and made sure that we all had the right to vote.
We are not going back for the mamas and grandmamas
who marched to make sure that women
could control our own bodies.
We are not going back for the parents
who work from can't see in the morning
until can't see at night.
Not so that they will have a better future,
but so that their children will have a better life.
We are not going back.
When facing an obstacle,
my father has often said to me,
your faith is stronger than your fears.
Tonight, our faith is stronger than our fears.
Faith in the promise of America.
Faith in the American idea,
in the American values that we share.
Faith that we the people can choose a new leader,
a better future for the people.
Faith that as dark as our days and challenges
have sometimes felt,
it's always darkest before the dawn.
We know that we can endure for at night
because joy cometh in the morning.
Morning is coming, morning is coming
and that joy will be led by Kamala Harris.
Thank you so much.
Come on.
Please welcome Mesa Arizona Mayor, John Giles.
Good evening.
I have a confession to make.
a lifelong Republican. So I feel a little out of place tonight, but I feel more at home
here than in today's Republican party. The grand old party has been kidnapped by extremists
and devolved into a cult. The cult of Donald Trump. Trump doesn't know the first thing
about public service. Like a child, he acts purely out of self-interest. We all need
an adult in the White House. And we've seen what happens when we don't have one. Trump
made a lot of lofty promises, unlimited economic growth, American manufacturing reborn, a secure
border. Turns out Donald Trump was all talk. He wanted our votes, but he couldn't deliver
a thing. But these days, my city of Mesa, Arizona is on the move. I'm going to ribbon cuttings
every single week, all because Joe Biden and Kamala Harris reached across the aisle and
they delivered for my conservative community and countless more across the country. My
hero, John McCain, taught us to put country over party. And that's how Vice President
Harrison, Governor Walz, will lead to. I have an urgent message for the majority of Americans
who, like me, are in the political middle. John McCain's Republican party is gone and
we don't know what a damn thing to what's been left behind. So let's turn the page. Let's
put country first. Let's put adults in the room where our country deserves. Thank you.
It's our dream. I have a large family. Being a parent, it's the most important thing in my life.
For decades, Americans have turned to the miracle of IVF treatments. She felt like a
dream come true. The fact that she was able to build a family, that's why I do what I do.
Without IVF, I don't know how this would have been possible. IVF treatment gives many patients
an opportunity to have a family. I love that I get to help people every day become parents.
But a party that pretends to be pro-family wants to put a stop to this. They're attacking
the right to expand and start a family. It's unthinkable. They may never have the family
that they've dreamt of. In the US Senate, Republicans locked a Democratic bill that would
have established protections for in vitro fertilization. Mr. Vance, no. If Republicans
actually cared as much about protecting IVF, this would have been a simple yes vote. Family
means support. To me, family is your whole world. It's the life that you build. IVF made
my family. It made my heart whole. It made my life full. It made my life full. And it
made my life full. And we will always fight for you, for your family, for your freedoms
and for your future. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz honor the freedoms of all families to
make decisions about what is right for them, for this generation and generations to come.
Please welcome Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.
You know, I went to war to protect America's rights and freedoms. So I take it personally
when a five-time draft dodging coward like Donald Trump tries to take away my rights
and freedoms in return, especially when it concerns my daughters. My girls, gamer girl
Abigail and queen of the monkey bars, Miley, are everything to me. But they would never
have been born without access to reproductive care. Because after 10 years of struggling
with infertility, I was only able to have them through the miracle of IVF. But now,
Trump's anti-woman crusade has put other Americans right to have their own families
at risk. Because if they win, Republicans will not stop at banning abortion. They will
come for IVF next. They'll prosecute doctors. They will shame and spy on women. And if
you think that's far fetched, just look up what happened in Alabama last year. So let
me say to every would-be parent, I see you. I'm with you. And together in November, we'll
send a message to old cadet Bonespers. Stay out of our doctor's offices and we'll get
added out of the Oval Office, too. Look, my struggle with infertility was more painful than
any wound I earned on the battlefield. So how dare a convicted felon like Donald Trump treat
women seeking health care like they're the ones breaking the law? How dare J.D. Vance criticized
childless women on cable news, then vote against legislation that would have actually helped
Americans to start families? How dare the GOP endangered the dreams of countless veterans
whose combat wounds prevent them from having kids without IVF punishing our heroes for
their willingness to serve? It's simple. Every American deserves the right to be called mommy
or daddy without being treated like a criminal. Kamala Harris believes that. So let's make
some history and elect her in November. God bless America.
