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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Joan E Greve in Washington and Maanvi Singh

Michelle Obama slams Trump as 'the wrong president' and 'in over his head' – as it happened

Takeaways from the first night of the Democratic convention

That’s it from us tonight. We’ll be back tomorrow for the second night of the virtual Democratic convention.

Here are the major takeaways from the night:

  • Michelle Obama stole the show. The former first lady delivered a searing rebuke of Trump, arguing the president is incapable of leading the country during this moment of crisis. “If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it,” Obama said. The pre-taped speech attracted widespread praise, with many Democrats saying Obama offered an eloquent and urgent call to action.
  • An everyday American who lost her father to coronavirus upstaged many Democratic lawmakers. Kristin Urquiza specifically blamed Trump for misleading her father, Mark Anthony Urquiza, about the seriousness of the virus. “My dad was a healthy 65-year-old,” Urquiza said. “His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.” Urquiza’s words struck a chord with many viewers, and commentators compared her speech to that of Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who memorably criticized Trump at the 2016 Democratic convention.
  • George Floyd’s family delivered a plea for changes in policing. “George should be alive today,” Philonise Floyd said of his brother, a Black man who was kill by a white Minneapolis police officer in May. Floyd listed some of the African Americans killed by police in recent years and said: “When this moment ends, let’s make sure we never stop saying their names.”
  • Bernie Sanders called on his supporters to rally around Biden. The progressive Vermont senator acknowledged his policy differences with the Democratic nominee, but Sanders argued Trump’s disastrous handling of the pandemic demanded that all Americans come together to elect Biden. “Nero fiddled while Rome burned,” Sanders said. “Trump golfs.”
  • Anti-Trump Republicans warned against the dangers of reelecting the president. Former Ohio governor John Kasich, a frequent Trump critic, delivered his speech endorsing Biden alongside a literal fork in the road, attracting some mockery on Twitter. “America is at a crossroads,” Kasich said. “The stakes in this election are greater than any in modern times.” Like Sanders, Kasich acknowledged he does not agree with Biden on every issue, but he described his vote for the Democratic candidate as a matter of necessity amid a historic time of crisis.
  • The virtual convention, while not seamless, still produced some memorable moments. The night saw some glitches and timing misses, but overall the event went as planned, despite the unprecedented nature of this year’s conventions. However, certain lawmakers’ Zoom backgrounds did prompt questions, such as, where did Bernie Sanders find all that chopped wood?

The Guardian’s convention live blog will be back tomorrow night, so tune back in then.

Updated

In case you missed the full video, here’s Billy Porter and Stephen Stills closing out the night:

Stills, who wrote the song, was inspired by the 1966 Sunset Strip curfew riots, when counterculture youths protested and clashed with police.

– Maanvi Singh

Updated

Here are a couple of behind the scenes looks at tonight’s speakers, prepping for their speeches.

Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, had this preamble on Shark Week:

And Bernie Sanders had a very Bernie Sanders response to being fussed over:

Updated

Michelle Obama’s necklace, which spells out V-O-T-E, has been getting a huge amount of attention since her speech.

According to Google Trends, which measures the relative volume of search interest, it’s the most newly searched for thing in the last hour or so.

One subject of deep speculation tonight: what’s with all that chopped wood behind Bernie Sanders?

Politico’s Holly Otterbein, who covered the Sanders campaign this election cycle, brings us this perfectly logical explanation ...

But viewers and journalists couldn’t help but kindle alternative theories ... (Sorry not sorry).

... and engage in some fun punning (here’s the reference).

– Maanvi Singh

Updated

Trump seems especially perturbed by the Republicans, including John Kasich, who spoke at the Democratic convention.

He told reporters this evening that Kasich will be “a loser as a Democrat”.

Kasich told CNN that he wasn’t sure where the Republican party was headed: “I’m very disappointed in them – I’m disappointed in their silence and I’m disappointed in an agenda that doesn’t seem very positive.”

But the former Ohio governor and presidential candidate didn’t seem ready to join the Democratic party either, critiquing some Dems as getting “too extreme” in their policies. “Who knows where we’re going to go,” after the elections, he said. “If there’s not support for the Republican party or the Democratic party, there will be a third party.”

