DNC 2024 Speakers: Who’s In, Who’s Out, Who’s Rumored

The Democratic National Convention will take place in Chicago between Monday, Aug. 19 and Thursday, Aug. 22, serving as a capstone of sorts for the party’s hectic last month in which President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris took his place atop the ticket.

As many as 50,000 visitors are expected to attend the convention in the Windy City, including 5,000 delegates, 15,000 members from the media, and thousands of guests. An untold number of protesters are also expected to descend on downtown Chicago for the four-day event.

A broad schedule has been released and includes of caucus meetings for specific affinity groups as well as council meetings on veterans, youth, poverty and interfaith issues ahead of the main event: the headlining speeches that will be carried live in primetime.

Judging by the schedules of past conventions, Harris will likely speak on Thursday, the last night of the convention. Her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, will go on Wednesday.

The rest of the convention will likely feature prominent Democratic politicians as well as a smattering of high-profile celebrities.

At least three Senate Democrats who are up for reelection in competitive races will not attend the DNC, including Sherrod Brown of Ohio and John Tester of Montana.

Here’s what we know, what’s been reported and what we can expect.

Joe Biden

President Biden will speak at the convention, the White House confirmed this week, saying: “He’s looking forward to, as he tends to do, speak directly to the American people.”

Sources told ABC News that Biden has been given the keynote slot on Monday night, while Politico reported that the president will not stick around for the rest of the week’s festivities. That report has sparked speculation among the political chattering class that Biden remains resentful of how he was pushed aside by the party following his disastrous debate performance in June.

The Obamas

Barack and Michelle Obama are expected to have prominent roles in Chicago, with the former president said to be given the headlining speaking slot on Tuesday night. The Obamas have endorsed Harris, though the formal endorsement came several days after she announced she would run in Biden’s place.

Meanwhile, President Biden is said to still harbor frustration with his former boss, believing that Obama was a “puppet master” behind the scenes of the push to get him to drop out, according to the New York Times.

If Biden does in fact leave Chicago after his speech on Monday, it will likely fuel speculation that he is snubbing Obama.

The Clintons

Hillary Clinton is scheduled to speak Monday, according to reports, while Bill Clinton has reportedly been tapped to introduce Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday.

The Clintons were among the first of the party’s heavy hitters to endorse Harris after Biden dropped out.

The Clintons also praised Biden’s presidency in their endorsement.

“We join millions of Americans in thanking President Biden for all he has accomplished,” the statement said. “We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her.”

The New York Post reported, citing anonymous sources, that Chelsea Clinton, the former first daughter, is gunning to become an ambassador to the UK if Harris becomes president.

“There’s a reason why Bill and Hillary came out in the first five minutes to support Kamala’s presidential bid — they were currying favor,” according to the Post.

Jason Carter

NBC News reported that former President Jimmy Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, will represent his ailing grandfather at the convention.

The oldest living former president, who turns 100 in October and has been in hospice care for more than a year, reportedly told his son that he hopes to vote for Harris, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“I’m only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,” the elder Carter said, per the paper.

Doug Emhoff

The current second gentleman has been in Chicago ahead of the DNC, where he’s been attending fundraisers and addressing issues of antisemitism. Emhoff, who is Jewish, is expected to speak during the latter half of the convention — potentially introducing his wife on Thursday.

Beyoncé

Will Queen Bey show up in Chicago to perform? It’s one of the bigger questions surrounding the DNC, given that Beyonce and her husband, Jay-Z, have supported Democrats in the past.

While Beyoncé has not yet publicly endorsed any candidates this year, she did give her seal of approval to the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020.

The singer also performed at former President Barack Obama’s first inauguration dinner, where she belted out Etta James’ famous song, “At Last.”

While she has not made an official endorsement, the pop star has granted Harris the rights to use her song “Freedom” as her official campaign anthem.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

The “Seinfeld” and “Veep” star told The Times of London she was “extra-involved” with the Harris campaign.

