- Democrats nominated former Vice President Joe Biden Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Democratic luminaries such as former Secretary of State and Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will speak, along with Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, the first Black, Asian American vice presidential candidate.
- The convention has seen an unexpectedly high number of Republicans endorse Biden with a large portion of screentime for members of the opposition party. The encouragements have raised some doubts about whether the emerging progressive wing of the Democrats, led by Senator Bernie Sanders, will be sidelined.
- Former President Barack Obama, the party’s lion figure, will deliver the final speech on his former Vice President. Obama is expected to address Biden’s decency, a common theme of the convention, along with his policy proposals.
Here are the latest updates:
Wednesday, August 19th
00:34 GMT – Trump criticizes Obama as “so ineffective, so terrible” ahead of DNC speech
Trump said in a press release on Wednesday that Obama’s expected remarks at last night’s DNC were unfounded, citing a “slow” economic recovery after the 2008 crash among other bad policies of his predecessor.
“If I listen to it and then I see the horror he left us, the stupidity of the transactions he made – look what we do, we have our great border wall, we have security,” Trump told the White House. house.
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room in the White House for the third night of the DNC [Tom Brenner/Reuters]
Trump went on to call Obama “so ineffective, so terrible.”
Obama has largely remained silent on Trump’s term, respecting a long-standing norm that living presidents do not criticize each other. He is expected to say that “Trump has not grown to the job because he can not”, among other comments.
00:05 GMT – DNC Viewer Track 2016 numbers
U.S. television ratings for the second night of the DNC fell the same night in 2016, according to Nielsen data, even as Democrats Biden formally nominated.
The event, which was held almost for the first time because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was watched by roughly 19.2 million people on 10 U.S. broadcast and cable television networks, Nielsen said.
That represented a 22 percent drop from the second night of the convention in 2016, when Clinton ran for president.
Former Vice President and Democratic nominee Joe Biden kisses his wife Jill Biden on the forehead at Brandywine High School, where she taught English from 1991 to 1993, following her speech that expanded the nominee’s humanity [Democratic National Convention/Pool via Reuters]
Nielsen’s numbers do not include online viewing options popular with younger audiences.
Tuesday’s television audience dropped by 500,000 from Monday night’s opening night, featuring performances by former First Lady Michelle Obama and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Monday’s audience of 19.7 million was 24 percent up from 2016.
23:38 GMT – Clinton stresses the need to vote
Former Secretary of State Clinton, who challenged Trump in 2016, is expected to call on voters to stand up for Biden during her speech to the DNC.
“For four years, people have said to me, ‘I did not know how dangerous he was.’ “I wish I could go back and do it over.” Or at least, ‘I should have voted.’ “Well, this could not be another election for woulda coulda shoulda. If you vote by mail, ask for your vote now and send it back as soon as you can”, she will say, according to prepared comments released for the event.
Hillary Clinton, accompanied by former President Bill Clinton, right, pauses while talking to staff and supporters at the New Yorker Hotel in New York, Wednesday, November 9, 2016, where she pledged her defeat to Republican Donald Trump after the fierce fighting presidential election [Andrew Harnik/AP Photo]
Clinton was heavily favored to win in 2016 and won the popular vote, but Trump’s victory in several “swinging” states, often by razor-thin margins, claimed his victory in the Electoral College.
“If you personally vote, do it early. Wear a friend and wear a mask. Be a poll worker. Usually, no matter what, vote then. Vote like our lives and existence are on the line, because they are.”
22:23 GMT – Obama delivers harsh criticism of Trump
Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday looks forward to delivering his sharpest criticism of President Donald Trump, after three years of largely maintaining the political norm that presidents do not criticize.
“He has shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the astonishing power of his office to help everyone but himself and his friends; no interest in dealing with it. presidency if anything but one more reality show he can use to get the attention he desires, “Obama will say, according to prepared remarks released prior to the event.
