Visits: 2
Democrats will open their mostly virtual convention in Milwaukee Monday under the theme of unity, with speakers who represent the party’s progressive and traditional platforms.
“As we have learned throughout our history, when we stand united, we can overcome anything, including the monumental challenges we face today,” the Democratic National Convention Committee said in a release.
Traditionally, political conventions are painstakingly choreographed live productions that are planned years in advance. But the coronavirus pandemic has reduced the nominating celebration to a minimal footprint in Milwaukee — with major programming and production details still in flux just days before it is set to begin.
ABC News Live will kick off primetime coverage each day at 7 p.m. ET on the network’s steaming news channel and primetime coverage will air from 10-11 p.m. ET each night of the convention on the ABC Television Network.
Refresh this page for live updates
8:36 p.m.: Trump calls former Ohio Gov. Kasich a ‘loser’
In a conversation with reporters on Air Force One Monday, as he flew back to the Washington area from Wisconsin, the president had some choice words for former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who is scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention Monday night.
“He was a loser as a Republican and he’ll be a loser as a Democrat,” Trump said, according to pool reports. “Major loser as a Republican. I guess you can quote me on that. John was a loser as a Republican. Never even came close. And as a Democrat he’ll be an even greater loser.”
Kasich, who still is with the Republican party, remained in the GOP nomination race in 2016 longer than any candidate other than Trump.
— ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
8:25 p.m. Democrats ‘will have our family fight once we get rid of Donald Trump’
Democracy for America CEO and ABC News Contributor Yvette Simpson says progressives “are going to have our voices heard, that (DNC) platform is not a progressive platform,” but adds that Democrats “will have our family fight once we get rid of Donald Trump.”
.@ysimpsonpower says progressives “are going to have our voices heard, that (DNC) platform is not a progressive platform,” but adds that Democrats “will have our family fight once we get rid of Donald Trump.” https://t.co/0UJrAu7xky #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/PwnW4ikOV7
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 18, 2020
She added that “a lot of people” were unenthusiastic about Sen. Kamala Harris as Biden’s pick for running mate, but the president’s comments on the U.S. Postal Service may motivate them nonetheless.
“Donald Trump is actually helping motivate and rile up our folks more than Joe Biden is right now,” she said on ABC News Live.
8:16 p.m. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ Secret Service code names
A former law enforcement source confirms to ABC News that former Vice President Joe Biden retains his code name as “Celtic” and vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris assumes the code name “Pioneer.”
The source also told ABC News that these code names are not created by the Secret Service — they are created by the White House Communications Agency in consultation with the candidates.
— ABC News’ Luke Barr
8:07 p.m. AOC questions Kasich speech at DNC, fundraises off it
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is slated to speak for one minute on Tuesday, continued to question the decision to have former Ohio GOP Gov. John Kasich in the program, hours before he was scheduled to speak.
“Something tells me a Republican who fights against women’s rights doesn’t get to say who is or isn’t representative of the Dem party,” she said in a tweet.
Her campaign is also now fundraising off her criticism, repeating what she posted to Twitter.
“Building a coalition to save the soul of our nation does not mean we must forgo our values. Kasich’s role is not to critique the leaders of our party, because he has dedicated his career towards undermining our core mission,” the campaign email says.
The DNC had recruited prominent Republican figures and donors in an attempt to highlight the fissures across the party, a move DNC Chairman Tom Perez defended on Monday while addressing some of the criticism of Kasich’s speaking slot.
“I disagree with John Kasich on far more things than I agree on, but I have tremendous respect for him coming forward and saying: ‘You know what, there are some moments when it’s not about party, it’s about country — and we have a president who has obliterated the guardrails of democracy,'” DNC Chair Tom Perez said in a virtual event with Pennsylvania Democrats.
— ABC News’ Kendall Karson
7:59 p.m. DNC chair: Biden to be part of convention each night
Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez tells ABC News’ Linsey Davis on ABC News Live Prime that Joe Biden will be part of each night of the DNC “because he’s going to be engaged in conversation with real people about criminal justice reform, about the coronavirus epidemic, about the economy.”