– Maanvi Singh

Updated

Donald Trump, on a tweeting spree, has so far focused his attacks on Andrew Cuomo and John Kasich – with 13 tweets and retweets deriding the New York governor so far.

The president accused Cuomo of botching the coronavirus response and noted that he at times had praised Trump’s actions int the initial aftermath of the pandemic. Of course, at the time, Cuomo and other governors desperate for supplies from the federal government needed to stay on the president’s good side.

Updated

In her speech, Michelle Obama also painted a stark picture of what voting might look like in November, as the Trump administration tries to enforce changes to the US Postal Service.

“We’ve got to vote early, in person if we can,” Obama said. “We’ve got to request our mail-in ballots right now, tonight, and send them back immediately and follow-up to make sure they’re received. And then, make sure our friends and families do the same.

“We have got to grab our comfortable shoes, put on our masks, pack a brown bag dinner and maybe breakfast too, because we’ve got to be willing to stand in line all night if we have to.”

Democratic officials and voting rights advocates have warned that the Trump administration’s actions could jeopardize voting by mail this November.

However, Obama is the first person to use a national speech to warn Americans about the drastic steps they may need to take to ensure their votes are counted.

For someone who says she “hates politics”, Michelle Obama has managed to pull off something remarkable in her pre-recorded convention speech.

The response to it has been overwhelmingly positive across social media:

Trump has weighed in on tonight’s convention events, lashing out against New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, who criticized the president’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in his speech.

Cuomo lambasted the “dysfunctional and incompetent” federal government in his remarks, but Trump noted the Democratic governor previously thanked the president for some of the steps he took to assist New York

“Cuomo, just like his brother Fredo, has not got a very good memory!” Trump tweeted, apparently referencing Cuomo’s brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo.

Trump also reshared a tweet from Republican senator Lindsey Graham that challenged Michelle Obama’s praise of her husband’s administration.

Updated

Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama’s remarks revealed how the coronavirus pandemic, the economic downturn, vast inequality and threats to a fair election from the US’s most controversial president in history could drown out the climate crisis at the Democratic convention.

Climate is always a top tier issue for Sanders, who pledged the most ambitious goals of any Democratic contender. Yet it was only a brief mention in his speech tonight.

“We are facing the worst public health crisis in 100 years and the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. We are confronting systemic racism and the enormous threat to our planet of climate change,” Sanders said. “And in the midst of all of this we have a president who is not only incapable of addressing these crises but is leading us down the path of authoritarianism.”

Rattling out a list of Biden campaign promises, from paid family leave to universal pre-K, Sanders said Biden would also invest in crumbling infrastructure and fight climate change by transitioning the US to 100% clean electricity in the next 15 years, creating millions of jobs.

Obama mentioned climate in a list of ways the US used to work with other countries.

Biden’s climate plan – widely endorsed by advocacy groups – is likely to fall to the background of the event.

Updated

First night of the Democratic convention concludes

The first night of the Democratic convention has now concluded, following Michelle Obama’s speech fiercely condemning Trump’s leadership.

The blog will have more reactions and analysis coming up, so stay tuned.

Michelle Obama’s pithy, understated rebuke of Trump: “It is what it is.”

The former first lady here subtly referenced Donald Trump’s reaction to the staggering coronavirus death toll earlier this month. “They are dying. That’s true. And you – it is what it is,” Trump said in an interview with Axios. “But that doesn’t mean we aren’t doing everything we can. It’s under control as much as you can control it.

Using the president’s own words against him, Obama said Trumo is the “wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment.”

– Maanvi Singh

Updated

Michelle Obama emphasized the urgency of this election, asking voters to understand the crucial need to defeat Trump in November.

“If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can; and they will if we don’t make a change in this election,” Obama said.

“If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.”

Obama specifically called out voters who might be considering supporting third-party candidates in November, which cost Hillary Clinton dearly in 2016.

“This is not the time to withhold our votes in protest or play games with candidates who have no chance of winning,” Obama said.

Michelle Obama: 'Trump is the wrong president for our country'

Michelle Obama offered a stinging rebuke of Trump’s leadership, saying he is the wrong man for the job at a critical moment for our country.

Obama specifically referenced her words at the 2016 convention: “When they go lie, we go high.” Obama said tonight. “Going high is the only thing that works.”

She then added: “But let’s be clear: going high does not mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty. Going high means taking the harder path. It means scraping and clawing our way to that mountain top.”

