At the Democratic National Convention, a cadre of leading Democratic women took the stage, unleashing a barrage of criticism against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, framed by the Republicans’ notorious record on women’s issues. The stark differences in vision and values between the twice-impeached and 34-times convicted former president and Vice President Kamala Harris were on full display in Chicago.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened with a searing take on Trump’s legal woes.
“Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial,” Clinton recounted to an amused crowd. “When he woke up, he’d made his own kind of history — the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions.”
Clinton’s statement sparked a wave of laughter and wild applause, leading to chants of “Lock him up!” echoing the irony of Trump’s previous attacks on her, during her run against him for president in 2016.
“We have him on the run now,” Clinton declared. “But no matter what the polls say, we can’t give up.”
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas (D) highlighted the divergent paths of Harris and Trump.
“One candidate worked at McDonald’s while she was in college at an HBCU. The other was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and helped his daddy in the family business: housing discrimination,” Crockett said, sparking boisterous applause from the audience. “She became a career prosecutor, while he became a career criminal, with 34 felonies, two impeachments, and one porn star to prove it.”
Reflecting on her early days in Congress, Crockett shared a personal testimony about Harris’ influence.
“When I first got to Congress, I wasn’t sure I made the right decision. … That chaos caucus couldn’t elect a speaker, and the Oversight Committee was unhinged,” she said, before emotionally recalling encouraging words that gave her hope to keep pushing.
“That brief but impactful interaction gave me legislative legs and I’ve been running ever since,” said Crockett, who has served in Congress since 2023.
U.S. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York also critically panned Trump’s priorities.
“We know Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing palms of his Wall Street friends,” Ocasio-Cortez asserted.
Her speech vividly championed Harris as a beacon for working Americans. “To love this country is to fight for its people — all people, working people, everyday Americans like bartenders and factory workers and fast-food cashiers who punch a clock and are on their feet all day in some of the toughest jobs out there.”
Ocasio-Cortez then stirred the thousands of delegates with a forward-looking promise: “America, when we knock on our neighbor’s door, organize our communities, and elect Kamala Harris to the presidency on Nov. 5, we will send a loud message that the people of this nation will not go back. We choose a new path and open the door to a new day: one that is for the people and by the people.”