7:52 p.m. FiveThirtyEight: Biden is favored to win the election
According to FiveThirtyEight’s forecast, Joe Biden starts convention week with a strong outlook. But remember, don’t count President Trump out yet: It’s only August and there’s plenty of time for the race to significantly tighten. That said, it doesn’t mean we weren’t a little surprised by just how bullish the forecast was on Trump’s odds.
7:46 p.m. Trump declares the only way he will lose is if the election is ‘rigged’
Hours before Democrats kicked off their convention, President Trump held his third campaign rally of the day in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, ramping up attacks on his rival Joe Biden, and openly declared that the only way he will lose in November is if the election is rigged.
The president, who’s been laying the groundwork for weeks seemingly preemptively sowing distrust in the election results that are still less than 80 days away, went further than he has before, planting his flag that if he loses the election it must have been rigged — an admission seemingly that he won’t accept the results unless he wins.
Trump made the comment within the context of talking about mail-in ballots, as he faces increasing push back over efforts to restrict mail in voting and actions taken by the U.S. Postal Service.
“So we have to win the election. We can’t play games, get out and vote. Do those beautiful absentee ballots or just make sure your vote gets counted. Make sure because the only way we’re going to lose this election is if the election is rigged. Remember that. That’s the only way we’re going to lose this election,” he said.
“So we have to be very careful. We have — this is more than this election. That’s a big statement. The only way they’re going to win is that way and we can’t let that happen. And you know our post office, we’re gonna make our post office great. It’s been a disaster for many years. We’re gonna take care of the men and women in the post office and we’re gonna make it great great.”
The president seemed to realize the significance of his statement as a sitting president, calling it “a big statement.”
— ABC News’ Will Steakin and Terrance Smith
7:39 p.m. Demings on first night’s theme
“I believe that tonight is just a demonstration of how broken our nation is under this president’s failed policies,” Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., tells ABC News’ Linsey Davis on ABC News Live.
7:32 p.m. DNC faces backlash for lack of Latinx representation
The Democratic National Convention Committee continues to field backlash from some in the party’s progressive wing who have criticized the week’s thin representation from Latinx speakers and pointed out that several segments have been allotted to Republican speakers instead.
“I’d be lying to you if I said that I’m not disappointed that there aren’t more Latinos and Latinas generally speaking on that program,” former presidential contender Julian Castro, who gave the keynote address at the 2012 convention, said on MSNBC over the weekend.
Castro somewhat defended the DNC on ABC News Live Monday, acknowledging the limited primetime hours at this year’s gathering and adding, “I think the DNC heard in general the concerns of a lot of people because over the weekend there were many more voices that were added to the mix.”
Sawyer Hackett, a senior advisor to Castro, wrote in a blunt post to Twitter last week, “It’s completely unacceptable that there are as many Republicans speaking at the convention as Latinos,” before following up with another tweet that read, “Correction: more Republicans on day one than Latinos the whole week.”
7:18 p.m. Trump mocks Democrats for pre-taped speeches as campaign runs counter programming
In a string of campaign-style events in Minnesota and Wisconsin Monday, President Donald Trump criticized Democrats for having pre-taped speeches in their convention programming, dismissing the streaming challenges prompted by the pandemic while teasing his own speech next week “live from the White House.”
“They’re making speeches that are taped. Who wants to listen to Michelle Obama do a taped speech?” Trump said to boos outside an airport hangar in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. “No, you gotta have her get up there. But we’re doing a real speech on Thursday. Next Thursday, so you’ll be listening. We’re doing it live — live from the White House.”
“I wonder, is Joe Biden taping his speech too? Because if he is, I think I’ll tape mine,” Trump added in an apparent joke.
Over the weekend, the Trump reelection campaign announced they would have four nights of rebuttals to the Democratic National Convention this week. Called “The Real Joe Biden (LIVE),” the counter programming will take place at 11 p.m. ET from Monday to Thursday.
Trump is also scheduled to deliver a speech — just hours before Biden accepts the Democratic nomination — from right outside the former vice president’s hometown in Pennsylvania. The president will also hold counter programming events in three other swing states and will launch a massive multi-million dollar digital ad blitz that includes taking over the banner of YouTube for 96 hours starting on Tuesday.