This is my dad, Doug. He was raised in Jersey, moved to L.A. when he was 16. These are his parents,
Arbonne Mike. They think he walks on water. This is what he wore to his bar mitzvah. And here's him
at summer camp. They voted him most athletic, so he says. This is a photo McDonald's used when
he was employee of the month. It hung in our wall for years. My dad is a lawyer, a really good one.
My mom called him the crisis guy because he was everyone's first call.
My parents split when I was in middle school and that wasn't easy. That's not easy for any kid.
But it helped that my parents date friends and we all kept hanging together. We grew closer than ever.
And then he met Kamala, the blind date that would dramatically change all of our lives forever.
It was my senior year of high school. Ellen and I would laugh watching them fall in love, acting like
teenagers. In 2014 Kamala became Mamala. She took over Sunday night dinners and taught Doug how to
actually cook. Our blended family wasn't used to politics or the spotlight, but when Kamala
became senator, we were all excited to step up, especially my dad. Then Kamala became vice president.
It felt like Doug was a bit out of place on Capitol Hill. I thought, what is my goofy dad doing here?
But he embraced it. He left his practice after being a lawyer for 30 years. That was tough.
I was so proud to watch him do it, to stand by her side, an example of true partnership.
I just got married myself and he's inspired me as a new husband.
Anyone who really gets close to him knows he's kind, loving, and fiercely protective.
I mean, just look at this face. This is my dad, the first, second gentleman in the history of this
nation. He's found his voice around the issues that matter to him. You have no choice but to speak up
and speak out. There is an epidemic of hate, including a crisis of anti-Semitism in our country
and around the world. What they are doing on reproductive freedom and freedom in general is
just outrageous. And next, he's going to make history again as the first first gentleman.
I can't wait for everyone to get to know why we all love him. He's the glue that keeps this
family together. We might not look like other families in the White House, but we are ready
to represent all families in America. Please welcome my dad, the second gentleman of the United
States, Doug Emhoff.
Thank you. Thank you, Paul. I guess he didn't want me to give this speech. He just
thank you. Thank you so much. Hello. Thank you.
Hello to my big, beautiful, blended family up there.
I love you so much. Aren't you proud of Cole? Wow.
And a special shout out to my mother. I see you. My mother is the only person in the whole world
who thinks Kamala is the lucky one for marrying me.
And to Kamala who, well, we just saw where she is. She's out on the trail listening to and talking
with voters. Honey, I can't wait for you to come back to Chicago because we're having a great time here.
I love you so much. I'm so proud of how you're stepping up for all of us. But that's who she is.
Wherever she's needed, however she's needed, Kamala rises to the occasion.
And she did it for me and our family. And now that the country needs her,
she's showing you what we already know. She's ready to lead.
She brings both joy and toughness to this task. And she will be a great president we will all be
proud of. Now I'm the son of two Brooklynites, Mike and Barb. They've been together almost 70 years.
My dad worked in the shoe business in Manhattan and he moved our family out to New Jersey.
Where's New Jersey? I see you out there when I was a little kid. In a lot of ways, I had a typical
Jersey suburban childhood. I biked around the neighborhood. I took the bus to Hebrew school
and I rode to Little League practice in the way back of my coach's wood panel station wagon.
And if we did well, we got to have a slurpee after.
In my neighborhood, everyone left their garage door open. Wherever you ended up at dinner time,
that's the family that fed you. Everyone took care of everyone else. And the guys I grew up with
are still my best friends. The group chat is active every day and it's probably blowing up
right now, guys. When my dad had to get a new job, we moved across the country to LA.
Money was tight. Hey, California.
Money was tight. So I worked at McDonald's in high school for some extra cash.
Not only was I employee of the month, but I still have the frame picture, which you just saw,
and there was a ring, golden arches and all.
And then I waited tables, park cars. I was working full time, so I could afford to go to college
part time. And thanks to, thanks to partial scholarships, student loans, and a little help
from my dad, I got myself through law school. And I got my first job as a lawyer,
which is also where I met the guys in my fantasy football league.
And a lot has changed in our lives since the early 90s, but my team name is still Nirvana.
Yes, after the band, I worked hard, and I love being a lawyer.
And by the way, I still get to be part of the profession by teaching students at Georgetown
Law School. I got married, became a dad to Colin Ella. Unfortunately, I went through a divorce,
but I eventually started worrying about how I would make it all work. And that's when something
unexpected happened. In 2013, I walked into a contentious client meeting. We worked through
the issue, and by the end of the meeting, the now happy client offered to set me up on a blind date,
which is how I ended up with Kamala Harris's phone number.
