Democratic National Convention highlights: From Michelle Obama's speech to a Republican vowing to support Joe Biden

A Democratic National Convention like no other began on Monday after party members were forced to hold the event over video call due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead of holding a four-day conference in Milwaukee, the virus forced them to deliver a two-hour-a-night virtual meet up which was broadcast across the world.

Senator Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama headlined the first night, with the former first lady giving a passionate closing speech.

Let take a look at the highlights from the evening.

Democrats saved their closing argument on Monday for the former first lady who delivered a blistering assault on Presiden Donald Trump.

From a historical standpoint, it might have been unprecedented for the wife of an ex-president to step beyond the bounds of traditional decorum to attack the current one, but Michelle Obama never fit comfortably within the traditional first lady role and often spoke her mind.

Since she left the White House in early 2017, she has become an author and global celebrity, and polls often place her atop the list of the most admired women in America.

She used that powerful platform to create the evening’s most talked-about moment. She spoke in plaintive terms about a country she saw as in desperate shape.

She said: “If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me they can; and they will, if we don’t make a change in this election.

She outlined dire stakes for the election ahead, declaring Mr Trump was “in over his head” and the “wrong president for our country”.

Warning of possible voter suppression, she told Americans they must vote for Joe Biden “in numbers that cannot be ignored” if they want to preserve the “most basic requirements for a functioning society”.

The scathing assessment was delivered in the last and longest speech of the night.

She said the president “has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment.”

She added: “It is what it is,” echoing a remark Mr Trump made recently about the US death toll from the coronavirus.

Citing the pandemic, the flagging economy, the political unrest that has broken out nationwide over systemic racism and what she described as America’s lack of leadership on the world stage, Mrs Obama said the nation is “underperforming not simply on matters of policy, but on matters of character”.

In contrast, Mrs Obama said, Mr Biden is a “profoundly decent man” who “knows what it takes to rescue an economy, beat back a pandemic and lead our country”.

She recounted how Mr Biden has prevailed through the personal tragedy of losing his first wife, baby daughter and adult son and said Mr Biden will “channel that same grit and passion to help us heal and guide us forward”.

At one time, it would have been unthinkable for a former Republican presidential candidate such as John Kasich to appear at a Democratic convention to urge his party’s faithful to vote against their own leader.

The former Ohio governor’s speech on Monday night in support of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden underscored how Republican President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, his scorched-earth rhetoric and his disinterest in appeasing detractors has turned off some members of his own party.

The speeches by Mr Kasich and other Republicans amounted to an invitation to moderates that the Democratic Party can attend to their interests.

In an era of extreme partisan polarisation, it is a tall order to ask longtime voters of one party to change sides. But Mr Trump’s deep unpopularity has given Democrats an opportunity, and they are trying to take full advantage ahead of the November 3 election.

If Mr Kasich’s appearance was intended to draw independents and moderate Republicans to Mr Biden’s side, Senator Bernie Sanders’ speech was aimed at a different audience entirely: the restless progressive wing of the Democratic Party that views Mr Biden with deep skepticism.

In 2016, the divisions within the party were on prime-time display at the convention, when Sanders supporters booed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton after a bitterly fought primary season left both sides angry.

But Mr Sanders made clear on Monday he was fully behind Team Biden. While acknowledging the pair do not agree on everything, he portrayed Mr Trump as an existential threat to American democracy and offered a full-throated endorsement of his former rival for the nomination.

The convention took place virtually (REUTERS)

“The price of failure is just too great to imagine,” he said.

The absence of conflict may make for a less exciting convention, but Democratic officials are breathing a sigh of relief that they are avoiding a repeat of 2016.

Democrats devoted much of Monday night to racial justice, a topic they believe is a major liability for Trump.

The family of George Floyd made a sombre appearance, asking viewers to engage in a moment of silence for the Black man whose death in police custody in Minneapolis in May set off months of nationwide unrest.

Rodney and Philonise Floyd, brothers of George Floyd, spoke at the event (REUTERS)

In her remarks, Mrs Obama attacked the current president for responding to the phrase “Black Lives Matter” with “derision.”

Mr Trump has sought to turn the issue to his advantage, portraying protesters as violent anarchists and declaring himself the “law-and-order” president. In Minneapolis on Monday, he did not mention Floyd, instead he attacked the city’s Democratic mayor for allowing demonstrators to “destroy” citizens’ lives.

But Democrats intend to press the matter - and polls suggest most Americans trust Mr Biden over Mr Trump, to improve race relations.