Former President Barack Obama cherishes then-Vice President Joe Biden after presenting him the 2017 Presidential Medal of Freedom in the White House State Dining Room in Washington [Yuri Gripas/Reuters]
Obama’s remarks reflect those of his wife, Michelle, who on Monday night delivered a speech sharply critical of Trump’s behavior and handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying “he is over his head.”
Trump has long criticized the Obama administration as corrupt and incompetent.
Obama will also talk about his relationship with Biden.
“Twelve years ago, when I started looking for a vice president, I did not know I would find a brother,” he was expected to say. “Joe and I came from different places and different generations. But what I soon came to admire about him is his resilience, born of too much struggle; his empathy, born of too much sorrow.”
21:36 GMT – Harris expects to use prosecution skills on Trump
Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, a former California prosecutor who made history as the first Black woman and Asian American on a major U.S. presidential card, is expected to aggressively push the case against Trump’s re-election on November 3 during her speech at the convention.
Harris will likely aim to speak directly to millions of women, young Americans and color voters, constituencies the party needs if Biden defeats Republican Trump.
At our core, @JoeBiden and I share the same values: it all starts with family.https: //t.co/4ReInUXHSJ
– Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 19, 2020
She gained prominence in the Senate for her recent questioning of Trump nominees, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Attorney General Bill Barr.
Harris will certainly continue to criticize Trump’s treatment of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent economic downturn.
She gave an example of her role as Biden’s VP candidate last week, when she claimed that the case against Trump, 74, and Vice President Mike Pence, 61, was “open and close.”
21:15 GMT – What to expect on the third night of the DNC
Democrats will make U.S. history with Kamala Harris as the vice presidential candidate, supported by parties of heavy-hitters such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama.
Clinton, who challenged Trump in 2016 as the first female presidential candidate of the US, is likely to talk about the importance of women voting, as 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of women’s success of the suffrage movement.
Obama is likely to use his key oratory skills to motivate voters to run for Biden, for the sake of his former vice president – and his own legacy.
Read more here.
21:02 GMT – The second night of DNC watched by 18.2 million people
A total of 18.2 million people watched the second night of the virtual Democratic National Convention, according to early Nielsen Media Research.
The U.S. flag is on top of a sign of state name near the stage where Democratic vice presidential candidates are. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Will speak on the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Delaware [Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo]
Tuesday night featured a keynote address delivered by 17 rising stars of the Democratic Party, a call from coast to coast of delegates, speeches by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Colin Powell and John Kerry, and a keynote speech by Joe Biden’s wife, Jill .
Democrats formally nominated Joe Biden for president, more than three decades after his first failed run for the White House.
The total audience dropped by about 500,000 from the first night, Nielsen said.
20:32 GMT – Trump strikes out at Goodyear
US President Donald Trump used his Twitter account to “cancel” Goodyear Tires over a report reported from one of its factories that “banned” Make America Great Again hats and apparel “Thin Blue Line”, which is used to show support for police, according to the president.
DO NOT BUY GOODYEAR TIRES – She announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for much less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats are doing. Two can play the same game, and we need to start playing it now!).
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2020
“DO NOT BUY GOODYEAR TIRES – They Announced A BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get Better Tires For Much Less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats are doing. Two can play the same game, and we need to start playing it now! ), “Trump tweeted, in an apparent reference to” culture annulment, “which liberal activists hold up a call to others to support a person or brand whose behavior they find problematic.
Goodyear published a statement following the publication of “the visual in question was not created or distributed by Goodyear corporate.”
Yesterday, Goodyear became the focus of a conversation that made some misunderstandings about our policies and our business. Goodyear has strongly supported both equality and law enforcement and will continue to do so. pic.twitter.com/oO6jUg2rTR
– Goodyear (@goodyear) August 19, 2020
The company asked for commitment to “abstain from expressions in the workplace in support of political campaign for any candidate or political party, as well as similar forms of plea that fall outside the scope of racial justice and issues of equality”.
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