Now, for generations, people have debated when to call the person you're being set up with.
And never in history, as anyone suggested, 8.30 AM.
And yet, that's when I dialed. I got Kamala's voicemail, and I just started rambling.
Hey, it's Doug. I'm on my way to an early meeting. Again, it's Doug. I remember I was trying to
grab the words out of the air and just put them back in my mouth. And for what seemed like far
too many minutes, I hung up. By the way, Kamala saved that voicemail. And she makes me listen
to it on every anniversary. But that message wasn't the only unusual thing about that day.
Now, Kamala, who normally would have been working hard at her office,
I just happened to be waiting at her apartment for a contractor to do some work on her kitchen.
I was eating at my desk, which was not a regular occurrence for a busy lawyer like me,
who appreciated a good business lunch. But that's when she called me back. And we talked for an hour,
and we laughed. Well, you know that laugh? I love that laugh.
And maybe that counted as our first date. Or maybe it was that Saturday night when I picked her up
and told her, buckle up, I'm a really bad driver. Because you can't hide anything from Kamala Harris,
so you might as well own it. And as I got to know her better and just fell in love fast,
I learned what drives Kamala. And it's what you've seen over these past four years,
and especially these past four weeks. She finds joy in pursuing justice.
She stands up to bully. It's just like my parents taught me to. And she likes to see people do well,
but hates when they're treated unfairly. She believes this work requires a basic curiosity
and just how people are doing. Her empathy is her strength.
Over the past decade, Kamala has connected me more deeply to my faith, even though it's not
the same as hers. She comes to synagogue with me for high holiday services, and I go to church
with her for Easter. I get to enjoy her mom's chili rieno recipe every Christmas, and she makes a
mean brisket for Passover. It brings me right back to my grandmother's apartment in Brooklyn,
you know, the one with the plastic covered couches. But Kamala has fought against anti-Semitism in
all forms of hate her whole career. She's the one who encouraged me, a second gentleman,
to take up that fight, which is so personal to me. And those of you who belong to blended
families know that they can be a little complicated. But as soon as our kids started calling her
Mamala, I knew we'd be okay. Ella calls us a three-headed parenting machine. Kamala and Kirsten,
thank you both. Thank you both. For always putting your family and the kids first.
Now, Colin Ella's friends knew that when they come over for Sunday dinner with Mamala,
it was going to be real talk. In between taking cooking instructions, they'd have to answer questions
about what problem they wanted to solve in the world. They learned that you've always got to be
prepared because Kamala is going to prosecute the case.
And in the same breath that Colin Greenley told us that they were engaged,
they asked Kamala to officiate their wedding. And in the same way that she always steps up when it
matters, Kamala puts so much time into those remarks. And she bound them in a book that matched her
dark red dress and then turned that into a gift for the happy couple.
A few days ago, during this incredible time we're going through, there was a brief window
when Kamala was back at home. And I saw her sitting on her favorite chair,
and in the middle of a wild month, I just hope that she was having a quiet moment to herself.
But then I realized she was on the phone. And of course, my mind went to all the potential crises
that the vice president could be dealing with. Was it domestic? Was it foreign? Was it campaign?
I could see she was focused, and all I knew was that it must be something important.
And it turns out it was. Ella had called her. That's Kamala. That's Kamala.
Those kids are horror priorities, and that scene was a perfect map of her heart.
She's always been there for our children, and I know she'll always be there for yours too.
Kamala is a joyful warrior. It's doing for her country what she has always done for the people
that she loves. Her passion will benefit all of us when she's our president.
And here's the thing about joyful warriors. There are still warriors. And Kamala is as tough
as it comes. Just ask the criminals, the global gangsters, and the witnesses before the Senate
Judiciary Committee. She never runs from a fight. And she knows the best way to deal with a
coward is to take him head on, because we all know cowards are weak, and Kamala Harris can smell
weakness. She doesn't tolerate any BS. You've all seen that look, and you know that look I'm talking
about. That look is not just a meme. It reflects our true belief in honest and direct leadership,
and it's also why she will not be distracted by nonsense. Kamala knows that in order to win,
we cannot lose focus. America, in this election, you have to decide who to trust with your family's
future. I trusted Kamala with our family's future. It was the best decision I ever made.
This Thursday will be our 10th wedding anniversary,
which I know, I know it means I'm about to hear that embarrassing voicemail again.
