The Democratic National Convention kicked off its fourth and final night Thursday.
After a week of Democrats’ most prominent figures rallying the party faithful, Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted her party’s nomination for president.
The theme of the final night is “For Our Future,” according to convention organizers.
Here is the latest:
Trump Responds to Harris on Fox News
Former President Donald Trump appeared on Fox News on Thursday night as the Democratic National Convention came to a close.
He criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’s plan to raise the corporate tax rate from 21 to 28 percent.
“If she raises taxes like she wants to do on companies, there go those jobs,” Trump said.
“I’m more interested in the jobs than the companies, but there go those jobs. And what’s going to happen?
“They’re going to pick up and move to another country where they’re going to be promised taxes at half the numbers that she’s talking about.”
Trump also criticized the Secure the Border Act that stalled twice in the Senate, for which the Democrats have blamed Trump. He said he believes the border can be closed by executive order alone.
Harris Says She’ll Ensure US ‘Wins Competition’ Against China
Vice President Kamala Harris told the Democratic National Convention that her administration would focus on maintaining the United States’ edge over China.
Harris said she would ensure that the country “wins the competition” of the 21st century against China.
“I will make sure that we lead the world into the future on space and artificial intelligence. That America, not China, wins the competition for the 21st century, and that we strengthen, not abdicate, our global leadership,” Harris said.
Harris Reiterates Call to End War in Gaza, Stand With Israel
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris reiterated her call for a deal to secure a cease-fire and release of the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
The vice president also said Israel has a right to exist.
“The people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7,” she said.
She also said the “Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”
Harris Pledges to Stand With Ukraine, NATO Allies
Vice President Kamala Harris vowed during her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention to expand support for Ukraine and the 32 member states of NATO in North America and Europe.
“America, we must also be steadfast in advancing our security and values abroad,” Harris said. “I will strengthen, not abdicate, our global leadership.”
The United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of military aid to Ukraine since 2022. She said the United States has a responsibility to protect other nations that are threatened.
The newly nominated presidential candidate also pledged to prioritize the nation’s military.
“As commander in chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world,” Harris said.
Harris Says She’d Sign Defunct Border Bill
Vice President Kamala Harris said she would sign the bill changing U.S. border policy that twice stalled in the Senate.
“We can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system,” Harris said at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
“We can create an earned pathway to citizenship and secure our border.”
That bill failed due to Republican opposition that the legislation didn’t go far enough to secure the border.
Harris said that if she became president, she would sign the bill should Congress send it to her desk. She did not announce any executive actions she would take on the border.
Harris Vows to Strengthen Middle Class, If Elected
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, laid out the highlights of her economic vision for the United States, which she called an “opportunity economy.”
“I will bring together labor and workers and small business owners and entrepreneurs and American companies, to create jobs to grow our economy,” she said at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday..
Harris also said she would make strengthening the middle class a “defining goal” of her presidency, and vowed to pass a “middle-class tax cut that will benefit more than 100 million Americans.”
Trump Responds to Harris Speech
As Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, former President Donald Trump posted on his social platform, TruthSocial.
“Why didn’t she do something about the things of which she complains?” Trump asked in one post, referring to her position as vice president.
In another post, Trump wrote, “Kamala’s biography won’t lower prices at the Grocery Store, or at the [gas] Pump!”
Trump, Harris’s opponent in the 2024 presidential election, has been a continuous topic at this year’s convention in Chicago.
Harris Accepts Nomination
Vice President Kamala Harris has formally accepted the Democratic Party nomination for president.
“I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America,” Harris said at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past,” she said.
“A chance to chart a new way forward—not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans,” she said, promising she would be “a president for all Americans.”
“You can always trust me to put country above party and self.”
She added she would “hold sacred … the peaceful transfer of power.”
Harris Speaks About Her Upbringing
Vice President Kamala Harris opened her nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday with a nod to her upbringing.
She spoke with special affection for her mother, the renowned biologist Shyamala Gopalan.
“My mother was a brilliant, five-foot tall, brown woman with an accent. And as the eldest child, I saw how the world would sometimes treat her, but my mother never lost her cool. She was tough, courageous—a trailblazer in the fight for women’s health,” Harris said.
“She always told us, ‘Never do anything half-assed,’” she said. “And that is a direct quote.”
Harris also spoke about her father, Stanford economist Donald Harris, and discussed how her parents’ work in academia led them to move several times, to live in California, Wisconsin, and Canada.
She also briefly touched on her parents’ divorce when she was 7 years old.
Harris Takes Stage to Standing Ovation
Vice President Kamala Harris has taken the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
She was greeted with a standing ovation. The crowd chanted “Kamala” and later “USA! USA! USA!”
She opened her speech by giving thanks to her husband, Doug Emhoff, and to President Joe Biden.
“When I think about the path that we have traveled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude,” Harris said.
“I am forever grateful for you and Jill,” she said, referring to the first lady.
Kinzinger: Democrats Are Just as Patriotic as Republicans
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a Republican best known for his role on the Jan. 6 House panel, said during an address to the Democratic National Convention on Thursday that Democrats are “just as patriotic” as Republicans.
