this speaker line up prior to Biden’s poor performance at the debate against former President Donald Trump in June that would begin to unravel his pursuit for a second term. Nor could anyone have imagined that Trump in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention last month would walk away from an attempted assassination with a bullet-grazed ear. The violence and, yet, flawlessly executed Republican convention put into motion a swift top-of-the-ticket change for Democrats that has sparked a new found energy in the party that has rallied around Harris.
The Democratic National Convention will take place from Aug. 19 to 22 and draw Democrats from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Primetime convention programming will air live from the United Center in Chicago from 6:30-11 p.m. Eastern/5:30-10 p.m. Central on Monday and 7-11 p.m. Eastern/6-10 p.m. Central on Tuesday through Thursday.
Sitting and former first ladies have been known to speak at past conventions, and in 2024, the country will witness the party’s largest gathering where presidential spouses are expected to once again take the stage.
This very well could be another opportunity for Secretary Clinton to talk about Harris potentially breaking the glass ceiling, says Nancy Kegan Smith, president of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education and co-author of Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women.
Smith also wouldn’t be surprised if Sec. Clinton spoke to Harris’ competence and experience as attorney general for California, a U.S. senator and first female vice president. And because Sec. Clinton focuses on substantive issues, Smith expects she may talk about aspects of Harris’ platform that she personally feels strongly about—abortion, education and diversity.
Hillary also may speak about “the feeling of the country is not one of wanting to go backwards and rather to move forward,” Smith says.
It also wouldn’t be surprising, Smith says, if Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke at the convention like the spouses of past nominees, showing his supportive roll for his wife.
“[Doug Emhoff may] show the full dimension of Kamala and talk about how proud he is of her being a loving mother to his children,” Smith says.
For the first time, the convention will host a Creator Platform directly on the convention floor, giving content creators a front row seat to history. The Creator Platform will operate similar to network television platforms, carving out designated space for creators to capture full views of the convention hall.
“As the media landscape continues evolving, we’re building a convention that meets Americans where they are by giving content creators a front row seat to history,” said Alex Hornbrook, DNCC Executive Director in a news release. “The energy and enthusiasm inside of our convention hall will be electric, and by granting content creators access to capture the convention experience up close, we’re going to harness that energy, bring it out to the American people, and turn it back into momentum for the Harris-Walz ticket.”
The media and information landscape has transformed since the last in-person convention, and as part of Democrats’ work to reach the American people where they are, the convention team has credentialed more than 200 creators to cover the convention, which includes virtual credentials for East Wing Magazine.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention arena is making history in other ways. For the first time in convention history, an ADA-compliant ramp has been built to provide direct access to the convention floor. This custom, first-of-its-kind ramp at the United Center will ensure that delegates, media, volunteers, and guests who require accommodations are able to access the convention floor, ensuring that everyone can experience this convention in full, according to a DNC news release.
The official live stream of the 2024 Democratic National Convention will be available at DemConvention.com. In addition to the DemConvention.com livestream and traditional broadcasts, the DNCC is working with streaming partners to broadcast and house convention content on a range of platforms, to bring the full broadcast live and on-demand to Americans all across the country.
The full list of platforms is as follows:
Computer + Tablet + Mobile Device
Amazon Prime Video
TV Device Apps (search for “Democratic National Convention” or “2024 DNC”)
AppleTV
RokuTV
FireTV
TV Providers
Comcast Xfinity X1
Comcast Xfinity Flex
DIRECTV via Satellite
DIRECTV satellite-free and DIRECTV STREAM
U-verse TV
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