Democratic National Convention 2020: Day 1

Democrats kicked off their quadrennial convention on Monday evening, in a mostly virtual format, hoping to show that they have a broad coalition of backers in November — weaving together speeches that prosecuted the case against Trump, with stories from real people about the fatal toll of the pandemic and personal stories that were meant to provide a window into Biden's personal side.

Former first lady Michelle Obama, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo were among headliners for the first night of programming, which was emceed by actress Eva Longoria.

Michelle Obama issued a scathing assessment of Trump: Obama called Trump the â€œwrong” president for the United States and said the White House is failing to provide “steadiness” and instead is only delivering “chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy.” The former first lady urged Americans to go out in vote for Joe Biden in November like "our lives depend on it."A moment of silence was held for George Floyd: Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother, held a moment of silencein honor of his brother and "the many other souls we’ve lost to hate and injustice." Floyd said that "it’s up to us to carry on the fight for justice. Our actions will be their legacies."Sanders aimed to galvanize his followers to support Biden: The senator from Vermont offered his most forceful argument yet on behalf of former primary rival Joe Biden, beseeching his supporters to back the Democratic nominee in November or risk seeing “all the progress we have made” be thrown into doubt. He also urged Democrats to come together and "remove the most dangerous President in history," because "the price of failure is just too great to imagine."Kasich and other Republicans made their case for backing Biden: Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and a trio of other former top Republicans argued that the President has been a “disappointing” and “disturbing” failure. Kasich said he was “proud” of his Republican heritage, but that Trump’s first term “belies those principles.”Cuomo decried Trump's Covid-19 response: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, one of Biden's earliest supporters, said the country's failure to contain the coronavirus pandemic is a"symptom" of a deeper rot in government and society. Those troubles didn't begin with President Donald Trump's rise, Cuomo said, but they have become worse during his time in office. Following the governor's speech, Kristin Urquiza, a woman who lost her father to Covid-19, shared her dad's story and slammed Trump's coronavirus response. "Donald Trump may not have caused the coronavirus, but his dishonesty and his irresponsible actions made it so much worse," Urquiza said. "One of the last things that my father said to me was that he felt betrayed by the likes of Donald Trump. And so, when I cast my vote for Joe Biden, I will do it for my dad," Urquiza continued.

Former first lady Michelle Obama continued her remarks at the Democratic National Convention Monday night by suggesting that her message wouldn't necessarily be accepted by everyone, but it is one of the utmost importance— and "if you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can."

"We live in a nation that is deeply divided, and I am a Black woman speaking at the Democratic Convention. But enough of you know me by now. You know that I tell you exactly what I’m feeling. You know I hate politics. But you also know that I care about this nation," Obama said.

"You know how much I care about all of our children. So if you take one thing from my words tonight, it is this: 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. If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it,"