Please welcome award-winning producer and writer Mindy
Kaling.
Good evening everyone. Hello. Hello and welcome.
Welcome to the third night of the Democratic National Convention.
My name is Mindy Kaling. Thank you.
For those of you who don't know me, I am an incredibly famous Gen Z actress.
Who you might recognize from the office.
Thank you, the Mindy Project.
Or as the woman who courageously outed Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram cooking video.
Yes, you're welcome.
I am so proud to be here supporting my friend.
But the real reason I am here is that deep down, I truly believe that as a woman of color,
and as a single mother of three, it is incredibly important that I be appointed ambassador to Italy.
That's how this works, right? That's like why I'm here.
I've never been. I'm dying to go. Guys, I just really need a break.
I know it's not the priority tonight, but just think about it.
I am actually here because I have known the Vice President for a long time.
And I want to tell you a story about one of the first times I ever met her.
She wasn't Madam Vice President then. She was my senator.
And we were filming a video where she came to my home to cook doses of South Indian dish.
Yes, it's not every day that a senator comes over and I was pretty nervous.
But when she arrived, we immediately hit it off.
We talked about the love we have for our moms who had both passed away from cancer.
Both of our mothers were immigrants from India who came to America
and committed their lives to serving others.
My mother, Swati, became an OB-GYN.
Thank you.
Kamala's mother, Shyamala became a scientist with a PhD
who dedicated her life to trying to find a cure for cancer.
And after speaking to Kamala, it was clear to me that Shyamala had passed down
the same optimism and fearlessness to her daughter.
But the thing I remember the most about the Vice President is that Kamala Harris can cook.
Guys, she was so much better than me.
But she also knew that my family was watching.
So, as she gently corrected my sloppy dose of making,
she was complimenting me every step of the way, making sure that my daughter, Kit,
heard how good of a cook I am.
She had no desire to be seen as better than anyone else.
She just wanted my kid to be impressed with her mom.
And when she finally, and when she finally bit into my dose,
she looked at me and said, hmm, really good.
And then never took another bite again.
Yes, yes, but it is that warmth, that generosity of spirit,
that I know she will bring to the White House as our next President.
Kamala Harris cares deeply about other people.
She will fight to protect our freedoms because those are the values that her mother passed down to her.
But in order to protect those freedoms, Democrats also need to win the House.
So, we have a lot to do, and please welcome to the stage your next speaker of the House, Hakeem Jeffries.
Good evening, Democrats.
It is a high honor and a distinct privilege, as a Brooklynite, New Yorker, and as an American,
to stand before you today and unequivocally express my support for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz
to be the next President and Vice President of the United States of America.
Over the last few years, House Democrats have been hard at work,
and we could not have asked for a better leader to partner with than President Joseph Robinette Biden,
who will go down as one of the most consequential presidents of all time.
Last month, President Biden selflessly passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris,
who is ready, willing, and able to fight for the people.
Kamala Harris is a courageous leader, a compassionate leader,
and a common-sense leader who will deliver real results for everyday Americans.
Kamala Harris is fighting for our freedom. Kamala Harris is fighting for our families.
Kamala Harris is fighting for our future together.
Let's make Kamala Harris the 47th President of the United States of America.
In our great country, when you work hard and play by the rules,
you deserve to earn a living wage.
You deserve to have an affordable place to call home.
You deserve to educate your children in a great public school that is free from gun violence,
and you deserve high quality, affordable health care,
and you deserve the chance to one day retire with grace and with dignity.
But for far too many people in our great country,
they are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck.
And as a result, the American dream is out of reach.
Here's the thing, extreme MAGA Republicans don't care about everyday Americans.
They only care about themselves.
Our approach led by Kamala Harris and Coach Wals is very different.
We care about you, the American people.
And we will fight hard to make sure that the American dream is alive and well
in every single community.
Now the road ahead will not be easy, which brings me to you know who.
Donald Trump is like an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won't go away.
He has spent the last four years spinning the block,
trying to get back into a relationship with the American people.
Bro, we broke up with you for a reason.
Trump was the mastermind of the GOP tax scam where 83% of the benefits went to the wealthiest 1% in America.
Trump failed our country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump is a chaos agent who is focused on himself, not the American people.
Trump tried to destroy our democracy by lying about the election
and inciting a violent mob to attack the Capitol.
Trump put three extreme justices on the Supreme Court who destroyed Roe v. Wade.