Obama followed that by taking direct aim at Trump, saying: “Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country.

“He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.”

Updated

Maanvi here, with more on Bernie Sanders:

Bernie Sanders, who just urged his supporters to back Biden, has been working to unite Democrats to defeat Trump, even as some of those who lead his presidential campaign have critiqued the Democratic nominee’s moderate policies.

Belén Sisa, the former national Latino press secretary, has commented that progressives need to keep pushing the policies Sanders championed, even though he’s not the nominee.

The Sanders campaign’s former national press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, echoed the sentiment:

Updated

Michelle Obama: 'You simply cannot fake your way through this job'

Michelle Obama noted she has seen the difficulties of the presidency firsthand, saying: “You simply cannot fake your way through this job.”

The former first lady argued Trump has not provided the necessary moral leadership as the country faces crises on multiple fronts.

Obama said: “Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division and a total and utter lack of empathy.”

Updated

Michelle Obama speaks at Democratic convention

Former first lady Michelle Obama is now addressing the Democratic convention, saying this election will determine the direction of the country.

Repeating her words during the 2016 campaign, Obama said the job of the presidency is difficult and requires a strong leader.

“A president’s words have the power to move markets,” Obama said. “As I said before, being president doesn’t change who you are. It reveals who you are.”

Sanders: 'Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs'

In his convention remarks, the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders strongly urged his supporters to vote for Joe Biden in the November election, warning that Trump represents a severe threat to US democracy.

“Our great nation is now living in an unprecedented moment,” Sanders said, describing this election as the “most important in the modern history of this country”.

“We need Joe Biden as our next president,” Sanders aid.

He thanked his millions of supporters and emphasized he would continue fighting for the progressive causes he championed during his campaign.

“Together, we have moved this country in a bold new direction,” Sanders said. “Our campaign ended several months ago, but our movement continues and is getting stronger every day.”

But Sanders emphasized the progressive progress made in recent years could be undone by Trump’s re-election.

“Let us be clear: If Donald Trump is reelected, all of the progress we have made will be in jeopardy,” Sanders said, emphasizing the need to “preserve this nation”.

“This president is not just a threat to our democracy, but by rejecting science he has put our lives and health in jeopardy,” Sanders said.

Sanders added: “Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs.”

Updated

Christine Todd Whitman, the former governor of New Jersey who also ran the Environmental Protection Agency under George W Bush, kicked off a series of endorsements from Republicans backing Biden against Trump.

Most recently, Whitman signed on to an open letter from six former EPA chiefs who seek to “raise a bipartisan call for a new forward-looking direction at EPA.”

Whitman has harshly criticized Trump’s “erosion of trust in science,” as he has rollbacked pollution protections and ignored climate change, while boosting fossil fuels.

“I’m a lifelong Republican...this isn’t about a Republican or a Democrat, it’s about a person. A person decent enough stable enough to get our economy back on track. A person who can work with everyone –Democrats and Republicans –to get things done. Donald Trump isn’t that person. Joe Biden is,” Whitman said.

And the award for the heaviest handed visual metaphor of the night goes to … John Kasich, who literally stood at a fork in the road to prove his point. It’s the first moment of the night that’s getting memed, which is perhaps unsurprising given the mostly somber tone of the convention so far:

Missing from the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate reunion video:

Marianne Williamson, Bill de Blasio, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Buttigieg, Mike Bloomberg, Julian Castro, Michael Bennett, Steve Bullock, Joe Sestak, John Hickenlooper, Eric Swalwell, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

Many of them are expected to speak throughout the convention (and Sanders is on right now). Williamson has remarked:

– Maanvi Singh

Updated

Democrats just played a video featuring several of the candidates who ran against Joe Biden in the presidential primary.

Some of the former candidates, including the New Jersey senator Cory Booker and vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, will also deliver longer speeches at the convention later in the week.

The video marks Democrats’ latest effort to unify the party around Biden after they struggled to move past the contentious primary between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in 2016.

Updated

Two Democratic senators, Catherine Cortez-Masto and Amy Klobuchar, both touched on the importance of the US Postal Service (USPS) in their convention speeches.

Both senators criticized Trump for trying to weaken the USPS in an apparent attempt to hamper voting by mail before the election.

