Here are key moments from the first night.
Michelle Obama: ‘Going High is the Only Thing That Works’
Michelle Obama delivered an overwhelming plea for a Biden presidency, beating Trump as president from his depths and urging Americans to rise above division politics.
Wearing a necklace with the spelling “STEM”, the former first lady urged Americans to cast a vote, by mail or in person, for Biden “as our lives depend on it.”
In a speech that largely prevented him from naming the celebrity by name, Obama labeled Trump as the wrong president for the country.
‘He’s had more than enough time to prove he can do the job, but he’s clearly over his head. He can not fulfill this moment, “Obama said with an air of dismissal. ‘He just can not be who we need him for us. It’s what it is. ”
“Going high is the only thing that works,” Obama said in a representation of her trademark, “If they go low, we will go high” mantra of 2016.
The family of George Floyd makes a surprising appearance
The opening night presented a moment of silence for George Floyd, the Black man murdered in May by Minneapolis police, delivered by his brother Philonise. Philonise Floyd praised the nationwide protests against racial injustice as an appropriate tribute to his late brother and set up the names of other Black Americans murdered by Americans.
‘For the names we do not know, the faces we will never see, those who cannot mourn because their murders did not go viral, please join me in a moment of silence to honor George and the many other souls we have lost against hatred and injustice, ”said Philonise Floyd. “And when this moment ends, let’s make sure we never stop saying their names.”
DC Mayor Muriel Boswer introduced Philonise and his brother Rodney while standing on a balcony overlooking the new currency “Black Lives Matter Plaza” – just blocks from the White House.
‘We can not just paint those words behind me, we can not just say those words. We have to live those words, ”Bowser said. “We need to undo the laws and systems that have codified racism for too long.”
Cuomo: The American division made Trump
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his failure to unite the nation.
“Only a strong body can fight the virus. And the American division is weakening it, ”Cuomo said. “Donald Trump did not make the first division. The division made Trump. ”
Cuomo, who increased his national share during the pandemic thanks to his frequent press conferences and aggressive measures to combat the outbreak, said the incompetence of the Trump administration led to his weak virus defense.
“Now we need a leader as good as our people, a leader who appeals to the best in us, not the worst, a leader who can unite, not divide, a leader who can us bring up, do not destroy us, “Cuomo said. “That man is Joe Biden.”
Biden says most cops are good
During a brief panel focusing on police violence, Biden said that ‘most politicians are good. The fact is that the bad ones need to be identified, tracked down and out, period. ”
The message is a stark contrast to the repeated calls from Trump’s camp that Biden is on his way to ‘defend the police’ and from the anti-police forces that have been ringing in protests in cities throughout land. Biden told reporters in July that he did not agree with defending police departments, but that officials were needed to “meet minimum basic standards of decency.”
Biden has called for reform among police and community relations, and asked panelists on the best course to do so. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot stressed the need for economic opportunity in struggling communities, and Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo recommended a nationwide ban on chokeholds.
‘His only existing condition was to trust Donald Trump’
Kristin Urquiza’s father voted for and supported Trump. But she said the answer from Trump’s coronavirus was why her father died.
“His only existing condition was to trust Donald Trump, and for that he paid with his life,” Urquiza said.
Urquiza, who went for a viral blistering obituary condemning the reaction of elected officials’ coronavirus, Trump blew up for his management of the crisis during a brief DNC appearance. She lay in the inequalities in care that affect communities of color. She opposed Trump and Biden, saying Trump had refused to listen to the advice of experts and had exacerbated the pandemic.
Urquiza said her father regretted voting for Trump when he died and dedicated her vote for Biden to him.
“The coronavirus has made it clear that there are two Americans: the America in which Donald Trump lives and the America in which my father died.”
Republicans make scene for Biden
John Kasich, the former governor of Ohio and one of Trump’s primary challengers back in 2016, stood at a literal crossroads when he talked about his choice to vote for Biden, despite being a Republican for many years.
“I am a lifelong Republican, but that attachment holds second place to my responsibility for my country,” he said. ‘That’s why I chose to appear at this convention. In normal times, such a thing would probably never happen. But these are not normal times. ”
Kasich was the first person to run for president and then speaking at the opposition party convention four years later since former senior Joe Lieberman spoke in 2008 on behalf of Republican nominee John McCain.
During his brief speech, Kasich emphasized Biden’s reputation as a moderate Democrat. “I’m sure there are Republicans and Independents who could not imagine crossing over to support a Democrat. They’re afraid that Joe could turn sharply left and leave them behind. I do not believe that, because I know the man’s mate, “he said.
Kasich joined other lifelong Republicans, including former CEO of Hewlett Packard, Meg Whitman, former New York Reporter Susan Molinari and former Gov. New Jersey Christine Whitman, who has been a vocal critic of Trump and supported Kasich during the 2016 GOP primaries.
Cortez Masto: Trump is trying to remove the vote
First Chamber member Catherine Cortez Masto called on Trump for a denigrating vote for mail-in, pointing out how the president himself has applied for two abstentions this year.
Cortez Masto’s home state of Nevada became the subject of Trump’s ridicule when it moved to expand post-in-vote amid the coronavirus pandemic. She blamed Trump for trying to undermine these efforts in court and by cutting postal services.
“My home state took the advice of scientists and medical experts and listened to the people of Nevada to put in place a vote-by-mail system so voters can have many options this fall,” she said. “But Donald Trump is trying to divide us by undermining that right.”
Trump and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy have been sharply criticized for changes to the U.S. Postal Service that they have made as cost-saving measures, but which have led to serious delays. A group of voters submitted a lawsuit Monday against DeJoy and Trump, they accuse of conspiracy to undermine the election by closing postal services.
Former Democratic rivals praise Biden
The Democratic field saw fierce confrontations this election cycle as candidates fought for the nomination. But those conflicts were nowhere to be found at the party’s convention.
A consortium of Biden’s former Democratic rivals jumped into the convention for a montage praising the candidate as the party’s future. Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand and a number of other former candidates spoke about their time on the gruesome campaign track, including their interactions with Biden. They all portrayed Biden as a candidate of strong character who stood out as a friend, despite the stiff competition for the nomination.
Booker took a special moment out of the debate stage: “What struck me was in the commercial moment he put his arm around me and started telling me how good my ideas are,” he said. “And the next thing you know, I feel like he’s giving me a pep talk and literally telling me how important it is, how really important it is that I’m on that stage.”
Andrew Yang was among the candidates to praise Biden, although he had previously expressed disappointment at not being on the speaker list for the convention.
“Joe called me the night I stopped and was extraordinarily gracious and comforting, and he told me I should be proud of myself,” he said. “Said I did myself and my family a real favor and the country a favor.”
Bernie posts policy differences to support Biden
Biden’s largest primary rival, sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Portrayed Trump as an authoritarian threat to the United States and urged his supporters to choose Biden.
“The future of our democracy is at stake. The future of our economy is at stake. The future of our planet is on the horizon, ”Sanders said. “My friends, the price of failure is just too great to imagine.”
In a rare statement of policy details last night, the Vermont Senator noted that he and Biden diverged on how each American would provide health care – the defining issue of the primary campaign. But in a sign of unity, Sanders said Biden’s plan would expand coverage, lower drug prices and enroll more Americans in Medicare.