We broke up with you for a reason.
Donald Trump can spin the block all he wants, but there's no reason for us to ever get back together.
Been there, done that, we're not going back.
Kamala Harris, Kamala Harris and House Democrats will always put people over politics.
Kamala Harris and House Democrats will lower costs and grow the middle class.
Kamala Harris and House Democrats will fix our broken immigration system and secure the border.
Kamala Harris and House Democrats will strengthen the relationship between the police and the community.
Kamala Harris and House Democrats will continue to combat the climate crisis with the fierce urgency of now.
Kamala Harris and House Democrats will protect Social Security, protect Medicare, protect Medicaid,
protect the Affordable Care Act, protect working families, protect small businesses, protect the middle class,
protect free enterprise, protect our children, protect our seniors, protect our veterans, protect our unions,
protect our dreamers, and always protect a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions.
The extreme mega-republicing wants to divide us, but the Constitution promises equal protection under the law.
We are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Together, together, together, let's build a brighter future for our children and our grandchildren.
In the Old Testament, book of Psalms, the Scripture tells us that weeping may endure during the long night,
but joy will come in the morning.
Here's how we do it.
Stravagize on Sunday.
Meet the moment on Monday.
Take a tour on Tuesday.
Work it out on Wednesday.
Thank the Lord on Thursday.
Fight the power on Friday.
Set it off on Saturday.
Get a few hours of sleep.
Wake up the next day and do it all over again until joy.
Joy.
Joy comes in the morning.
Now, there's only 76 days left.
There are only 76 days left.
We must continue to speak up.
We must continue to show up.
We must continue to stand up, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans.
And when we do, nothing can stop Kamala Harris from becoming the 47th President of the United States of America.
Nothing can stop House Democrats from taking back the majority.
Nothing can stop the American people from continuing our march toward a more perfect union.
Nothing can stop us.
We're all the way up.
God bless you.
God bless Kamala Harris.
May God bless the United States of America.
May God bless the United States of America.
You want to go outside today?
Yeah.
You want to go put your shoes on?
Yes.
Let's go outside.
Ruby is two years old.
I'm starting to think, will she be a lawyer worker like her dad?
I hate to break too, but I'm not a billionaire.
Donald Trump talked a big game about bringing jobs back to America, but it was all talk like Foxconn.
This is the age wonder of the world.
Foxconn, by most estimates, has not even come close to meeting expectations.
This whole project was a scam.
He is not looking out for the residents.
He's looking out for himself.
You know what Trump delivered?
Two trillion dollars in tax cuts focused on his billionaire buddies and big corporations.
Now he got reps as hell.
It makes me angry.
Billionaires don't pay their share of the load, and he wants to do that again.
Trump talked a massive game about infrastructure.
What a joke.
We call it infrastructure wheat.
Infrastructure is the easiest of all.
We're going to get this infrastructure going.
Trump was too incompetent to get it done.
Who's he looking out for?
Not us, not my family.
You know who got it done?
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, biggest infrastructure package in history.
Infrastructure is just a fancy word for jobs.
Not just union workers, but for everyone.
Small businesses are booming.
Communities are starting to thrive again.
I wish it was faster.
The prices are easing.
Kamala Harris helped deliver the largest job growth in American history.
Wages are higher.
Manufacturing is booming.
We're building roads, bridges, airports again.
That's a fact, and we have healthcare.
When our middle class is strong, America is strong.
Kamala's goal is to rebuild the middle class for families like mine.
Please welcome the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Well, let me ask you, sir, after the last two days, aren't you proud to be a Democrat?
And I am very grateful to the Republicans and independents that have joined us, have been
up there on the stage, and I hope they feel better about it now.
Because I've seen all these things that even I have to be reminded of from time to time
when I get my spirits down.
I love seeing the Obama's here, I love seeing President Biden.
I thought Hillary gave a great speech, too, and I love seeing all these young leaders.
Much of them are coming up after me.
They look better, they sound better, and they'll be exciting.
I do want to say one word about President Biden.
Remember, he had an improbable turn that made him president, and we were in the middle
of a pandemic and an economic crash.
He healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work.
He shrinketh our alliances for peace and security, he stood up for Ukraine, trying desperately
to get a ceasefire in the Middle East.
And then he did something that's really hard for a politician to do.
He voluntarily gave up political power, and George Washington knew that, and he did it.
