Hillary Clinton DNC speech, 2024
Date: November 5, 2024  |
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]
Hillary Clinton's speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention
This section provides the text and video of the 2024 Democratic National Convention speech given by former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton on August 19, 2024.
Transcript
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Thank you, my fellow Democrats. Thank you, my fellow Americans. Thank you so much. Thank you all… 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. Something we’ve worked for and dreamed of for a long time. First though, let’s salute President Biden. He has been democracy’s champion at home and abroad. He brought dignity, decency, and confidence back to the White House, and he showed what it means to be a true patriot. Thank you, Joe Biden, for your lifetime of service and leadership. And now we are writing a new chapter in America’s story. You know, my mother Dorothy was born right here in Chicago before women had the right to vote. That changed 104 years ago yesterday. Think about it: Tennessee became the final state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The state legislature was deadlocked until one lawmaker’s mother, a widow who read three newspapers a day, sent a letter—a letter to her son. “No more delays,” she wrote. “Give us the vote.” And since that day, every generation has carried the torch forward. In 1972, a fearless black congresswoman named Shirley Chisholm, she ran for President. And her determination let me and millions of others dream bigger. Not just because of who she was, but because of who she fought for: working parents, poor children, the last, the least, and the lost. 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. 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. 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 healthcare 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. So with faith in each other and joy in our hearts, let’s send Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to the White House. You know, the story of my life and the history of our country is that progress is possible, but not guaranteed. We have to fight for it and never, ever give up. There is always a choice. Do we push forward or pull back, come together as we the people or split into us versus them? That’s the choice we face in this election. Kamala has the character, experience, and vision to lead us forward. I know her heart and her integrity. We both got our start as young lawyers helping children who were abused and neglected. That kind of work changes a person. Those kids stay with you. Kamala carries with her the hopes of every child she protected, every family she helped, every community she served. So as President, she will always have our backs, and she will be a fighter for us. She will fight to lower costs for hardworking families, open the doors wide for good paying jobs. And yes, she will restore abortion rights nationwide. As a prosecutor, Kamala locked up murderers and drug traffickers. She will never rest in defense of our freedom and safety. Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial. And when he woke up, he made his own kind of history—the first person to run for President with 34 felony convictions. But we also know as Vice President, Kamala sat in the situation room and stood for America’s values. I know what it takes, and I can tell you as commander-in-chief, Kamala won’t disrespect our military and our veterans. She reveres our Medal of Honor recipients. She won’t be sending love letters to dictators. She will defend democracy and our Constitution and will protect America from enemies foreign and domestic. Think about it. The Constitution says, the President’s job is to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Those are the words of our founders: “take care.” Just look at the candidates. Kamala cares—cares about kids and families, cares about America. Donald only cares about himself. On her first day in court, Kamala said five words that still guide her: “Kamala Harris, for the people.” That is something that Donald Trump will never understand. So it is no surprise, is it, that he is lying about Kamala’s record, he’s mocking her name and her laugh. Sounds familiar? But we have him on the run now. So no matter what the polls say, we can’t let up. We can’t get driven down crazy conspiracy rabbit holes. We have to fight for the truth. We have to fight for Kamala as she will fight for us. Because you know what? It still takes a village to raise a family, heal a country, and win a campaign. And America needs every one of us, our energy, our talents, our dreams. We’re not just electing a President. We are uplifting our nation. We’re opening the promise of America wide enough for everyone. Together, we’ve put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling. And tonight, tonight’s so close to breaking through once and for all. I want to tell you what I see through all those cracks and why it matters for each and every one of us. What do I see? I see freedom. I see the freedom to make our own decisions about our health, our lives, our loves, our families. The freedom to work with dignity and prosper, to worship as we choose or not. To speak our minds freely and honestly. I see freedom from fear and intimidation, from violence and injustice, from chaos and corruption. I see the freedom to look our children in the eye and say, “In America, you can go as far as your hard work and talent will take you,” and mean it. And you know what? On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th President of the United States. Because my friends, when a barrier falls for one of us, it falls, it falls and clears the way for all of us. So for the next 78 days, we need to work harder than we ever have. We need to beat back the dangers that Trump and his allies pose to the rule of law and our way of life. Don’t get distracted or complacent. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Volunteer. Be proud champions for the truth and for the country that we all love. I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here at this moment, that we were here and that we were with Kamala Harris every step of the way. This is our time, America. This is when we stand up. This is when we break through. The future is here. It’s in our grasp. Let’s go win it.[8] |
” |
| —Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, August 19, 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.
- ↑ Time, "The Full Speech Hillary Clinton Gave at the 2024 Democratic National Convention," August 20, 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
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