DNC Night 4 speeches from Harris, Whitmer, Sharpton, Kinzinger and more : NPR

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The Democratic National Convention is a wrap. The four-day event culminated in Vice President Kamala Harris accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president — but there were a host of speakers along the way.

Gun violence, race, climate change and, of course, Donald Trump were themes of Night 4, along with “joy” and chants of “we’re not going back,” which have been throughlines of the convention.

On the final night, lawmakers joined celebrities, activists and Harris’ family on the stage to share their vision for the election and beyond.

Catch up and watch key speeches from the night.

Kamala Harris — vice president and Democratic presidential nominee

Video credit: AP

As is tradition, Vice President Harris accepted the Democratic nomination at the end of the night.

“On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America,” she said. “And with this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past.”

Harris was greeted with raucous applause Thursday as she took the stage. She spoke about her family, reproductive rights, the Supreme Court and the Israel-Hamas war.

She ended her remarks with a patriotic message: “I love our country with all my heart. Everywhere I go, everyone I meet, I see a nation that is ready to move forward, ready for the next step in the incredible journey that is America.”

Al Sharpton — civil rights leader

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In remarks that leaned heavily on his background as a reverend, Al Sharpton delivered an impassioned speech on the fourth night of the DNC.

“On one side of this race is Donald Trump, a fellow New Yorker I’ve known for 40 years. Only once — once — in that time did he take a position on racial issues,” Sharpton said.

“He spent a small fortune on full-page ads calling for the execution of five innocent young teenagers,” Sharpton said in reference to the Central Park Five, some of whom joined him on stage.

These were five Black and Brown New York teenagers who were wrongly convicted of rape. Trump took out ads in the newspaper calling to reinstate the death penalty.

Maya Harris — lawyer and Kamala Harris’ sister

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Harris often speaks of her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, as someone who encouraged her and helped inspire her trajectory.

Harris’ younger sister, Maya Harris, one of the vice president’s closest confidants, again mentioned their mother at the DNC. At one point she seemed to be getting emotional at wondering what Gopalan would say at seeing her eldest daughter accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.

“I could just see her smiling saying how proud she is of Kamala,” she said. “And then, without missing a beat, she’d say, ‘That’s enough. You have work to do.'”

Kerry Washington — actress

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Actress Kerry Washington introduced two of Kamala Harris’ great-nieces to set the record straight on how to pronounce their auntie’s name.

“Confusion is understandable,” Washington said on the oft-repeated mispronunciations of the vice president’s name. “Disrespect is not. So tonight, we are going to help everyone get it right.”

Harris’ nieces, Amara and Leela then joined Washington on stage.

“First you say ‘Kama,’ like a comma in a sentence,” Amara said.

“Then you say ‘La,’ like ‘la-la-la-la-la,’” little sister Leela pitched in, repeating the sound like a melody.

“Put it together,” Washington said, “And it’s Kamala!”

Elizabeth Warren — Massachusetts senator

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Before Elizabeth Warren even began her remarks, she was visibly emotional and the crowd met her with a warm reception and long applause.

Both Warren and Harris vied for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Harris dropped out in 2019 and Warren dropped out after a bad showing on Super Tuesday.

During her speech supporting Harris’ 2024 run, Warren drew a contrast between Harris and Trump, who Warren referred to as “the felon.”

She told the crowd that while Trump defrauded Americans, Harris “stepped up” and “enforced the law” during her time as California’s attorney general.

Deb Haaland — interior secretary

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Following a video highlighting rising temperatures and the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (the landmark Biden climate spending bill), Interior Secretary Deb Haaland took the stage.

The first Native American woman to hold the role focused on climate and the environment, arguing that an American president “must lead the world on tackling climate change.” Like others at the convention, Haaland reminded the crowd that the IRA was sent to Biden’s desk because Harris cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

Gretchen Whitmer — Michigan governor

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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer came out to some of the loudest cheers and proceeded to deliver some of the sharpest attacks on Donald Trump.

“Kamala Harris has lived a life like ours, she knows us,” Whitmer told the crowd. “Donald Trump doesn’t know you at all. You think he understands that when your car breaks down you can’t get to work? No. His first word was probably ‘chauffeur.'”

“You think he’s ever had to take items out of the cart before checking out? Hell, you think he’s ever been to a grocery store? That’s what the chauffeur is for.”

Adam Kinzinger — former Republican lawmaker from Illinois

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Turning against his party’s presidential nominee Donald Trump, former Republican representative Adam Kinzinger delivered a prime-time speech supporting Harris.

In taking the stage, Kinzinger acknowledged he was making an “awkward alliance” with Democrats. But he said he was making the alliance in order “to defend truth, defend democracy and decency.”

Kinzinger, the only Republican to speak at the DNC on the final day and who has been a vocal Trump critic over the years, said the former president had “suffocated the soul of the Republican party.”

“Vote for our bedrock values and vote for Kamala Harris,” Kinzinger said. He added that he was making this endorsement despite having policy disagreements with Harris.

Maxwell Frost — Florida representative

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In a passionate speech to the convention, Florida representative Maxwell Frost stressed the stakes of the race, arguing Harris is the candidate to address climate change.

“It’s simple,” he said. “Let’s get to work and elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz — for our planet, for our future, for our present and for our people.”

The 26-year-old is the first member of Generation Z to serve in Congress. Frost was elected in 2022. He has a background in organizing, first getting involved in the gun violence prevention movement after the Sandy Hook mass shooting in 2012 while he was in high school.

Gabby Giffords — former representative from Arizona

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Following joint remarks from the loved ones of shooting victims, gun safety activist Gabby Giffords addressed the DNC crowd to recount her own experiences with gun violence.

“For five years I served in Congress from a swing district. Everybody called me a rising star,” said Giffords, who was joined onstage by her husband, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.

“Then… a man tried to assassinate me.”

Giffords served in the House of Representatives until 2012, after an assassination attempt left her with a severe brain injury. Along with Giffords, 18 other people were shot. Six were killed.

“My friend Kamala will be a great president. She is tough. She has grit,” Giffords said.

“Kamala can beat the gun lobby.”

Mark Kelly — Arizona senator

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Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly warned Americans during his speech that another Trump term would be calamitous for the country’s standing in the world.

Among other things, he criticized Trump’s past remarks on Russia. In particular, he went after Trump’s reluctance to hold Russia accountable for their invasion of Ukraine — as well as his lack of commitment to NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

In comparison, he said Harris “always championed America’s support for NATO.”

NPR’s Bruce Grant helped produce this piece.