Cortez-Masto noted many Americans receive medications through the postal service, saying Trump is “putting the lives of Nevada’s seniors at risk by trying to defund the post office”.

Klobuchar opened her speech by describing the right to vote as “fundamental” and the work of USPS as “essential”.

“You know, the president may hate the post office, but he’s still going to have to send them a change of address card in January,” Klobuchar said.

Updated

In one of the most moving moments of the night so far, Kristin Urquiza mourned the loss of her father to Covid-19.

Here’s how some commentators have reacted:

Anti-Trump Republicans speak at Democratic convention

Several longtime Republicans addressed the Democratic convention to endorse Joe Biden and argue against re-electing Trump.

“Donald Trump has no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy,” said Meg Whitman, the former CEO of HP and a major Republican fundraiser.

Former Ohio governor John Kasich, a frequent critic of the president, delivered his speech while standing at a literal crossroads. (Get it?)

“America is at a crossroads,” Kasich said. “The stakes in this election are greater than any in modern times.”

Kasich acknowledged that he and Biden disagree on a number of policy issues, but he said he believed the Democrat was the right person to lead the nation in this time of crisis.

“Whatever our difference, we respect one another as human beings,” Kasich said.

Updated

Urquiza also published an op-ed in the Washington Post. She wrote that Trump and governors “have blood on their hands”.

‘If you don’t have an underlying health condition, it’s safe out there,” Gov. Doug Ducey told Arizonans in late May, hoping to stimulate the economy. Those words were also a death sentence for Dad, a healthy and exuberant 65-year-young man named Mark Anthony Urquiza. He, like so many others, would not have died if American leaders — President Trump and governors like Ducey — hadn’t been so cavalier about pushing consumers to spend money. They have blood on their hands.

– Maanvi Singh

Updated

In her convention speech, Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, credited Barack Obama and Joe Biden with saving the state’s auto industry.

Whitmer, who was considered as a potential running mate for Biden, contrasted the work of the Obama administration with Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“From the jump, we took this pandemic seriously in Michigan,” Whitmer said. “Just imagine if we had a national strategy.”

Echoing other speakers, Whitmer argued Biden and Kamala Harris would provide the leadership needed to tackle this crisis.

“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will lead by example,” Whitmer said. “They know action begets action.”

Updated

Maanvi here:

Kristin Urquiza’s obituary for her father was a scathing condemnation of Arizona’s Republican governor, Doug Ducey.

She blamed her dad’s death on the “carelessness of the politicians who continue to jeopardize the health of brown bodies through a clear lack of leadership, refusal to acknowledge the severity of this crisis, and inability and unwillingness to give clear and decisive direction on how to minimize risk”.

Weeks later, Joe Biden sent her a letter, which she shared with the Arizona Republic. “The family bonds that Mark spent his life strengthening are meant for times like these,” Biden wrote. “They’re meant for you to lean on to share some of those burdens that are terribly difficult to bear alone. And they’re meant to continue to grow in your love and care for one another, no matter the adversity.”

Updated

Woman blames Trump for her father's death from coronavirus

Kristin Urquiza, whose father died from coronavirus, addressed the Democratic convention to condemn Trump’s efforts to downplay the threat posed by the virus.

Urquiza said her father, Mark Anthony Urquiza, voted for Trump in 2016, and he listened to the president when it came to coronavirus.

“My dad was a healthy 65-year-old,” Urquiza said. “His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.”

Urquiza said she would cast her vote for Joe Biden in November to honor her father. “One of the last things that my father said to me was that he felt betrayed by the likes of Donald Trump,” Urquiza said. “And so, when I cast my vote for Joe Biden, I will do it for my dad.”

Updated

It’s Maanvi, chiming in here:

One thing that’s a bit odd about this virtual convention so far is that in some ways, we’re compelled to watch a lot of the fluff that may have played in the background – the campaign videos, the emotional clips of children reciting the national anthem. But there’s also a lot of filler we’re not seeing – things are moving along at quite a brisk clip, uninterrupted by shots of people walking on and off stage to swelling music, adjusting their mics and shuffling notes.

The lack of such natural pauses have also left little time for news anchors to contribute their quick takes between speakers.

Updated

Cuomo harshly criticizes Trump's response to coronavirus

New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, used his convention remarks to fiercely criticize Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuomo, who became one of the faces of the US response to coronavirus as cases in New York surged earlier this year, thanked all the Americans who helped his state in its time of need.

