Bill Clinton DNC speech, 2024
Date: November 5, 2024  |
 Kamala Harris (D) Donald Trump (R) (won) Jill Stein (G) Chase Oliver (L) |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
The Democratic National Convention took place in Chicago, Illinois, from August 19-22, 2024.[1]
The national nominating convention is typically the formal ceremony during which the party selects its nominee and adopts a party platform. The delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state or territory at the convention. Delegates voted to certify a new party platform on August 19, 2024.[2]
In 2024, the Democratic National Committee certified Vice President Kamala Harris (D) as the party's nominee during a virtual roll call vote on August 2, 2024.[3][4][5][6][7]
Bill Clinton speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention
This section provides the text and video of the 2024 Democratic National Convention speech given by Former President Bill Clinton on August 21, 2024.
Transcript
| “ |
Good evening. After the last two days, am I proud to be a Democrat! I’m especially proud of President Biden, who came to office during the pandemic and an economic crash. He healed us and got us back to work. He strengthened our alliances for freedom and security. Perhaps the greatest test of anyone in power is whether they’re willing to relinquish it. George Washington knew that and it enhanced his legacy. The same is now true for Joe Biden. Mr. President, thank you for your courage, compassion, and class; for your service and your sacrifice. You have not only kept the faith—you are spreading the faith. Now, let’s cut to the chase: The stakes are too high and I’m too old to gild the lily. I actually turned 78 two days ago. And I’m still not quite as old as Donald Trump. Last night we nominated Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to be the next president and vice president. Two leaders with improbable, all-American life stories that could only happen here, with careers starting in community courtrooms and classrooms. Two leaders who have spent a lifetime getting the job done. A presidential election is a job interview for the greatest job in the world. What questions will you ask—because you’re doing the hiring. Will a president take us forward or backward? Will she give our kids a brighter future? Will she make us more united or more divided? Will we all feel heard, seen, and valued, regardless of who we voted for? We, the people, are the employers, charged by our Constitution to hire a president to do a job that we get to redefine every four years. In effect, the American people say, “Here are our problems; solve them. Here are our opportunities; seize them. Here are our fears; ease them. Here are our dreams; help us make them come true.” A president can answer that call by leading us to work together—or dodging what needs to be done by dividing, distracting, and deceiving us. In 2024, we have a clear choice: “We the People” versus “me, myself, and I.” I know which one I like better for our country. Kamala Harris will solve problems, seize opportunities, ease our fears, and make sure that every American can chase their dreams. When she was a student, she worked at McDonald’s. She greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, “How can I help you?” And now, at the pinnacle of power, she’s still asking “How can I help you?” I’ll be so happy when she actually enters the White House because, at last, she’ll break my record as the president who has spent the most time at McDonald’s. Meanwhile, Donald Trump—a paragon of consistency—is still dividing, blaming, and belittling. He creates and curates chaos. It’s showmanship, but it’s not leadership. Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for the chance the American people gave me to be one of the 45 people who have held the job. Even on the bad days, you can still make something good happen. Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race with the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will, and—yes—the sheer joy to do that on good and bad days. To be our voice. Now, how does Donald Trump use his voice? Mostly to talk about himself—his vengeance, vendettas, complaints, conspiracies. The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies—count the I’s. He’s like the tenor warming up before the opera: me, me, me, me. Kamala Harris is focused on you. Do you want to build a strong economy from the bottom up and the middle out? Or do you want to spend the next four years talking about crowd sizes? Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs—about 50 million under Democrats, 1 million under Republicans. 50 to 1! Coach Walz will tell ya, if you’re up 50 to 1—you’re winning! Do you want more affordable housing, affordable health care, and affordable child care? Do you want more financing for small businesses? Do you want to strengthen our alliances and stand up for freedom and democracy around the world? Or a tribute to the “late great” Hannibal Lecter? Do you want to save our country and our world from the calamities of climate change? Or obsess on the vital debate between getting eaten by sharks or electrocuted? President Obama once famously called me the Explainer in Chief, but folks—but I can’t even. I want an America that’s more joyful, inclusive, and future-focused. Where we weather the storms and earn the benefits together. That’s the America Kamala Harris will lead. She’s already made her first presidential decision, picking a running mate. And boy, did she knock it out of the park. She called Tim Walz for duty one more time. He’s the real deal with a record—as a coach, as a teacher, as