And he set the standard for us serving two terms before it was mandatory.
It helped his legacy, and it will enhance Joe Biden's legacy.
And it's a stark contrast to what goes on in the other party.
So I want to thank him for his courage, compassion, his class, his service, his sacrifice.
Joe Biden, he kept the faith and he's infected a lot of the rest of us.
Now let's cut to this chase.
I am too old to kill the lily.
Two days ago, I turned 78, the oldest man in my family before generation.
And the only personal vanity I want to assert is I'm still younger than Donald Trump.
Last night, last night in what I thought was a very moving series of episodes we nominated,
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
And just think about that.
Two leaders with all American, but still improbable, live stories can only happen here.
Their careers after all started in community courtrooms and classrooms.
Two leaders who spent a lifetime getting the good job done.
Now, one of the things that I've noticed over my increasingly long life is that a presidential
election is unique in several ways.
First of all, it's the greatest job interview for the greatest job in the world.
Finally, the Constitution says we, the people, get to do the hiring.
And the third thing is that every four years we get to change the requirements for the
job.
So here's what I'm thinking, because I try to apply this in every election.
Will this president take us backward or forward?
Will this president give our kids a brighter future?
Depends.
Will this president bring us together our terrorist support?
Will the president increase the peace, security and stability and freedom that we enjoy and
extend it to others as we can?
We the people, we have to make a decision about these kind of questions.
And every four years, it's a little different because the people come up to candidates,
and they say, as they're saying now, here are our problems, solve them.
Here are our opportunities, seize them.
Here are our fears, ease them, here are our dreams, help them come true.
A president can answer that call by saying, I'll do my part, but you have to help me.
We have to work together.
Or you can dodge what needs to be done by dividing, distracting and diverting us.
So in 2024, we got a pretty clear choice, it seems to me.
Kamala Harris for the people.
And the other guy who's proved even more than the first go around that he's about me, myself
and I.
I know which one I like better for our country.
Kamala Harris will work to solve our problems, seize our opportunities, ease our fears and
make sure every single American, however they vote, has a chance to chase their dreams.
When she was young, she worked at McDonald's.
And she greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, how can I help you?
And now she's at the pinnacle of power and she's still asking, how can I help you?
I will be so happy when she actually enters the White House as president because she
will break my record as the president who spent the most time at McDonald's.
But we got an election to win.
And remember, we've got a guy that's pretty good at what he does.
And Donald Trump has been a paragon of consistency.
He's still dividing, he's still blaming, he's still belittling other people.
He creates chaos and then he sort of curates it as if it were precious art.
Let me say, not a single day goes by.
Even though I've been gone for well over 23 years on the White House, not a day goes
by that I don't thank the Lord for the chance I had to serve and what it meant.
One of the reasons I love the job so much is that in the toughest times, even on the
darkest days, if you tried hard enough, there was always something good you could
do for somebody else.
Now, some days that's not easy to do.
You've got to deal with all these emergencies or there's something going on here there,
Yonder.
But Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race who has the vision, the experience,
the temperament, the will, and yes, the sheer joy to get something done.
I mean, what does her opponent do with his voice?
He mostly talks about himself, right?
So the next time you hear him, don't capitalize, count the eyes, count the eyes, his vendettas,
his vengeance, his complaints, his conspiracies.
He's like one of those tenors opening up before he walks out on stage like I did trying
to get his lungs open by saying me, me, me, me, me.
And Kamala Harris, his president, every day, will begin with you, you, you, you.
So, we've got to ask ourselves the questions that we're going to hire a president.
Do you want to build a strong economy from the bottom up in the middle out, or do you
want to spend the next four years talking about crowd size?
You're going to have a hard time believing this, but so help me, I triple checked it.
Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs.
I swear I checked this three times, even I couldn't believe it.
What's the score?
Democrats' 50 Republicans won.
I'm glad that we've got a championship winning coach on our team.
But even the most limited of us in what we know about football, or any other sport,
knows that if you're not 50 and the other side's got one, you're ahead.
What about affordable housing?
I think it's a terrible problem in America now, we need more.
And affordable health care, that's why the Democrats put a limit on monthly payments
for insulin and a $2,000 a year out of pocket limit.
And they're trying to cover more drugs by bargaining for prices.
We need more financing for small businesses.
We need still to strengthen our alliances.