7:13 p.m. Michelle Obama speech excerpts
The DNC released excerpts of remarks from some of Monday night’s speakers including a longer excerpt to ABC News from former first lady Michelle Obama’s pre-recorded remarks.
In that clip, she reflects on her knowledge of Biden, stressing that he has the knowledge and skills needed to lead the country through the current crises it faces.
“I know Joe. He is a profoundly decent man guided by faith. He was a terrific vice president. He knows what it takes to rescue an economy, beat back a pandemic and lead our country. And he listens. He will tell the truth, and trust science. He will make smart plans and manage a good team. And he will govern as someone who’s lived a life that the rest of us can recognize,” Obama says in the clip.
Obama then recounts the many struggles that Biden faces in his life, including the loss of his wife and daughter in 1972 and the loss of his son in 2015.
“When he was a kid, Joe’s father lost his job. When he was a young senator, Joe lost his wife and his baby daughter, and when he was vice president, he lost his beloved son. So Joe knows the anguish of sitting at a table with an empty chair, which is why he gives his time so freely to grieving parents. Joe knows what it’s like to struggle, which is why he gives his personal phone number to kids overcoming a stutter of their own. His life is a testament to gettin’ back up. And he is going to channel that same grit and passion to pick us all up to help us heal and guide us forward,” Obama says.
–ABC News’ Molly Nagle
7:08 p.m. DNC’s breakdown of broader themes
Earlier Monday, the DNC released programming details breaking down tonight’s broader theme of “We the People” into segments titled “We the People Demanding Racial Justice”; “We the People Helping Each Other Through COVID-19”; “We the People Putting Country Over Party”; “We the People Recovering”; and “We the People Rise.”
“Tonight the nation will hear from the many Americans who are rising up to take on these three crises, and who will join Joe Biden in building back better and moving this country forward,” the DNC said in a release.
During the segment titled “We the People Helping Each Other Through COVID-19,” the DNC lists previously undisclosed remarks from Kristin Urquiza, a woman whose father lost his life to coronavirus earlier this year, an indication of the party’s plans to keep President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic at the forefront of the Biden-Harris campaign.
“Mark, like so many others, should not have died from COVID-19. His death is due to 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,” Urquiza wrote in her father’s obituary.
Celebrities and artists including Eva Longoria, Leon Bridges, Billy Porter and Steven Stills will also make appearances throughout the evening.
Here’s an overview of Monday’s primetime program:
‘We the People’
‘We the People Demanding Racial Justice’
We the People Helping Each Other Through COVID-19
‘We the People Putting Country Over Party’
We the People Recovering
‘We the People Rise’
7 p.m. Who is speaking at the DNC Monday
Former first lady Michelle Obama will be the keynote speaker of the night, after remaining mostly on the sidelines throughout the 2020 political season.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the former rival of presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden, and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican candidate for president in 2016, will also speak.
Monday’s lineup of speakers:
ABC News’ Kendall Karson, John Verhovek and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
This report was featured in the Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast.
“Start Here” offers a straightforward look at the day’s top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts.
.@ysimpsonpower says progressives “are going to have our voices heard, that (DNC) platform is not a progressive platform,” but adds that Democrats “will have our family fight once we get rid of Donald Trump.” https://t.co/0UJrAu7xky #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/PwnW4ikOV7
She added that “a lot of people” were unenthusiastic about Sen. Kamala Harris as Biden’s pick for running mate, but the president’s comments on the U.S. Postal Service may motivate them nonetheless.
“Donald Trump is actually helping motivate and rile up our folks more than Joe Biden is right now,” she said on ABC News Live.
8:16 p.m. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ Secret Service code names
A former law enforcement source confirms to ABC News that former Vice President Joe Biden retains his code name as “Celtic” and vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris assumes the code name “Pioneer.”
The source also told ABC News that these code names are not created by the Secret Service — they are created by the White House Communications Agency in consultation with the candidates.
— ABC News’ Luke Barr
8:07 p.m. AOC questions Kasich speech at DNC, fundraises off it
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is slated to speak for one minute on Tuesday, continued to question the decision to have former Ohio GOP Gov. John Kasich in the program, hours before he was scheduled to speak.
“Something tells me a Republican who fights against women’s rights doesn’t get to say who is or isn’t representative of the Dem party,” she said in a tweet.
