WASHINGTON — Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention is a change of pace for the Democratic party as they look toward the future.
While the first day of the convention largely felt like a tribute to departing President Joe Biden, the second day is a chance for Democrats to pivot to Vice President Kamala Harris, their candidate for the White House in November.
Leading that charge Tuesday will be her husband, Doug Emhoff, as well as Michelle Obama and her husband, former President Barrack Obama.
President Obama's speech is expected to be a key moment for Harris, as it will be the first Black president stumping in support of a possible second. Black voters make up a key part of the Democratic base, and Obama has for over a decade been a popular figure among Black voters — a trait that carried over to his one-time VP Joe Biden, allowing him to secure the 2020 nomination.
When is Obama going to speak at the DNC?
The convention organizers haven't released a definite schedule for the second day of the convention, but the "main programming" block, which runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central Daylight Time, is usually when the biggest speeches happen.
Obama, as the headliner for the night, will likely speak last. Speeches at the DNC tend to be shorter than an hour, so his is likely to start sometime around 9 p.m.
However, the speeches may go long. Day 1 ended up going particularly late because speakers had to stop to let applause in the hall die down, according to organizers.
Will Kamala Harris make an appearance on Day 2 of the DNC?
It's possible Democrats will see Harris again, but it's less likely given her schedule for the day.
Harris made a brief, unannounced appearance at the convention on Monday to thank Biden for his leadership. She later joined him on stage, where the two spoke and hugged.
“Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you’ll continue to do,” she said. “We are forever grateful to you.”
Harris is in Milwaukee for a rally in the swing state of Wisconsin, but plans to return to Chicago late in the evening.
Who spoke on Day 1 of the DNC?
First lady Jill Biden spoke Monday night, alluded to her husband's wrenching decision to leave the race in her remarks minutes before Biden took the stage. She said she fell in love with him all over again "just weeks ago, when I saw him dig deep into his soul and decide to no longer seek reelection and endorse Kamala Harris.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was greeted with prolonged applause, saluted Harris while noting her potential to break the “highest, hardest glass ceiling” to become America’s first female president. Clinton was the Democratic nominee in 2016, but she lost that election to Trump.
The night capped off with a speech from the president.
After 52 years rising to the pinnacle of influence within his party, Biden, 81, received a hero’s welcome for the act of stepping aside for Harris, weeks after many in his party were pressuring him to drop his bid for reelection. One month after an unprecedented mid-campaign switch, the opening night of the convention in Chicago was designed to give a graceful exit to the incumbent president and slingshot Harris toward a faceoff with Republican Donald Trump, whose comeback bid for the White House is viewed by Democrats as an existential threat.
A visibly emotional Biden was greeted by a more than four-minute-long ovation and chants of “Thank you Joe.”
“America, I love you,” he replied.
Speaking clearly and energetically, Biden appeared to relish the chance to defend his record, advocate for his vice president and go on the attack against Trump. His delivery was more reminiscent of the Biden who won in 2020 than the mumbling and sometimes incoherent one-time candidate whose debate performance against Trump in June sparked the downfall of his reelection campaign.
Biden, in his remarks, repeated his 2020 theme that “we’re in a battle for the very soul of America,” and pressed the case for why Harris and her running mate Tim Walz were best prepared to wage it.
“Because of you, we’ve had the most extraordinary four years of progress ever, period,” Biden declared. And then he interjected, “I say ‘we,’ I mean me and Kamala,’” sharing the credit for his most popular successes with the vice president to whom he handed over his political operation.