Kamala Harris took the stage on the first day of the Democratic convention on Monday to praise Joe Biden for his “lifetime of service”, kicking off a night where the outgoing president was due to symbolically pass the torch to his vice-president.
Harris’s unscheduled appearance on the stage at Chicago’s United Center came ahead of a much-anticipated address from Biden, whose keynote was expected to mark the beginning of the end of his half-century in politics.
“I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible president, Joe Biden,” Harris said on Monday night to deafening cheers. “Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation.”