From left: Bill Clinton, Stevie Wonder and Oprah Winfrey all brought the DNC crowd to their feet on Wednesday.
Chip Somodevilla, Saul Loeb, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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Chip Somodevilla, Saul Loeb, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.
Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention is a wrap. And while the night was capped with Tim Walz accepting the party’s vice presidential nomination, there were a few other twists and turns along the way.
Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance and Stevie Wonder addressed the crowd before performing “Higher Ground.”
Reproductive rights was again a focus of the night, along with justice and the theme of “joy,” as senior Democrats sought to paint a picture of unity under Kamala Harris and chaos with Donald Trump.
Catch up and watch key speeches from the night.
Tim Walz — Minnesota governor
Coming out to standing ovation and a sea of “Coach Walz” banners in the arena, Tim Walz went on to deliver a personal and comparatively short address to the DNC.
He spoke of his progressive policies, his admiration for Vice President Harris and his love for his family.
He ended by rousing the crowd into a chant of, “When we fight, we win!”
Bill Clinton — former president
Former President Bill Clinton thanked President Biden for his service, praised Harris and emphasized the high stakes of the November election.
“Let’s cut to the chase. I am too old to gild the lily,” said Clinton, who recently turned 78. “But I’m still younger than Donald Trump,” he added, to raucous applause.
“In 2024, we have a clear choice: ‘We The People’ versus ‘Me, Myself, and I,'” Clinton continued. “We The People” was the Wednesday theme of the convention.
Oprah Winfrey — media proprietor
Oprah Winfrey, the media mogul and influential talk show host, gave a thunderous speech endorsing the Harris-Walz campaign.
“We’re now so fired up, we can’t wait to leave here and do something, and what we’re gonna do is elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States,” she said.
Pete Buttigieg — transportation secretary
Before a cheering crowd, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg homed in on the theme of “joy” that the Harris campaign has been leaning into.
“The makeup of my kitchen table, the existence of my family is just one example of something that was literally impossible as recently as 25 years ago when an anxious teenager growing up in Indiana wondered if he would ever find belonging in this world,” he said.
He called for “better politics” and an end to Trump’s “politics of darkness.”
Amanda Gorman — poet
In addition to musical and comedic performances by the likes of Stevie Wonder and Kenan Thompson, Amanda Gorman delivered a poem to rouse the audience in celebration of Harris. In tune with the night’s theme of freedom, Gorman spoke of the “audacity of hope” and vitality of voting in this election.
Wes Moore — Maryland governor
“I joined the Army when I was 17. In fact, I was too young to sign the paperwork. I had to ask my mom sign the paperwork for me because I don’t have bone spurs,” he said.
Trump’s Vietnam deferment was purportedly for bone spurs.
Stevie Wonder — musician
Stevie Wonder was on the docket to perform, but also took to the podium to energize the crowd and preach a message of peace.
“We must choose courage over complacency. It is time to get up and go vote,” the singer-songwriter said. “Even though our hearts have been beaten and broken, beyond prayer I know the importance of action. And now is the time to understand where we are and what it will take to win.”
Geoff Duncan — former Georgia lieutenant governor
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan joined a slate of fellow Republicans to pledge their support to Harris on Wednesday, painting Trump as a fundamental threat to American democracy.
“I am a Republican, but tonight I stand here as an American,” Duncan told the cheering crowd. “An American who cares more about the future of this country than the future of Donald Trump.”
Duncan publicly distanced himself from the Republican Party in 2020 when he pushed back on Trump’s lie that the election had been stolen from him.
Olivia Julianna — content creator
For the first time, hundreds of social media creators were invited to cover the DNC.
Among them is Olivia Julianna, who’s not just making content but spoke Wednesday night at the convention. She told All Things Considered that she doesn’t pretend to be unbiased, and instead sees herself as an activist.
“My number one goal is to persuade people to get involved in politics, to help them understand how government works,” she said.
Alexis McGill Johnson — Planned Parenthood president
Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson took the stage following speeches from several leaders of prominent advocacy groups, including one of her Planned Parenthood predecessors, Cecile Richards.
“We cannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,” she said, speaking in detail about the challenges faced by those seeking reproductive care and abortion access in America.
Olivia Troye — former Trump administration national security official
Olivia Troye, a national security official in the Trump administration, said being part of his White House “was terrifying.”
Troye, a Latina and child of immigrants, said she is now proud to support Harris because she believes in “protecting our freedom.”
Troye was a Homeland Security and Counterterrorism adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence but left the White House in August 2020 after seeing what she said were the risks Trump’s leadership posed to the country.
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg — parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin who is held hostage by Hamas
An emotional Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, took to the podium calling for a cease-fire deal so that the 109 remaining Hamas hostages can return home.
Polin and Goldberg have taken to wearing a piece of tape with the number of days their son has been held captive written in marker and placed on their chest. Today it read: 320.
Goldberg struggled to speak as the crowd chanted “Bring them home!”
NPR’s Bruce Grant helped produce this piece.