The Democrats Throw Joe Biden a Goodbye Party

The Run-Up

Last night, thousands of people gathered in Chicago for the first night of the Democratic National Convention. And the crowd at the United Center was ready for a party.

The evening featured a cameo from their candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, and speeches from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and, closing out the night, President Biden.

Before he could begin his speech, he received a sustained round of applause — more than four minutes long.

It was just one memorable moment over the course of an evening that was both a goodbye party and kickoff event.

The Run-Up is coming to you from the D.N.C. all week.

Today: Night One in Chicago, where the Democrats attempted to reclaim a certain expression of patriotism, and gave thanks to Mr. Biden.

On today’s episode:

Reid Epstein, a politics correspondent for The New York Times.

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