However, that's not all I'll be hearing. That same night, I'll be hearing my wife,
Kamala Harris, accept your nomination for President of the United States.
And with your help, she will lead with joy and toughness, with that laugh and that look,
with compassion and conviction. She'll lead from the belief that wherever we come from,
whatever we look like, we're strongest when we fight for what we believe in,
not just against what we fear. Kamala Harris was exactly the right person for me
at an important moment in my life. And at this moment in our nation's history,
she is exactly the right president. Thank you so much.
Music in you. One dance left. This world has got to flow through. Don't give up.
You've got a reason to live. Can't forget. We only got what we can.
Music in you.
Please welcome former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Thank you, guys.
Okay. You've got a big night in it. Thank you all so much. Thank you so much.
Okay. Hey. Hello, Chicago.
Yeah. All right.
Something, something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn't it?
Yeah. You know, we're feeling it here in this arena, but it's spreading all across this country.
We love a familiar feeling that's been buried too deep for far too long. You know what I'm talking
about? It's the contagious power of hope.
The anticipation, the energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day.
The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division, and hate that have consumed us and
continue pursuing the unfinished promise of this great nation, the dream that our parents
and grandparents fought and died and sacrificed for. America, hope is making a comeback.
But
to be honest, I am realizing that until recently, I have mourned the dimming of that hope.
And maybe you've experienced the same feelings, that deep pit in my stomach,
a palpable sense of dread about the future.
And for me, that mourning has also been mixed with my own personal grief.
The last time I was here in my hometown was to memorialize my mother.
The woman who showed me the meaning of hard work and humility and decency.
The woman who set my moral compass high and showed me the power of my own voice.
Folks,
I still feel heard loss so profoundly. I wasn't even sure if I'd be steady enough to stand before
you tonight. But my heart compelled me to be here because of the sense of duty that I feel to
honor her memory. And to remind us all, not to squander the sacrifices our elders made to give
us a better future. You see, my mom in her steady, quiet way lived out that striving sense of hope
every single day of her life. She believed that all children, all people have value,
that anyone can succeed have given the opportunity. She and my father didn't aspire to be wealthy.
In fact, they were suspicious of folks who took more than they needed. They understood that it wasn't
enough for their kids to thrive if everyone else around us was drowning. So my mother volunteered
at the local school. She always looked out for the other kids on the block. She was glad to do the
thankless, unglamorous work that for generations has strengthened the fabric of this nation.
The belief that if you do unto others, if you love thy neighbor, if you work and scrape and
sacrifice, it will pay off, if not for you, than maybe for your children or your grandchildren.
You see, those values have been passed on through family farms and factory towns,
through tree-lined streets and crowded tenements, through prayer groups and national guard units
and social studies classrooms. Those were the values my mother poured into me until her very
last breath. Kamala Harris and I built our lives on those same foundational values.
Even though our mothers grew up in ocean apart, they shared the same belief in the promise of
this country. That's why her mother moved here from India at 19. It's why she taught Kamala about
justice, about the obligation to lift others up, about our responsibility to give more than we take.
She'd often tell her daughter, don't sit around and complain about things, do something.
So, with that voice in her head, Kamala went out and she worked hard in school, graduating from an HBCU,
earning her law degree at a state school. And then she went on to work for the people,
fighting to hold lawbreakers accountable, strengthening the rule of law, fighting to get
folks better wages, cheaper prescription drugs, a good education, decent healthcare, child care,
elder care, from a middle-class household, Kamala worked her way up to become vice president of the
United States of America. My girl, Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment.
She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency.
And she is one of the most dignified, a tribute to her mother, to my mother, and to your mother too.
The embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country, her story is your story.
It's my story. It's the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life.
Look, Kamala knows, like we do, that regardless of where you come from,
which I look like, who you love, how you worship, or what's in your bank account,
we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life. All of our contributions deserve to be
accepted and valued. Because no one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American. No one.
Kamala has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness,
but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open to others.
She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward.
We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.
If we bankrupt a business, if we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don't get
a second, third, or fourth chance. If things don't go our way, we don't have the luxury of
whining or cheating others to get further ahead. No. We don't get to change the rules so we always
win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we don't expect there to be an escalator waiting
to take us to the top. No. We put our heads down. We get to work. In America, we do something.
And throughout her entire life, that's what we've seen from Kamala Harris, the steel of her spine,
the steadiness of her upbringing, the honesty of her example, and yes, the joy of her laughter
and her light. It couldn't be more obvious. Of the two major candidates in this race,
only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen labor and unwavering commitment
that has always made America great. Now, unfortunately, we know what comes next.