Her campaign is also now fundraising off her criticism, repeating what she posted to Twitter.
“Building a coalition to save the soul of our nation does not mean we must forgo our values. Kasich’s role is not to critique the leaders of our party, because he has dedicated his career towards undermining our core mission,” the campaign email says.
The DNC had recruited prominent Republican figures and donors in an attempt to highlight the fissures across the party, a move DNC Chairman Tom Perez defended on Monday while addressing some of the criticism of Kasich’s speaking slot.
“I disagree with John Kasich on far more things than I agree on, but I have tremendous respect for him coming forward and saying: ‘You know what, there are some moments when it’s not about party, it’s about country — and we have a president who has obliterated the guardrails of democracy,'” DNC Chair Tom Perez said in a virtual event with Pennsylvania Democrats.
— ABC News’ Kendall Karson
7:59 p.m. DNC chair: Biden to be part of convention each night
Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez tells ABC News’ Linsey Davis on ABC News Live Prime that Joe Biden will be part of each night of the DNC “because he’s going to be engaged in conversation with real people about criminal justice reform, about the coronavirus epidemic, about the economy.”
7:52 p.m. FiveThirtyEight: Biden is favored to win the election
According to FiveThirtyEight’s forecast, Joe Biden starts convention week with a strong outlook. But remember, don’t count President Trump out yet: It’s only August and there’s plenty of time for the race to significantly tighten. That said, it doesn’t mean we weren’t a little surprised by just how bullish the forecast was on Trump’s odds.
7:46 p.m. Trump declares the only way he will lose is if the election is ‘rigged’
Hours before Democrats kicked off their convention, President Trump held his third campaign rally of the day in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, ramping up attacks on his rival Joe Biden, and openly declared that the only way he will lose in November is if the election is rigged.
The president, who’s been laying the groundwork for weeks seemingly preemptively sowing distrust in the election results that are still less than 80 days away, went further than he has before, planting his flag that if he loses the election it must have been rigged — an admission seemingly that he won’t accept the results unless he wins.
Trump made the comment within the context of talking about mail-in ballots, as he faces increasing push back over efforts to restrict mail in voting and actions taken by the U.S. Postal Service.
“So we have to win the election. We can’t play games, get out and vote. Do those beautiful absentee ballots or just make sure your vote gets counted. Make sure because the only way we’re going to lose this election is if the election is rigged. Remember that. That’s the only way we’re going to lose this election,” he said.
“So we have to be very careful. We have — this is more than this election. That’s a big statement. The only way they’re going to win is that way and we can’t let that happen. And you know our post office, we’re gonna make our post office great. It’s been a disaster for many years. We’re gonna take care of the men and women in the post office and we’re gonna make it great great.”
The president seemed to realize the significance of his statement as a sitting president, calling it “a big statement.”
— ABC News’ Will Steakin and Terrance Smith
7:39 p.m. Demings on first night’s theme
“I believe that tonight is just a demonstration of how broken our nation is under this president’s failed policies,” Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., tells ABC News’ Linsey Davis on ABC News Live.
7:32 p.m. DNC faces backlash for lack of Latinx representation
The Democratic National Convention Committee continues to field backlash from some in the party’s progressive wing who have criticized the week’s thin representation from Latinx speakers and pointed out that several segments have been allotted to Republican speakers instead.
“I’d be lying to you if I said that I’m not disappointed that there aren’t more Latinos and Latinas generally speaking on that program,” former presidential contender Julian Castro, who gave the keynote address at the 2012 convention, said on MSNBC over the weekend.
Castro somewhat defended the DNC on ABC News Live Monday, acknowledging the limited primetime hours at this year’s gathering and adding, “I think the DNC heard in general the concerns of a lot of people because over the weekend there were many more voices that were added to the mix.”
Sawyer Hackett, a senior advisor to Castro, wrote in a blunt post to Twitter last week, “It’s completely unacceptable that there are as many Republicans speaking at the convention as Latinos,” before following up with another tweet that read, “Correction: more Republicans on day one than Latinos the whole week.”
