Hillary Clinton rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris at the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC), calling former President Donald Trump a 'convicted felon' and sparking 'Lock him up' chants from the crowd.

Aug. 20, 2024, 2:58 a.m.

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The first day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago was marked by powerful speeches from some of the party’s most prominent women leaders, with Vice President Kamala Harris taking centre stage as the presidential nominee. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a strong endorsement for Harris while sharply criticising former President Donald Trump.

Hillary Clinton cheers Kamala Harris on

Hillary Clinton, who in 2016 became the first woman ever to be nominated for president by a major party, took the stage amid cheers and delivered a stirring endorsement of Kamala Harris. Clinton acknowledged the historic significance of Harris’s nomination, noting that she is only the second woman ever nominated for president in the United States’ 248-year history. “Something is happening in America. You can feel it,” Clinton said, referencing the progress made by women in politics. “It was something we’ve worked for and dreamed of for a long time.”

Advertisement “Well, my friends, the future is here,” she declared.

“Lock him up”

Clinton then turned her focus to Donald Trump, drawing a sharp contrast between his record and Harris’. “As a prosecutor, Kamala locked up murderers and drug traffickers. She will never rest in defense of our freedom and safety,” Clinton stated.

“Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial, and when he woke up, he made his own kind of history, the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions,” she said. This was the most prominent mentions of Donald Trump being a convicted felon at the DNC stage.

This prompted the crowd to chant “lock him up,” a notable throwback to the “lock her up” chants that were a staple at Trump’s 2016 rallies when he was running against Clinton.

‘We have him on the run now’

Clinton continued her criticism of Trump, accusing him of engaging in “lowbrow attacks” on Harris, including mocking her name and laugh.

“But we have him on the run now,” Clinton assured the audience, signalling confidence in the Democratic Party’s prospects in the upcoming election.