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President Biden slated to kick off Democratic National Convention next month

Once slated to deliver the closer, President Biden is now expected to give the keynote address on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.

Night one of the convention will pay reportedly tribute to Biden’s political legacy and accomplishments including with a primetime address from the president himself, before the rest of the convention shifts to Vice President Kamala Harris.

The convention is slated to take place from Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, though Harris is set to be officially crowned the party’s nominee weeks before then.

President Biden
President Biden was initially expected to deliver the closer, but now that he has dropped out of the race, plans have changed. Getty Images

During the tribute to Biden, programming will highlight his efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic during his first term in office, CNN reported.

On Tuesday, the party unveiled its plans to conduct a virtual roll call starting Thursday and ending on Aug. 5 to select the nominee.

That move is out of an abundance of caution due to concerns about ballot access. Harris is the only contender in that process, which is why she has been dubbed the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

Biden, 81, announced he was dropping out of the race on July 21 — which was historically unprecedented for that point in time during a presidential campaign cycle.

That came after a Democratic mutiny against the incumbent, fueled by concerns about his mental acuity in the wake of his disastrous debate performance last month.

Many of the same Democrats who pushed for his ouster have begun singing his praises against and some of them are expected to appear in Chicago for the convention.

Harris is also expected to name her pick for vice president in advance of the convention.

Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris is now set to deliver the marquee address at the Democratic National Convention next month. EDWARD M PIO RODA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Other speakers who are reportedly expected to take the stage later on during the convention include former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as former first ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Outgoing presidents have opened conventions in the past. Back in the 2000 convention, Clinton did the kickoff for his then-Vice President Al Gore. Notably, Obama gave a speech at the last day of the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Ahead of the convention in Chicago, there have been heightened concerns about security and that a wave of anti-Israel protests could upend proceedings.

The Post reached out to the Democratic National Committee for comment.

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