President Biden is expected to give a primetime address on the first night of the Democratic National Convention next month in Chicago, two sources familiar with the planning tell CBS News.
A “big tribute” is planned for the president that night, one of the sources said. A Democratic National Committee convention official said that while no programming decisions are final, “consistent with historical precedent, current and past Presidents are expected to participate in convention programming.”
They added that the only final decision made on the schedule is that the nominee acceptance speeches for the Democratic ticket are on Wednesday and Thursday.
“We look forward to sharing more soon about our convention in Chicago where Democrats will offer a forward-looking vision for our country that stands in stark contrast to the extremism from Donald Trump’s convention that would take America backwards,” DNC spokesperson Matt Hill told CBS News.
CNN was first to report that Mr. Biden was expected to speak on night one of the DNC, which will run from Monday, Aug. 19 through Thursday, Aug. 22.
In the wake of the fallout from his debate performance against former President Donald Trump, Mr. Biden announced July 21 that he was ending his reelection bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris, now considered the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has succeeded in quickly rallying significant delegate support, with party leaders announcing Tuesday that a virtual roll call cementing her nomination will begin Aug. 1 and conclude on Aug. 5.
Harris is expected to announce her running mate by early next week. CBS News has learned that a top tier of contenders has emerged, which includes Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Source Agencies
