Walking up to the stage in her tan business suit and well-kept hair, a 76-year-old female speaker received a standing ovation as she struggled to get out her first words over the roaring crowd at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and First Lady, gave one of the closing speeches on Aug. 19, at the United Center in Chicago, and it was clear the Democrats still have respect for the woman who ran for U.S. President eight years ago.

Clinton introduced a similarity between her and vice president Kamala Harris, speaking on their shared experiences as young lawyers who sought justice for neglected children and looked out for the communities and families they served.

Clinton explained that these experiences stick with a person, and connect them: the emphasize the importance of safety and protection for Americans “from enemies foreign and domestic,” including predators, abusers, and murderers. 

With the seeming intention of reaching toward “togetherness”, Clinton highlighted Article II of the Constitution, reminding the audience what a President’s goal should be. 

“The Constitutuion says that the president’s job is to ‘take care’ that the laws be faithfully executed. Those are the words of our founding fathers, ‘take care.’ Just look at the candidates: Kamala cares about kids and families, cares about America. Donald only cares about himself,” Clinton said. 

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Photo by Aly Dusing

Supporters cheer on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she delivers her opening night speech.

Amidst the seriousness of her speech, the former Secretary of State did not miss a chance to mock Donald Trump. 

“Kamala locked up murderers and drug traffickers. She will never rest in defense of our freedom and safety. Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial,” Clinton said.

Her pointed comment, along with various other slanders toward Trump’s character, received many laughs and encouragment from the liberal audience. 

Clinton also touched on the subject of “not [only] electing a president, [but] uplifting our nation” to reach full potential freedom for Americans. 

“It still takes a village to raise a family. Every one of us, our energy, our talents, our dreams,” Clinton said. 

The audience filled the arena with cheers and applause so loud that Clinton had to wait for them to calm down in order to say the rest of her speech. As her commentary came to a close, Clinton told the audience what she envisions for the United States moving forward. 

“I see freedom. I see freedom to make our own decisions about our health, our lives, our loves, our families. To worship as we choose or not, to speak our minds freely and honestly. I see freedom from fear and injustice, from chaos and corruption. I see enough freedom to look our children in the eye and say ‘In America, you can go as far as your hard work and talent will take you,” Clinton said.