Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff’s reaction to Vice President Kamala Harris’s surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) took social media by storm.
While it was anticipated that Harris would attend the DNC for President Joe Biden’s speech, she caught everyone off-guard by stepping onto the stage to deliver brief remarks. This Thursday, she is set to formally accept her nomination after securing enough delegates.
As a video promoting her advocacy aired, Harris walked on stage, prompting an astonished reaction from Emhoff and Governor Tim Walz. Both men were seen beaming and clapping along with the crowd.
Emhoff seemingly exclaimed, “I didn’t know,” highlighting the surprise element of Harris’s entrance.
Commentators on X noted Emhoff’s surprise, and many found it exciting for Harris to have unexpectedly surprised the audience, including her husband.
Harris kept her remarks concise, speaking for just two minutes. She started by expressing her appreciation for Biden, saying, “Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you.”
She also praised the diverse crowd, emphasizing it represented “the beauty of our great nation” with people from every corner and background.
“Let us always remember, when we fight, we win,” she concluded, to which the crowd responded with chants of “We win.” Harris made her entrance to Beyoncé’s empowering track “Fire,” which has become synonymous with her campaign and was also prominent during the Black Lives Matter movement.
Harris will give a more extended speech on Thursday to conclude the four-day convention. Her surprise appearance energized the crowd, but Monday night will be all about Biden as he expresses gratitude and symbolically hands over the torch to Harris during his keynote address.