The actress and prominent Democratic supporter is on the schedule as the host of a panel with several female Democratic governors, including Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.

“Throughout their time in office, Democratic women governors have made history, changed the conversation surrounding women in executive roles, and gotten big things done for the good people of their states. They’ve shattered marble ceilings and demonstrated excellent leadership. Their voices are essential,” Louis-Dreyfus recently told The Hollywood Reporter.

“I’m looking forward to our conversation and the opportunity to shine the spotlight on these accomplished leaders.”

Gretchen Whitmer

The popular Michigan governor will be in Chicago for that panel, and many political watchers will be looking to see whether she has a more prominent role during primetime.

Whitmer, a rising star in the party, was considered to be among the most likely candidates to run for president had Biden dropped out earlier. She was also floated as a potential VP for Harris, but she quickly demurred and threw her support behind Harris.

She has delivered advice to Harris, telling her to focus on issues like abortion and reproductive rights and “make a seat at the table for people who maybe aren’t traditionally sitting at that table.”

Speaking on a recent podcast, Whitmer said: “One of the things that I think is so crucial is, like I said, seeing the humanity in people—showing up, listening, empowering voices. When we have reproductive rights hanging by a thread in this country, it is so crucial that we are uplifting women’s voices and medical voices as well—in this debate.”

Michelle Lujan Grisham

The New Mexico governor, another rising star in the party, was reportedly vetted as a potential running mate for Harris, whom she has known since they both served in Congress. Harris officiated Lujan Grisham’s wedding in 2022.

A day after Biden dropped out of the race, Lujan Grisham “wholeheartedly” endorsed the vice president.

“She is a smart, conscientious and highly experienced public servant who is uniquely qualified to defeat Donald Trump,” the governor said in a statement.

JB Pritzker

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is another likely face to show up in his hometown of Chicago next week. The billionaire scion of an influential political family and heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune is hosting an event on Tuesday that will feature a performance by the singer and activist John Legend.

Pritzker, himself floated as a potential future presidential candidate, was one of the many Democrats to quickly endorse Harris.

Yusef Salaam

New York City Council member Yusef Salaam has reportedly been invited to speak in Chicago, according to Semafor.

Salaam was wrongly imprisoned as a member of the “Central Park Five.” The group, now known as the “Exonerated Five,” was convicted of raping an 18-year-old white woman while she was out for a jog in Central Park in 1989. Trump, a businessman in New York City at the time, took out a newspaper ad calling for the men to be executed.

The teenagers had confessed to the assault but later claimed it was coerced. All five were convicted in 1990.

Salaam was released from prison in 1997, and his conviction was vacated in 2002. In 2014, New York City paid $41 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the five.

One source told Semafor that other members of the group could potentially join Salaam on stage in Chicago.

George Clooney

A powerbroker among celebrity Democrats, Clooney has already had an outsized role this election cycle. The movie star and husband of Amal Clooney penned an op-ed in the New York Times last month calling for Biden to drop out of the race, saying the president’s dismal debate performance was not an aberration but followed what Clooney himself had seen at a recent fundraiser. The essay was widely seen as a turning point that helped prominent Democrats coalesce behind the push to convince Biden to abort his run.

Whether he shows up in Chicago is an open question. The Harris campaign is said to be wary of stuffing the DNC with too many celebrities, lest it come across as an event for the “Hollywood liberal elite,” according to TMZ.

Taylor Swift

Perhaps the most influential celebrity endorser who could shift attention in Chicago, the pop star is currently on tour in London for a five-date swing that wraps up on Tuesday.

In theory, that would allow Swift ample time to make it to Chicago for the final two nights of festivities. But like Beyonce, her representatives have remained quiet about her plans, including whether she intends to make a formal endorsement at all.

Swift took a turn toward political activism during the Trump years after largely staying out of politics, and made her first official endorsement in 2020. She went with Biden.

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