7:18 p.m. Trump mocks Democrats for pre-taped speeches as campaign runs counter programming
In a string of campaign-style events in Minnesota and Wisconsin Monday, President Donald Trump criticized Democrats for having pre-taped speeches in their convention programming, dismissing the streaming challenges prompted by the pandemic while teasing his own speech next week “live from the White House.”
“They’re making speeches that are taped. Who wants to listen to Michelle Obama do a taped speech?” Trump said to boos outside an airport hangar in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. “No, you gotta have her get up there. But we’re doing a real speech on Thursday. Next Thursday, so you’ll be listening. We’re doing it live — live from the White House.”
“I wonder, is Joe Biden taping his speech too? Because if he is, I think I’ll tape mine,” Trump added in an apparent joke.
Over the weekend, the Trump reelection campaign announced they would have four nights of rebuttals to the Democratic National Convention this week. Called “The Real Joe Biden (LIVE),” the counter programming will take place at 11 p.m. ET from Monday to Thursday.
Trump is also scheduled to deliver a speech — just hours before Biden accepts the Democratic nomination — from right outside the former vice president’s hometown in Pennsylvania. The president will also hold counter programming events in three other swing states and will launch a massive multi-million dollar digital ad blitz that includes taking over the banner of YouTube for 96 hours starting on Tuesday.
7:13 p.m. Michelle Obama speech excerpts
The DNC released excerpts of remarks from some of Monday night’s speakers including a longer excerpt to ABC News from former first lady Michelle Obama’s pre-recorded remarks.
In that clip, she reflects on her knowledge of Biden, stressing that he has the knowledge and skills needed to lead the country through the current crises it faces.
“I know Joe. He is a profoundly decent man guided by faith. He was a terrific vice president. He knows what it takes to rescue an economy, beat back a pandemic and lead our country. And he listens. He will tell the truth, and trust science. He will make smart plans and manage a good team. And he will govern as someone who’s lived a life that the rest of us can recognize,” Obama says in the clip.
Obama then recounts the many struggles that Biden faces in his life, including the loss of his wife and daughter in 1972 and the loss of his son in 2015.
“When he was a kid, Joe’s father lost his job. When he was a young senator, Joe lost his wife and his baby daughter, and when he was vice president, he lost his beloved son. So Joe knows the anguish of sitting at a table with an empty chair, which is why he gives his time so freely to grieving parents. Joe knows what it’s like to struggle, which is why he gives his personal phone number to kids overcoming a stutter of their own. His life is a testament to gettin’ back up. And he is going to channel that same grit and passion to pick us all up to help us heal and guide us forward,” Obama says.
–ABC News’ Molly Nagle
7:08 p.m. DNC’s breakdown of broader themes
Earlier Monday, the DNC released programming details breaking down tonight’s broader theme of “We the People” into segments titled “We the People Demanding Racial Justice”; “We the People Helping Each Other Through COVID-19”; “We the People Putting Country Over Party”; “We the People Recovering”; and “We the People Rise.”
“Tonight the nation will hear from the many Americans who are rising up to take on these three crises, and who will join Joe Biden in building back better and moving this country forward,” the DNC said in a release.
During the segment titled “We the People Helping Each Other Through COVID-19,” the DNC lists previously undisclosed remarks from Kristin Urquiza, a woman whose father lost his life to coronavirus earlier this year, an indication of the party’s plans to keep President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic at the forefront of the Biden-Harris campaign.
“Mark, like so many others, should not have died from COVID-19. His death is due to 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,” Urquiza wrote in her father’s obituary.
Celebrities and artists including Eva Longoria, Leon Bridges, Billy Porter and Steven Stills will also make appearances throughout the evening.
Here’s an overview of Monday’s primetime program:
‘We the People’
‘We the People Demanding Racial Justice’
We the People Helping Each Other Through COVID-19
‘We the People Putting Country Over Party’
We the People Recovering
‘We the People Rise’
7 p.m. Who is speaking at the DNC Monday
Former first lady Michelle Obama will be the keynote speaker of the night, after remaining mostly on the sidelines throughout the 2020 political season.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the former rival of presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden, and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican candidate for president in 2016, will also speak.
Monday’s lineup of speakers:
ABC News’ Kendall Karson, John Verhovek and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
This report was featured in the Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast.
“Start Here” offers a straightforward look at the day’s top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts.