a soldier, as a congressman, and as a great governor—to prove it. And he reminds us of home. Kamala Harris has fought for kids that were left out and left behind. She’s taken on gangs trafficking across the border, and fought to protect the rights of homeowners. She’s been our leader in the fight for reproductive freedom, and advanced America’s interests and values all over the world. She’ll work to make sure that no American working full-time has to live in poverty and that homeownership is an achievable dream, not a privilege. She’ll protect your right to vote, including your right to vote for someone else. For 250 years, the forces of division have tried to halt the march of progress in this beautiful experiment of ours. In the face of stiff, often violent opposition, we have kept hope alive and kept marching forward together. Kamala Harris’s story is the story of an America we all know is possible. Where “We the People” continually strive to make our union more perfect. One where a daughter of the Bay and a son of the Heartland can be the president and vice president. We should not despair about America’s divisions, because we move from happiness to heartbreak, from building and breaking to rebuilding and making. We do the best we can. Until, in God’s good time, there comes a new generation to pick up where we left off. That’s the opportunity we’re given now. To pick an extraordinary woman, clearly up to the job, who’ll bring us together and move us forward. So, talk to your neighbors. Meet people where they are. Don’t demean them. Ask them for their help. And ask them, as Kamala still does, “How can I help you?” We’ve got a lot of hay in the barn—we just need to saddle up and ride with strength through November. If America hires Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, we will never regret it. Take it from the Man from Hope, Kamala Harris is the woman from joy. And we will make a joyful noise on Election Day if you do your part. Thank you. God bless you and God bless America.[8] |
” |
| —Former President Bill Clinton, August 21, 2024[9] | ||
Video
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2024 Democratic National Convention
- See also: Democratic National Convention, 2024
The Democratic National Convention took place in Chicago, Illinois, from August 19-22, 2024.[1]
Click on any of the links below to learn more about the 2020 Democratic National Convention and the Democratic primary process:
2020 Democratic National Convention
- See also: Democratic National Convention, 2020
The Democratic National Committee held its presidential nominating convention the week of August 17, 2020.[10] The convention was originally scheduled to take place July 13-16, 2020.[11] Organizers postponed the event in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Click on any of the links below to learn more about the 2020 Democratic National Convention and the Democratic primary process:
- 2020 Democratic National Convention schedule and speakers
- Joe Biden presidential nomination acceptance speech, 2020
- Democratic National Convention keynote address, 2020
- Democratic presidential nomination, 2020
- Superdelegates and the 2020 Democratic National Convention
- Democratic delegate rules, 2020
- Democratic presidential primary debates, 2020
2016 Democratic National Convention
- See also: Democratic National Convention, 2016
The Democratic National Committee held its presidential nominating convention from July 25-28, 2016, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[12] Hillary Clinton received the party's nomination.
Click on any of the links below to learn more about the 2016 Democratic National Convention:
Recent news
See also
Use the dropdown menu below to navigate Ballotpedia's coverage of noteworthy 2024 Democratic National Convention speeches.
- Democratic presidential nomination
- Democratic National Convention
- Democratic delegate rules
- Prediction markets in the 2024 Democratic presidential primary
- Democratic Party officials on Joe Biden's 2024 presidential election campaign
- What happens if Joe Biden drops out or is replaced as the 2024 Democratic Party presidential nominee
- Withdrawal of Joe Biden from the 2024 presidential election
- State laws and party rules on replacing a presidential nominee
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chicago Sun-Times, "Chicago to host 2024 Democratic National Convention," April 11, 2023
- ↑ Associated Press, "Democrats approve a platform that mentions Biden’s ‘second term’ despite his making way for Harris," August 19, 2024
- ↑ USA Today, "Harris makes history as first Black woman, Asian American presidential nominee," August 2, 2024
- ↑ ABC News, "DNC to nominate Biden and Harris to bypass Ohio ballot issues," May 28, 2024
- ↑ The New York Times, "Democrats Set Aug. 1 for Harris Nomination Vote," July 24, 2024
- ↑ CBS News, "Kamala Harris closer to being nominee as DNC approves early virtual roll call vote," July 24, 2024
- ↑ DNC, "DNC and DNCC Chairs Announce Results of Presidential Nominating Petition Process and Opening of Virtual Roll Call on August 1," July 30, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ NBC Connecticut, "Read and watch: former President Bill Clinton's full speech to the Democratic National Convention," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "2020 DNC in Milwaukee pushed back to week of August 17 in response to coronavirus pandemic," April 2, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "Milwaukee Picked as Site of 2020 Democratic National Convention," March 11, 2019
- ↑ CBS Local, "Philadelphia Hotel Rooms Get The Once Over By DNC Planners," April 27, 2015