“New Yorkers were ground zero for infection rates,” Cuomo said. “We went through hell, but we learned much.”

Cuomo’s speech included an extended metaphor describing the federal government under Trump as a body that was not strong enough to fight off the virus.

“Our current federal government is dysfunctional and incompetent,” Cuomo said. “It couldn’t fight off the virus.”

The Democratic governor went on to praise Joe Biden, saying he would lead the nation to a better future.

“Joe Biden is what I call America tough, tough in the best way,” Cuomo said. “Joe Biden can restore the soul of America, and that’s exactly what our country needs today.”

Updated

Weird? Emotional? Cheesy? Reactions have been mixed to the convention so far online:

The House majority whip, Jim Clyburn, addressed the Democratic convention live from Charleston, South Carolina.

Clyburn, who provided a much-needed boost to Joe Biden’s struggling campaign by endorsing him shortly before the South Carolina primary, said his endorsement was “a decision I made with my feet firmly planted in this community”.

“Joe Biden is as good a man as he is a leader,” Clyburn said. “We know Joe, but more importantly Joe knows us.”

Updated

The convention moved on to a pre-taped discussion on racial justice with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

The discussion also featured Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, NAACP President Derrick Johnson and Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner.

Biden noted the final words of George Floyd -- “I can’t breathe” -- were all too familiar to Carr; those were also the last words of her son as he was put in a fatal police chokehold.

Carr said it was urgent that America not let the national conversation move away from the killing of Floyd without ensuring meaningful change to policing.

Maanvi Singh reports:

Muriel Bowser – like many of the politicians who will speak this week, including the presidential and vice-presidential nominees – has a bit of conflicted record on policing. While Bowser has vocally supported the Black Lives Matter protesters and renamed a street near the White House “Black Lives Matter Plaza”. But activists have been critical of Bowser’s policies on policing.

The DC mayor had previously questioned a law releasing officers’ names and body camera footage in cases of police shootings and police brutality, worrying that such legislation would have “unintended consequences”. Prior to the nationwide demonstrations this summer calling for defunding the police, she also proposed a budget for next year that would increase funding for police and reduce funding for some community programs.

Updated

George Floyd's family addresses Democratic convention

The family of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, briefly addressed the Democratic convention.

“George should be alive today,” his brother, Philonise Floyd, said before listing off some of the names of others who have been killed by police officers.

“When this moment ends, let’s make sure we never stop saying their names,” Floyd said.

He then called for a brief moment of silence to remember his brother and “the many other souls we’ve lost to hate and injustice”.

Updated

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser used her convention speech to praise the protesters who have marched against racism and police brutality since May, when George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer.

Bowser also harshly criticized Trump for his response to the protests, as she appeared before the Black Lives Matter mural in Washington.

“We can’t just paint those words behind me. We can’t just say those words,” Bowser said. “We have to live those words.”

Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Wisconsin was the first Democratic lawmaker to address the convention tonight.

The virtual nature of the convention is certainly a disappointment for Moore, considering the event was originally supposed to be held in her hometown of Milwaukee.

Moore is a co-chairwoman of the convention host committee and has represented Milwaukee in the House for 15 years.

But Moore used her remarks to put a positive spin on the virtual event. “We gather virtually; however we gather unified,” Moore said.

Actror Eva Longoria spoke to several Americans across the country who have been experiencing the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

One man described the impact the pandemic has had on his small business, and a woman in Texas expressed her fear about sending her children to school amid concerns about the spread of the virus in the classroom.

Longoria closed the segment by saying: “You are the ‘We’ in ‘We the People,’ and you are who this convention is about.”

Updated

Tonight’s event is being broadcast by most major networks and streaming services, but with one notable exception. Over on Fox News, Donald Trump Jr is currently having a chat with Sean Hannity.

The channel’s usual programming was spotted by CNN’s Brian Stelter earlier:

However, Fox News has been listed as a broadcaster for the event, so this may still change.

A virtual choir representing every US state and territory sang the Star-Spangled Banner to mark the beginning of the Democratic convention.

The Rev Gabriel Salguero, the president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, then gave an invocation.

When the virtual event returned to actor Eva Longoria, she acknowledged the disappointment of not being able to convene in person this week.

