Biden will also appear in a series of videos throughout the week.
The Democratic National Convention will officially kick off on Monday with a focus on the three major crises the nation is facing ahead of the 2020 elections: the coronavirus pandemic, the continuing economic downturn that is attracting the virus and the national account about racial injustice.
Monday night, with the theme ‘We the People’, will feature a slate of speakers tailored to address each of those three crises, according to a Democratic official involved in convention planning.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Gov. Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, who have both received national attention for leading their states through the COVID-19 crisis, will focus their speeches on overcoming a pandemic that continues for thousands To claim American life every week.
Whitmer, who was taken seriously by women among Joe Biden’s running mates, earlier this week praised the former vice president’s call for mask mandates.
“Today, @JoeBiden called for a national mask mandate. I could not agree more. It would save many lives – and also save the economy,” Whitmer, who introduced a mask mandate in the state of Michigan almost a month ago, tweeted on Thursday.
Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser, whose city became a flashpoint of unrest during protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody, will speak as part of a segment of the program that calls for national claims to racial justice and reform. Bowser publicly clashed with President Donald Trump after peaceful Protestants were forced to leave Lafayette Square to make a start for a photo-op for St. John’s Church in early June. Days later, she gave the name of the street up to Lafayette Square “Black Lives Matter Plaza.”
Biden himself will also appear on Monday in a short video featuring leaders of racial justice, the first of a series of videos that the presumptive Democratic nominee will appear throughout the week that planners say his commitment insisting on engaging real Americans on key issues and contrasting his leadership style with that of Trump.
“At night, we are confronted with the trio of crises facing the country – a pandemic that is out of control, an economy in taters and a society plagued with systemic racism that has plagued our generations. Donald Trump has the “American people failed at all three. Tomorrow night, ‘We the People’ will show what real leadership – that puts American families first – really looks like,” Biden spokesman TJ-Ducklo wrote in a statement to ABC News.
Convention planners also said they plan to mark every day the experiences of Americans all week in speeches, videos of crowddourced and other unconventional methods as they try to pull off an almost completely virtual event that was fundamentally modified by the coronavirus pandemic.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Biden’s former rival for the nomination, and Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond will make remarks during a section of the program focusing on economics, workers and fairness, according to convention planners.
On Sunday, in an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Sanders acknowledged his disagreements with Biden over policies, but expressed his belief that his supporters would eventually support his former rival because they saw the threat posed by Trump represents American democracy.
“Of course there can be agreement,” Sanders told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos. “Many of my supporters are not enthusiastic about Joe Biden. You know why? I ran against Joe Biden. But I think there’s an overwhelming notion that Donald Trump needs to be defeated, Biden needs to be elected, and that day. after he is elected, we will do everything we can to create a government that works for all of us. “
Monday’s speeches culminate in a keynote address by former First Lady Michelle Obama, who has voted for the most part on the sidelines in the 2020 political season, with the exception of the launch of an initiative aimed at voting rights.
Other speakers expected to address the convention on Monday span a broad ideological spectrum and include former Republican presidential candidate and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. and House majority whip Jim Clyburn, DS.C.
Democrats will also vote Monday to approve the party’s platform, a non-binding document that outlines the party’s goals and vision for the next four years.
Biden and his running mate sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Will address the convention of the former state of Delaware of the former vice president on Thursday and Wednesday, respectively.
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