The Most Powerful Moments From the Democratic National Convention

Harris accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination to be its presidential candidate with a powerful speech that encapsulated the energy and hope of the four-day convention.

In the 40-minute address, Harris pointed out how her values and leadership will contrast Trump’s. “I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un who are rooting for Trump. They know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. They know Trump won't hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself,” she said.

She vowed to “never waver in defense of America’s security and ideals. Because, in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand—and where the United States of America belongs.”

Harris also outlined some of her major policies, and when she brought up the Israel-Gaza war, she said she wants to find a way toward peace for both populations. “Let me be clear, I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself,” Harris declared. But, she added, “at the same time what has happened in Gaza in the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.” She said she and Biden were working for a peace deal to bring all the hostages home, so that “Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.”

Listen to her full speech here.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff congratulated his wife following her acceptance speech, and the two shared a loving embrace and kiss.

After praising longtime friend Harris’s background and work ethic, Longoria repurposed a classic Latinx saying, “Sí se puede”—meaning “Yes we can”—to apply to Harris’s campaign. The new slogan? “She se puede.”

“When somebody asks, ‘Is she gonna be the first female president of the United States?’ We’re gonna say, ‘She se puede!’” Longoria said.

The 13-year-old joined her mom for an emotional and stripped-down rendition of Pink’s 2017 hit “What About Us,” which they performed ahead of Harris’s history-making speech.

Ella Emhoff jumped to the top of our unofficial best-dressed list from the DNC with slouchy drop-waist dress by Joe Ando and glossy Mary Janes worn with socks.

She joined Harris’s goddaughter Helena Hudlin and Harris’s niece Meena Harris onstage to voice their support for the nominee.

For the final day, many delegates and attendees donned white attire in support of the women’s suffragette movement.

The beloved talk show host made her return to the political arena on Wednesday, 16 years after she famously—and in a rare move—endorsed Barack Obama for president. This time, dressed in a bipartisan purple suit, she voiced her support for Harris—not because she’s a Democrat, but because it just makes sense.

“So I’m calling on all you independents and all you undecideds,” Oprah said. “You know I’m telling you the truth that values and character matter, most of all, in leadership and in life, and more than anything—you know, this is true—that decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024.

“Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect,” she added.

The country-turned-pop star belted out her 2020 single “Better Than We Found It.”

“When lines of tomorrow are drawn / Can I live with the side that I chose to be on? / Will we sit on our hands, do nothing about it? / Or will we leave this world better than we found it?” she sings in the chorus.

In recent years, Morris has distanced herself from country music, blaming some of the genre’s biggest figures for stoking “culture wars.”

“After the Trump years, people’s biases were on full display,” she told the Los Angeles Times in 2023. “They were proud to be misogynistic and racist and homophobic and transphobic. All these things were being celebrated, and it was weirdly dovetailing with this hypermasculine branch of country music.”

The music legend championed the overall message of hope at the convention, delivering both a speech and a passionate rendition of his 1972 classic “Higher Ground.”

“As we stand between history’s pain and tomorrow's promises, we must choose courage over complacency,” he said. “We must keep on keepin’ on until we truly are a united people of these United States. And then we will reach our high ground.”

Wonder also performed at an inauguration celebration for former President Barack Obama.

The duo capped off the night with an energetic performance of Prince’s 1984 rock anthem “Let’s Go Crazy,” made even more electric with a guitar solo by Ari O’Neal.

Sheila E. endorsed Biden in 2020, and Legend has been a big advocate for both Biden and Harris, having famously performed at their inauguration celebration in 2021. Legend also performed at an inauguration celebration for former President Obama.

“It took Gwen and I years” to conceive, the Minnesota governor told the crowd and viewers. “But we had access to fertility treatments and when our daughter was born, we named her Hope.” Walz held back tears as his spoke, while his wife, son, and daughter became equally emotional watching him. “Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world and I love you,” Walz said, prompting son Gus, with tears in his eyes, to stand and say: “That’s my dad!” The reaction from the 17-year-old, who has a nonverbal learning disorder, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder, went viral on social media soon after.

Listen to Walz’s full speech here.

The Walz kids warmly embraced their dad as they joined him following his moving speech.

Former members of the Mankato West High School football team turned the DNC into an inspiring pep rally on Wednesday, when they took the stage to celebrate their former “Coach Walz” as he formally accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president.

Ben Ingman, one of Walz’s former students, praised the former school teacher and assistant coach for always showing interest in his students and their dreams. “Coach Walz got us excited about what we might achieve together. He believed in us, and he helped us believe in each other. And his leadership stuck.”

