Unlike George W. Bush, the only former Republican president still alive, who avoided the Republican National Convention and was never mentioned, all four living Democratic presidents — that includes Joe Biden – are scheduled to speak or be represented at the Democratic National Convention.
Over four days, in what will certainly be a lovefest for candidate Kamala Harris and outgoing president Joe Biden, an array of presidents and first ladies are scheduled to speak at this weeks Democratic National Convention in Chicago. A family member is scheduled to speak for former president Jimmy Carter.
Primetime programming at the Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Central and last four hours, though most broadcast networks won’t begin their live coverage until 9 p.m. CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and NewsNation will offer live coverage starting hours before the event begins, each offering analysis.
C-SPAN will broadcast every minute of the DNC, something the network has done for the conventions of both parties since 1984. It will also stream coverage on C-SPAN.org and on the C-SPAN Now mobile app.
The convention will stream live on the DNC’s official website and across all their social media channels
Here’s a tentative schedule and a complete list of scheduled speakers
Monday Night
Is scheduled as an exit lovefest for Pres. Biden. He will speak this evening and will be introduced by First Lady Jill Biden. Also scheduled to speak on Monday night is Hilary Clinton, a former first lady and the party 2016 candidate, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Rep. Robert Garcia.
Tuesday Night
Both First Lady Michelle Obama and Pres. Barack Obama will speak. Also second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker,
Wednesday Night
The night Gov. Tim Walz is expected to accept the Vice-President nomination, he will speak as will former Pres. Clinton, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Thursday Night
This is the closing night of the convention and the night VP Harris will ceremonially become the Democrat’s nominee for president. She will close out the convention with a much anticipated speech where she will be expected to clarify her positions on the issue and win over voters.
Other Speakers for the 2024 Democratic National Convention
Though the official speaker schedule has yet to be released, convention officials and other sources familiar with the planning have confirmed a number of other speakers heading into the week. Here are the other speakers announced so far, but we aren’t sure when they will present:
The heads of major labor unions
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
Who spoke at the 2020 Democratic National Convention?
The 2020 convention, which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, featured speeches from Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, along with some of Mr. Biden’s rivals in the 2020 primary like Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Prominent party leaders like Pelosi and Schumer also spoke, as did rising stars like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