I almost croaked in the first debate of this election season when President Trump said
nobody respected America anymore like they did when he was president.
And with a straight face, look, you've got to give him, he's a good actor, with a straight
face, he cited as evidence of the respect that existed for us when he was there.
The presidents of North Korea and Russia.
I'd rather have the people who respect us now.
And one of the things, when you send a signal to the other countries, you want them to know
whether or they agree with you or not, at least that you're on the level, here's where
you are and what you believe.
What are they supposed to make to these endless tributes to the late, great Hannibal Lecter?
I mean, President Obama once gave me the great honor of saying I was the explainer
in chief, folks, I thought and thought about it and I don't know what to say.
Like I came to Jeffrey's eye too, one in America that's more joyful, more inclusive,
more future focused.
Just think what a burden it's been on us to get up day after day after day after day,
buried in meaningless hot rhetoric when there's so many opportunities out there, so many problems
that need to be solved.
I want that.
And that's the America Kamala Harris believe.
She's already made her first presidential decision and she knocked it out of the park
when she asked Governor Tim Walsh to be her nominee for Vice President.
As they used to say, when I was a young man growing up in Arkansas, you do not have to
be all broke out with brilliance.
You just look at Tim Walsh, listen to him, follow his record as a teacher, as a coach
in the National Guard, as a congressman where he was the only Democrat to save one elected
in that district in more than a hundred years and he stayed a long time and then he became
a great governor.
And by all accounts, he was a crack shot who had the courage among his rural constituents
to say we do not need these assault weapons available to people who can kill our kids
in school.
So armed with her first decision, Kamala Harris confronts an interesting dilemma.
We're going to walk out of here feeling pretty good, I think.
We've got energy, we are happy, we feel like it loads off our shoulders.
And we know we're just being asked to fight the same fight that the forces of progress
have had to fight for 250 years.
From the face of stiff and often violent opposition, we have to find a way to go forward
together, where we the people make our union more perfect.
So that's a good thing.
How could we possibly lose?
Kamala Harris has fought for kids their whole life that were left out and left behind.
She's taken on gangs trafficking across the border.
She's fought to protect the rights of homeowners.
She's been our leader in the fight for reproductive freedoms and we know a majority of the American
people are with us on that.
And she's gained an invaluable amount of experience as Vice President, advancing our values and
interests around the world.
She's already said she's going to work really hard to make sure that no American working
full-time lives in poverty or has to worry about their children living in poverty.
She says that we've got to make home ownership an achievable dream for everyone, not just
the privilege.
She said that it, and this meant a lot to me, that she would protect everybody's right
to vote, whether or not they voted for her.
They were a citizen and they deserved the right to vote.
The other day her opponent implied that it's his feet if people voted one more time, they'd
be able to rig it from now on and they wouldn't have to vote again.
You think they're kidding, but I know a lot of these folks, and most of them are really
good people.
But some of them think that they are bound to dominate America politically, economically,
and socially, and they have to use politics to do it, and they should rig the system.
I don't believe that, and so here's what I want to tell you.
We've seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn't happen,
when people got distracted by phony issues, or over competent.
This is a brutal, tough business.
I want you to be happy.
One of the reasons that President to be Harris is doing so well is that we're all so happy.
But you should never underestimate your adversary, and these people are really good at distracting
us, at triggering doubt, at triggering buyer's remorse.
As the Obama said so eloquently last night, they are human, you know, they're bound to
make a mistake now and then.
We got to be tough.
And so, as somebody who spends a lot of time in small towns and rural areas in New York
and Arkansas and other places, I urge you to talk to all your neighbors.
I urge you to meet people where they are.
I urge you not to demean them, but not to pretend you don't disagree with them if you
do.
Treat them with respect, just the way you'd like them to treat you.
As for their help and then follow our leader, Kamala, and ask them, how can I help you?
We Democrats right now have a lot of hay in the barn.
We've got massive achievements, massive advances, but there's still a lot of slips between
today and election day that we have to navigate.
And so, I want to say this on the bottom of my heart.
I have no idea how many of these I'll be able to come to.
I started in 76, and I've been to everyone since, but no, 72, Lord, I'm going to know.
But here's what I want you to know.
If you vote for this team, if you can get them elected and let them bring in this breath
of fresh air, you'll be proud of it for the rest of your life.
Your children will be proud of it.
Your grandchildren will be proud of it.