“I’ve learned something about the Democratic Party, and I want to let my fellow Republicans in on a little secret: Democrats are just as patriotic as us,” Kinzinger said.
“They love this country just as much as we do.”
Kinzinger lost favor with the Republican Party after taking a role on the controversial panel, and did not seek reelection.
Bidens Prepare to Watch Harris Acceptance Speech
President Joe Biden posted on X that he and First Lady Jill Biden have spoken to Vice President Kamala Harris and are looking forward to watching her accept the Democratic Party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later tonight.
“Kamala and Tim will inspire a generation and lead us into the future,” Biden wrote.
The president also posted a photo of himself and Jill Biden watching the convention live, from a vacation home in Santa Ynez, California. A White House spokesperson said Biden called Harris to wish her luck ahead of her speech.
NBA Star Steph Curry Makes Surprise Appearance to Endorse Harris
Steph Curry, a superstar of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, made a surprise virtual appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday to give his backing to Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I believe that Kamala as president could bring … unity back,” Curry said, citing the unity he and his team felt when they won the gold medal in basketball at the Olympics in Paris in a 11-point win over France.
Steve Kerr, Curry’s coach both for the Warriors and the U.S. Men’s Olympics team, appeared onstage earlier this week to endorse Harris.
Sharpton, ‘Central Park Five’ Take the Stage
Rev. Al Sharpton, joined by the so-called Central Park Five, took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
Sharpton, a controversial figure known for his past work on civil rights, criticized former President Donald Trump’s views on criminal justice and punishment.
To illustrate the point, he brought the five men who, as teenagers, were wrongfully convicted of the 1989 rape and assault of a female jogger in Central Park.
“I referred to them then … as the Central Park Five. Now they are ‘the Exonerated Five,’” Sharpton said.
The men were exonerated in 2002 through DNA evidence, and in 2014 received a $41 million settlement from New York City for wrongful imprisonment.
At the time, Trump took out an ad calling for the death penalty to be applied to the case.
One of the five men, Korey Wise, referenced the ad, and criticized Trump for continuing to say that the five were guilty, in spite of DNA evidence to the contrary.
Protesters March in Chicago Again
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have taken to the streets for the fifth consecutive day near the perimeter fences set up to protect the Democratic National Convention.
Police ordered journalists out of the street, known as the “neutral zone.”
One counter-protester waving an American flag was separated from the crowd by police. He told The Epoch Times that he doesn’t believe the nation’s flag is a provocation.
Law enforcement officials representing a handful of agencies—including the Chicago Police Department, Secret Service, and Homeland Security, among others—are lining the streets and walking in step with the marchers in case the demonstrations turn violent.
Using bullhorns and speakers to amplify their chants, organizers are leading the group in a series of chants railing against the war in Gaza and the funding provided to Israel by the United States.
Some graffiti damage has occurred, and some protesters are putting stickers on lampposts, signs, and other property.
So far, the protests have remained relatively peaceful, though several arrests were made on the first day of the convention when activists temporarily breached the perimeter fence, and between 55 and 60 people were arrested Aug. 20 when a protest in front of the Israeli consulate was deemed unlawful and some protesters clashed with police.
Sen. Alex Padilla Says Harris and Walz Will ‘Defend the Dream’
California Sen. Alex Padilla, who was sworn in to fill Kamala Harris’s Senate seat in 2021 after she became vice president, talked about how both he and Harris are a product of the American dream, coming from immigrant households and ascending to the highest levels of public office.
“My question to you is this: This November, who is ready to defend the dream?” Padilla asked convention goers. “Tim Walz is ready to defend the dream. Kamala Harris is ready to defend the dream.”
Final Night of the DNC Is Underway
Convention chairwoman Minyon Moore and Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) took the stage to welcome the delegates for the last session.
Thursday night’s program is packed with members of Congress and other Democratic leaders, and will conclude with Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepting her party’s nomination.
Democrats Rounding Out List of Speakers Before Harris Takes the Stage
Among the politicians on tap are Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who was considered as a possible running mate for Harris, and his wife Gabby Giffords, a former representative who was nearly killed in a mass shooting in 2011.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a progressive leader, is scheduled to speak as well. So is former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who voted to impeach Donald Trump in his second impeachment.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy will also deliver remarks. And Tennessee state lawmakers Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson, the “ Tennessee Three, ″ will speak. Jones and Pearson were expelled from the state Legislature for participating in a protest on gun control at the state Capitol.
Kamala Harris to Close out DNC
Harris closes out the Democratic National Convention Thursday night when she accepts her party’s historic presidential nomination and seizes one of her few remaining opportunities to appeal to an audience of millions.
Harris will lay out her vision for the country, capping a whirlwind month that began when President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed her to replace him atop the Democratic ticket.
Harris spoke briefly to the convention on Monday, when she thanked Biden and celebrated his record as president, and again on Tuesday, when the beginning of her rally in Milwaukee was streamed into the convention hall after Democrats reaffirmed their nomination of her with a state-by-state roll call.
Among others who will speak before Harris on Thursday are Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, civil rights leader Al Sharpton and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. The singer Pink also will perform.
Epoch Times reporters Jacob Burg, Stacy Robinson, Travis Gillmore, Joseph Lord, Nathan Worcester, and Travis Gillmore, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.