“In 2024, we have got a pretty clear choice, it seems to me: Kamala Harris, for the people. And the other guy, who’s proved, even more than the first go-around, that he’s about me, myself and I,” the former president said on Wednesday. “I know which one I like better for our country: Kamala Harris will solve problems, seize opportunities, ease our fears, and make sure every American, however they vote, has a chance to chase their dreams.”

Clinton branded Republican nominee Donald Trump as someone who “mostly talks about himself” and tends to lead with hate rather than goodness.

“Meanwhile, Donald Trump has been a paragon of consistency. He’s still dividing, he’s still blaming, he’s still belittling other people. He creates chaos, and then he sort of curates it as if it were precious art,” he said, adding that in stark contrast, Harris has “the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will—and yes—the sheer joy to get something done.”

Listen to his full speech here.

Pelosi faced the controversy head-on. The former Speaker of the House—who encouraged President Joe Biden to get out of the race last month, in what many say was the final push the president needed—kicked off her speech Wednesday by profusely thanking Biden.

She praised him for his years of service to the country and for all the positive change he effected during his time in the White House. “Thank you, Joe,” Pelosi said after going through Biden’s legislative achievements.

(Her decision to support Biden’s departure has strained her relationship with some in the current administration, while others have applauded her intervention.)

Then, she added, “I know that Vice President Harris is ready to take us to new heights.”

Listen to Pelosi’s full speech here.

The most anticipated moment of the entire Democratic National Convention arrived when Michelle Obama took the stage at the United Center on Tuesday to celebrate the nomination of her friend and political colleague Harris.

“Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it?” the former first lady said, after receiving a long standing ovation from the crowd, which filled the venue. “You know, we’re feeling it here in this arena, but it’s spreading all across this country. We love a familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for far too long. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the contagious power of hope.”

Obama became emotional when she noted that hope was a leading message in husband Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, and said that now, thanks to Harris, “America, hope is making a comeback.”

Michelle Obama also gave a hard critique of Donald Trump—addressing his questionable business dealings, his values, and his racist remarks. “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?” she said, appropriating a line from Trump’s June debate against Biden, to thunderous applause.

Listen to her full speech here.

After her speech, Michelle introduced her husband, Barack Obama.

“And now it is my honor to introduce somebody who knows a whole lot about hope … someone who has spent his life strengthening our democracy … please welcome America’s 44th president and the love of my life, Barack Obama!” she said.

Barack congratulated and embraced his wife as he joined her onstage, and, as he took the mic, joked that he is “the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama.”

“America is ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story,” the 44th president began his speech. “We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.”

While onstage, Barack praised his former vice president and longtime friend Joe Biden for the work Biden has done in the White House, as well as for selflessly stepping down to let Harris shine. He also praised Harris’s long résumé of experience, which undoubtedly makes her the best candidate for the presidency. But what shocked (and delighted) some fans most about Obama’s speech was his bold criticism of Trump.

Among other things, Obama called the Republican nominee a “a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.”

“It’s been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually gotten worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala. The childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd size,” Obama said, holding his hands a few inches apart, causing the crowd to erupt in laughter.

He continued, “It just goes on and on. The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.”

Listen to his full speech here.

2016 Democratic presidential nominee Clinton took the stage Monday to a wave of cheers and applause. “Wow. There’s a lot of energy in this room, just like there is across the country. Something is happening in America—you can feel it,” she began.

Choking up with emotion, Clinton then gave a powerful endorsement of Harris—one that moved attendees to tears and which seemed like a symbolic passing of the torch between Democrats’ most recent female nominees.

“In 1984, I brought my daughter to see Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman nominated for vice president. If we can do this, Gerry said, we can do anything,” Clinton said. “And then there was 2016, when it was the honor of my life to accept our party’s nomination for president. And nearly 66 million Americans voted for a future where there are no ceilings on our dreams. And afterwards, we refused to give up on America. Millions marched. Many ran for office. We kept our eyes on the future. Well, my friends, the future is here.”

In a political moment that will be hard for any millennial ever to forget, Clinton lost the presidential race in 2016 to Republican Donald Trump (despite having earned a larger share of the popular vote), robbing Democrats of the hope of having the United States’ first female president. Clinton retired from electoral politics after the defeat, and now, she was back onstage, again in a race against Trump, but this time to put all her support behind Harris as the Democratic leader.

“I wish my mother and Kamala’s mother could see us. They would say, ‘Keep going,’ surely. And Gerry would say, ‘Keep going.’ Women fighting for reproductive health care are saying, ‘Keep going.’ Families building better lives, parents stretching to afford childcare, young people struggling to pay their rent—they’re all asking us to keep going,” Clinton said.

Listen to her full speech here.