Take it from a man who once had the honor to be called in this convention, a man from
hope.
We need Kamala Harris, the President of Joy, to lead us.
So I'll be doing my part.
You do yours.
I'll see you when we're making a real joyful noise when the votes are counted.
God bless you, and God bless America.
God bless you, and God bless you, and God bless you.
God bless you, and God bless you.
God bless you, and God bless you.
God bless you, and God bless you, and God bless you.
And, you guys, I couldn't leave here without giving a shout-out to the amazing delegation
from my home state, Massachusetts.
I love you, Massachusetts.
Everyone is always hating on us, but they just don't get it, go socks, go, Jason Tatum,
Ben Affleck, hang in there, Dunkin' Donuts is the best coffee in the world, okay.
Our next speaker needs no introduction.
She was the first woman to ever serve a speaker of the house.
Yes, you know what's coming.
This woman was doing brat before brat was brat.
The mother of dragons, please welcome Nancy Pelosi.
Hello, California, hello, Marilyn, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello,
hello, Democrats.
On January 20th, 2021, with the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we established
one of the most successful presidencies of modern times.
And we quickly proved that Democrats deliver.
Millions of jobs, stronger infrastructure, and rural broadband, a Biden-child tax credit,
rescuing human pensions, honoring our veterans' bold climate action, lowering the cost of
prescription drugs, all thanks to President Biden's patriotic vision of a fair America
doing so with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you, Joe.
And I know that Vice President Harris is ready to take us to new heights.
I've known Kamala Harris for decades.
Personally, I know her a person of deep faith, which is reflected in her community care and
service.
Officially, she is a leader of strength and wisdom and eloquence on policy, most recently
demonstrated fighting for a woman's right to choose.
Now, politically, she is astute and strategic in winning difficult elections, quickly securing
the nomination with dignity and grace, and choosing Tim Walsh as our Vice President.
I had the honor of serving with Tim for 12 years in the Congress.
He united Democrats, Republicans, and independents to turn a red district blue.
He showed courage when he came to Congress in voting for the Affordable Care Act, meeting
the needs of his constituents, despite Republicans' lives and misrepresentation.
When he went home, won the election, he returned to Congress, he fought for our Americans'
heroes as the Democratic leader of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Thank you, Tim.
January 6 was a perilous moment for our democracy.
Never before had a president of the United States so brazenly assaulted the bedrock of
our democracy, so gleefully embraced political violence, so willfully betrayed his oath of
office.
Let us not forget who assaulted democracy on January 6.
He did.
But let us not forget who saved democracy that day.
We did.
And thank God we had a Democratic House of Representatives then.
We returned to the Capitol that very same night.
We insisted on certifying the election results on the floors of the House and the Senate,
when we demonstrated to America and to the world that American democracy prevailed.
The parable of January 6 reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage
and commitment of those entrusted with its care.
And we must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections who respect the peaceful
transfer of power.
The choice couldn't be clear.
Those leaders are Vice President Harris and Governor Walls.
When the sun rose on January 7 as our national anthem declares, we gave proof through the
night that our flag was still there.
Now in this election we are called upon to do the same, to stand together, to reject
autocracy, to choose democracy, and we will do so by electing a Democratic House with
Hakeem Jeppries as Speaker of the House, electing a Democratic Senate, electing Tim
Walls as Vice President of the United States, and electing Kamala Harris as the President
of the United States, onward to victory.
Please welcome Alexander Hudlin, Jasper Emhoff, and Arden Emhoff.
Kamala Harris is our auntie.
She will be a President who cares for all of us.
She'll lift us up.
In 2016 we celebrated auntie's Senate win.
We saw Trump winning.
I was only nine, but I knew enough to be concerned.
Auntie said, do you know what superheroes do?
They fight back.
And we will too.
She will make time for what matters.
You know, no one is busier than my auntie, but she always makes time for family.
From moments as simple as cooking and sharing a meal, to exchanging stories and jokes,
auntie taught me about being present and what's important.
And I know that's how she'll lead.
She'll treat everyone with respect.
Even as a kid, auntie made me feel that I was seen, that my words are important, that
I am important and loved.
I know she'll value others' perspectives, no matter their age or their background.
Auntie, we love you.
We're so proud of you.
And most importantly, you're a baller.
And as you'd say, let's win this thing.
Let's win this thing.
Please welcome nominee for U.S. Congress in California, Latipah Simon.