We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. My husband and I sadly
know a little something about this. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try
to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by
the existence of two hard work and highly educated, successful people who happen to be black.
Wait, I want to know, I want to know, who's going to tell him,
who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs?
It's his same old con, doubling down on ugly misogynistic races lives as a substitute for
real ideas and solutions that will actually make people's lives better. Look, because cutting
our health care, taking away our freedom to control our bodies, the freedom to become a mother
through IVF like I did, those things are not going to improve the health outcomes of our wives,
mothers and daughters, shutting down the Department of Education, banning our books,
none of that will prepare our kids for the future, demonizing our children for being who they are
and loving who they love. Look, that doesn't make anybody's life better. Instead, it only makes us
small. And let me tell you this, going small is never the answer. Going small is the opposite
of what we teach our kids. Going small is petty, it's unhealthy, and quite frankly, it's unpresidential.
So why would any of us accept this from anyone seeking our highest office? Why will we normalize
that type of backward leadership? Doing so only demeans and cheapens our politics. It only serves
to further discourage good, big-hearted people from wanting to get involved at all. America,
our parents taught us better than that, and we deserve so much better than that.
That's why we must do everything in our power to elect two of those good, big-hearted people.
There is no other choice than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, no other choice.
But as we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let us not forget the despair we have felt.
Let us not forget what we are up against. Yes, Kamala and Tim are doing great now. We're loving
it. They're packing arenas across the country. Folks are energized. We are feeling good. But
remember, there are still so many people who are desperate for a different outcome,
who are ready to question and criticize every move Kamala makes, who are eager to spread those
lies, who don't want to vote for a woman, who will continue to prioritize building their wealth
over ensuring that everyone has enough. So no matter how good we feel tonight or tomorrow or
the next day, this is going to be an uphill battle. So folks, we cannot be our own worst enemies.
No. Because the minute something goes wrong, the minute a lie takes hold, folks, we cannot
start wringing our hands. We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right.
And we cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect some
like Kamala instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.
Kamala and Tim, they have lived amazing lives. And I am confident that they will lead with
compassion, inclusion, and grace. But they are still only human. They are not perfect.
And like all of us, they will make mistakes. But luckily, y'all, this is not just on them.
Nah, this is up to us, all of us to be the solution that we seek. It's up to all of us
to be the anecdote to the darkness and division. Look, I don't care how you identify politically,
whether you're Democrat, Republican, Independent, or none of the above, this is our time to stand
up for what we know in our hearts is right. To stand up, not just for our basic freedoms,
but for decency and humanity, for basic respect, dignity, and empathy,
for the values at the very foundation of this democracy. It's up to us to remember what Kamala's
mother told her, don't just sit around and complain, do something. So if they lie about her and they
will, we've got to do something. If we see a bad poll, and we will, we've got to put down that
phone and do something. If we start feeling tired, if we start feeling that dread creeping back in,
we've got to pick ourselves up, throw water on our face, and what? We only have two and a half
months, y'all, to get this done. Only 11 weeks to make sure every single person we know is registered
and has a voting plan. So we cannot afford for anyone, anyone, anyone America to sit on their
hands and wait to be called. Don't complain if no one from the campaign has specifically reached
out to you to ask you for your support. There is simply no time for that kind of foolishness.
You know what you need to do. So consider this to be your official ask. Michelle Obama is asking
you, no, I'm telling y'all to do something. Because you all, this election is going to be close.
In some states, just a handful, listen to me, a handful of votes in every precinct could decide
the winner. So we need to vote in numbers that have raced any doubt. We need to overwhelm any
effort to suppress us. Our fate is in our hands. In 77 days, we have the power to turn our country
away from the fear, division, and smallness of the past. We have the power to marry our hope with our
action. We have the power to pay forward the love, sweat, and sacrifice of our mothers and
fathers and all those who came before us. We did it before y'all and we sure can do it again.
Let us work like our lives depend on it. And let us keep moving our country forward
and go higher. Yes, always higher than we've ever gone before as we elect the next president
and vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Thank you all. God bless.
Now, before I go, I have one more job tonight. Yeah, one more job. You all thank you for all
the love, but it is now my honor to introduce somebody who knows a whole lot about hope.
Someone who has spent his life strengthening our democracy, and let me tell you, as someone who
lives with him, he wakes up every day, every day, and thinks about what's best for this country.
Please welcome America's 44th president and the love of my life, Barack Obama.