DNC Day 2 Takeaways: An Appeal From the Obamas, Lil Jon Joins Roll Call and More

The second night of the Democratic National Convention wrapped up with back-to-back barnburners from the Obamas, who both addressed excited attendees — but also the nation —in a pair of powerful speeches that had the crowd at Chicago’s United Center on their feet.

Before the keynotes, the delegates of the Democratic Party excitedly cast their votes for the ceremonial roll call on Tuesday, complete with a full DJ set that set the normally dull piece of political machinery to songs specific to each state. Even the Atlanta rapper Lil Jon made an appearance to rally the Georgia delegation.

Though Vice President Kamala Harris was not at the convention on Day 2 — she was hosting a rally a state away, in Wisconsin — the nominee continued to build on the Democrats’ big tent as marquee names took the stage to endorse her as the party’s nominee.

Here are four of the biggest takeaways of the night:

Trump vs. Future

Democrats continued to try to thread the needle of attacking former President Donald Trump, who has tormented the party over the last nine years, and moving forward as a party focused on the future.

Almost every speaker on Tuesday’s stage touched on Trump while trying to position Harris as the face of a new America—one that leaves Trump in the past.

Even Michelle Obama, who famously said “When they go low, we go high” at the 2016 convention, tweaked her famous catchphrase to: “When they go low, we call it out.”

While attacking Trump for “failing forward,” the former first lady told the crowd: “Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment. She is one of most qualified people ever to seek office of presidency.”

“Kamala has shown alligence to this nation not by spewing anger but by living life of service, pushing doors of opportunity to others,” she said. “Most will never be given grace of falling forward, benefiting from affirmative action of generational wealth. If we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don’t get 2nd, 3rd, 4th chance.”

A Focus on Republican Defectors

Tuesday’s programming featured several prominent Republicans, and even a top ex-Trump official, who all showed up in Chicago to back Harris’ presidential bid.

Republican political commentator Ana Navarro served as the celebrity host of the convention’s second day. In a passionate speech, Navarro, a vocal Trump critic, compared the former president to dictators of Central America, likening him to Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, Cuba’s Castro brothers and Argentina’s Nicolás Maduro.

Also in attendance was former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, who slammed her former boss on the stage, and John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona.

“Unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie,” Grisham said of Trump. “Now here I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat, and that’s because I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people, and she has my vote.”

Giles began his speech by “confessing” that he is a lifelong Republican, but to cheers, he announced that, “I feel more at home here than in today’s Republican Party,” which he said had become “The cult of Donald Trump.”

Other Republicans, including former Representative Adam Kinzinger, former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan and former Trump aide Olivia Troye, are also expected to take the stage later this week.

The ‘Big Tent’ Party

Democrats have long been known as the “big tent” party, home to everyone from leftists like AOC to centrists like the Clintons. On Tuesday, she garnered vocal support from some of the most influential voices on the left: Senator Bernie Sanders and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

In a speech focused on the working class, Sanders spoke about raising the minimum wage, taxing the rich, expanding Medicaid and increasing Social Security benefits.

The Vermont Independent also joined other progressives who have already called for a ceasefire in Gaza from the convention stage, finishing his remarks by insisting that the U.S. help “end this horrific war in Gaza, bring home the hostages, and demand an immediate ceasefire.”

Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune turned hero of the left, poked fun at Trump’s wealth during his remarks, telling the crowd to “take it from an actual billionaire,” before declaring that “Trump is only rich in one thing—stupidity.”

Harris also rallied the backing of the party’s two biggest voices: Barack and Michelle Obama, who both delivered powerful speeches endorsing the vice president.

Democrats Set On Their Winning Issue

Democrats learned just how much of a winning issue reproductive rights are for the party in the 2022 midterms, and now, they’re intent on making it their top plank for November’s election.

Tuesday’s programming heavily emphasized what a second Trump term would mean for women across the nation. On the second night of the DNC, major political figures, Democratic voters and campaign ads all told personal stories about how restrictive post-Roe abortion policies have or could have impacted their lives.

Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, a former Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in Iraq, told her in vitro fertilization story on the stage, asking “How dare the GOP endanger the dreams of countless veterans whose combat wounds prevent them from having kids without IVF.”

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly spoke about how voters in her conservative-leaning state shut down a ballot initiative that would have outlawed the right to an abortion. Kate Cox, the Texas woman who rose to national prominence for suing her home state for an emergency abortion, helped cast Texas’ vote in the ceremonial roll call.

“If I didn’t get an abortion, it would put a future pregnancy at risk. But Trump didn’t care, and because of his abortion bans I had to flee my home,” Cox said from the convention floor. “There’s nothing pro-family about abortion bans. There’s nothing pro-life about letting women suffer and even die.”

“Today, because I found a way to access abortion care, I am pregnant again and my baby is due in January, just in time to see Kamala Harris sworn in as president of the United States,” she said.

And while all this was happening in Chicago, Harris was in Milwaukee—at the same arena where the GOP held its convention last month—hitting Trump on the issue.

“Just yesterday, when he was asked if he has any regrets about ending Roe v. Wade, Donald Trump, Donald Trump — without even a moment’s hesitation, you would think he would reflect on it for at least a second — said no. No regrets,” Harris said at the rally. “I do believe that bad behavior should result in a consequence. Now we will make sure he does face a consequence, and that’ll be at the ballot box in November.