WASHINGTON, D.C. – The 2020 Democratic National Convention kicked off on Monday night with calls for voters across the political spectrum to rally around presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Speakers included former Ohio Governor John Kasich and former First Lady Michelle Obama, with Kasich saying his identity as a lifelong Republican "holds second place to my responsibility to my country."
After the first night of the DNC wrapped, both President Trump and his reelection campaign slammed the convention and its many speakers.
In a statement released by the Trump campaign's national press secretary Hogan Gidley, the campaign claims former Vice President Joe Biden’s response to the coronavirus pandemic would have been "dramatically worse."
The statement claims the presumptive Democratic nominee "failed to highlight his opposition to President Trump’s decision to restrict travel from China and Europe, which saved countless American lives."
The campaign went on to slam what they percieved as Biden's move toward the more progressive wing of the Democratic party: "Democrats can try to conceal the dangerous truth with a Hollywood-produced infomercial, but they can’t hide the fact that the radical socialist leftist takeover of Joe Biden is complete.”
President Trump also took to Twitter following Michelle Obama’s speech Tuesday morning saying that he would not be in the White House "if it weren’t for the job done by your husband, Barack Obama."
The president continued, in a series of tweets, to slam the Obama administration's response to the Swine Flu, calling it "weak and pathetic," and echoing his own false claim that the previous administration spied on his campaign, which has been debunked.
Other members of the Republican party voiced their opinions after the first night of the convention wrapped. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is currently locked in a tough re-election battle, agreed with the President’s take on Michelle Obama’s speech, saying without President Obama there would be no President Trump.
Some, like Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, took aim at several political figures who took the stage, slamming New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over alleged controversies with COVID-19 and nursing homes.
Texas Senator John Cornyn claimed he didn’t watch the first night of the DNC, but quoted an article from the Wall Street Journal which headlined “The ideas that once were deemed radical are now Joe Biden’s platform.”
Sen. Marco Rubio poked fun at the DNC’s choice of hosts, actress Eva Longoria, remarking that, “no one is more in touch with the challenges & obstacles faced by everyday Americans than actors & celebrities.”
The actress, who is best known for her role in the hit series in “Desperate Housewives,” is also the co-founder of The Latino Victory Fund, a progressive PAC working to increase Latino representation in government. Longoria was also one of seven Californians chosen to co-chair President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012.
The second night of the DNC is set to kick off on August 19. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former President Bill Clinton, and former second lady Dr. Jill Biden are all set to take the virtual stage.