From Barack Obama's penis joke to a state rollcall with all the music Donald Trump's team can't use, via some celebrity sightings in the crowd, the Democratic National Convention has turned out to be less stuffy and more lively than expected.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Democratic National Convention is in full swing, and celebrities have turned up to support Kamala Harris, who could very well be the first woman elected to the White House.
What could have been a rather dry and stuffy event has so far been a joyful and lively celebration, with plenty of music and several A-list appearances. From Barack and Michelle Obama to rappers Common and Lil Jon, via director Spike Lee, singer Patti LaBelle, actress Eva Longoria, actor Sean Astin and Olympic-winning NBA coach Steve Kerr, they’ve all made the trip to Chicago.
And more could come, as according to CNN, there is speculation surrounding whether Taylor Swift will perform at the DNC — although there is no confirmation of this. Would be one hell of a way to finally announce who she’s endorsing though, especially in the wake of Donald Trump sharing AI-generated images suggesting Swift and her fans support his campaign...
Here are some of the best celebrity pictures and viral moments from the DNC so far – including Barack Obama bashing Donald Trump’s “weird obsession with crowd sizes”, while making a suggestive gesture.
Actually, let’s start with that one – it's too good not to.
Obama listed some of Trump’s shortcomings, including his use of “childish nicknames... crazy conspiracy theories” and “this weird obsession with crowd sizes” - as Trump falsely claimed that Kamala Harris used artificial intelligence to inflate the size of her crowds at rallies.
Obama gestured and feigned surprise when the crowds started laughing, clearly making a vieled reference to... overcompensation. As a bit of background, Trump defended himself against Senator Marco Rubio in 2016, when the latter criticized Trump’s small hands, meaning “something else must be small.”
While Harris and her running mate Tim Walz were officially nominated in a virtual vote earlier this month, making the state rollcall at the DNC essentially ceremonial, they still proceeded, with a live DJ and Lil Jon performing for Georgia:
The Indiana delegration had Lord of the Rings actor Sean Astin:
Actor Wendell Pierce, who starred in The Wire, helped his home state of Louisiana cast its vote for Harris and Walz:
Actor Eva Longoria joined the delegation from her home state of Texas:
Here are some of the other celebrity sightings:
During the event, songs by Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, Prince, Tom Petty, Dolly Parton, Kendrick Lamar and Bruno Mars were played, leading many to comment that Trump can’t play any music without getting sued.
Indeed, from the family of soul legend Isaac Hayes filing a lawsuit, demanding $3 million in damages, to Céline Dion, Woodkid, Tom Petty, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Adele and Sinead O'Connor, so many artists have issued Trump and his campaign with cease-and-desist orders for unauthorized use of their songs.
Other cases include Bruce Springsteen objecting in 2016 to Trump blasting 'Born in the U.S.A.' as a patriotic anthem, when it’s actually a scathing indictment of the treatment of Vietnam vets (oh the irony once more); Rihanna demanding that Trump stop playing 'Don’t Stop the Music' after the song played at a 2018 rally; and R.E.M. being outraged that their tracks 'Losing My Religion', 'Everybody Hurts' and 'It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)' were used at rallies.
ADVERTISEMENTIn 2020, Leonard Cohen’s estate issued a statement criticizing Trump's unauthorized use of Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ at the Republican National Convention – having specifically rejected permission for its use. The estate, rather brilliantly, added that they would have only realistically considered approving Cohen's song ‘You Want It Darker’.
The Democratic National Convention started on Monday 19 August and ends tomorrow, Thursday 22 August.