“We had hoped to gather in one place,” Longoria said, going on to say that the safety of a virtual convention would still allow them to prepare for the November election.

Updated

It’s Maanvi here:

George Floyd’s brother Philonise will deliver remarks tonight, virtually from Texas, according to CNN. There will also be a moment of silence for George Floyd, whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked nationwide protests and a reckoning with racism policing in the US.

Philonise Floyd testified before a congressional hearing in Washington in June. “I’m tired. I’m tired of the pain I’m feeling now, and I’m tired of the pain I feel every time another Black person is killed for no reason,” he said, addressing lawmakers. “I’m here today to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain.”

Back then, Floyd spoke of the pain of seeing video footage of his brother’s final moments, pinned under the knee of a police officer, over and over again in the news. “I just think about that video over and over again,” he said, as he wiped tears from his face. “You don’t do that to a human being, you don’t even do that to an animal.”

Updated

Actor Eva Longoria offered an introduction to the convention before a video of lawmakers and celebrity Democratic supporters was played.

Congressman Bennie Thompson, the convention chairman, then gaveled in the official start of the event.

Updated

Virtual Democratic convention begins

The Democratic convention, the first nominating convention to ever be held virtually, has started.

Updated

Maanvi Singh reports:

Ahead of the convention this week, Joe Biden holds a significant lead over Donald Trump in national polls – though his advantage has slightly declined over the past month.

On average, Biden has a 7.7 point lead in national polls, per RealClearPolitics. Last month, surveys often found the Democratic contender with a double-digit lead. Conventions typically give candidates a bump in polls – though it’s unclear how this year’s virtual format will affect that trend.

Biden’s dampened polling numbers have coincided with a slight bump in Trump’s job approval rating, which increased from about 40% one month ago to 42% now, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Updated

Michelle Obama is expected to deliver an urgent warning against re-electing Trump when she addresses the Democratic convention tonight, according to CNN.

An adviser to Obama told CNN that the former first lady would use her remarks to cast Trump as “the wrong president for our country” who is “in over his head” amid a global pandemic.

“It’s very strong, tough and personal,” the adviser said. “Tonight, she doesn’t hold back.”

In an excerpt of her prerecorded speech released by the DNC, Obama described Joe Biden as the right man to confront the multiple crises facing our nation.

“I know Joe. He is a profoundly decent man guided by faith,” Obama says in the video. “He knows what it takes to rescue an economy, beat back a pandemic and lead our country.”

Updated

Trump has just arrived back in Washington, after hosting a series of small campaign events in Minnesota and Wisconsin earlier today.

During the Air Force One flight back to DC, the president spoke to the White House press pool off the record, but he allowed two things to be on the record.

First, Trump said he intended to issue a pardon to someone “very, very important” tomorrow, a likely attempt to pull attention away from the Democratic convention.

The president also lashed out against former Ohio governor John Kasich, a fervent critic of the president who will be speaking at the convention tonight.

“He was a loser as a Republican, and he’ll be a loser as a Democrat,” Trump said of his former primary rival. “People don’t like him, people don’t trust him, his healthcare in Ohio was a disaster. He hasn’t done too well with Trump. He’s been easy pickings.”

Updated

Democrats kick off virtual convention with speeches from Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders

Hello, live blog readers, and welcome to the first-ever virtual presidential convention.

Democrats were supposed to meet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this week in order to nominate former vice-president Joe Biden and the california senator Kamala Harris for president and vice-president.

But the coronavirus pandemic upended both parties’ convention plans, so the Democratic convention will instead unfold virtually over the next four days.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris arrive to speak at a news conference in Wilmington, Delaware.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris arrive at a news conference in Wilmington, Delaware. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP

Democrats will almost certainly use the convention to highlight what they describe as Donald Trump’s failure to adequately respond to the pandemic and the nation’s recent reckoning over racism and policing.

The convention also comes amid widespread concerns about proposed changes to the US Postal Service, with Democrats accusing Trump of trying to slow mail delivery in order to hamper voting by mail.

All of those issues will likely be mentioned during tonight’s events, which will include speeches from former first lady Michelle Obama, the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and several anti-Trump Republicans, such as former Ohio governor John Kasich.

That all starts in about a half an hour, so stay tuned.

Updated

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