The Democratic National Convention has wrapped up and I almost feel like I have an excitement hangover, since the four-day event delivered the political equivalent of a sugar rush.
As the dust settles on the DNC’s mic drop moments, musical numbers and star-studded appearances, actor Billy Baldwin has reflected on who he believes is the future of the Democratic Party, while sharing his excitement around the convention’s best moments.
The actor, who was quite active on social media during the event in Chicago, took to X to name-check his favorite speakers at the convention, mentioning everyone from potential First Gentleman Doug Emhoff, whose speech was met by a heartwarming reaction from his children, to Hillary Clinton, who pulled no punches when speaking about former president Donald Trump.
Baldwin also mentioned Michelle and Barack Obama, whose speeches were among the DNC’s hottest-ticket items, as well as Nancy Pelosi and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, whose son, Gus, basically stole the show.
“Inspiring, motivating, soaring oratory,” the actor wrote of those speakers, before referring to nominee Kamala Harris as “Madame President” and Obama and Bill Clinton as “legends.”
Baldwin went on to name Pete Buttigieg and Hakeem Jeffries as the DNC superstars who are “the future of the party.” For his part, Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg — who was previously considered a contender as Harris’ running mate — delivered a rousing DNC speech explaining why America is “done with” Trump, but not before launching an official TikTok account and gaining some 500,000 followers in a matter of hours.
Jeffries, meanwhile, set crowds alight with a speech comparing Trump to an ex-boyfriend who “just won’t go away” (I feel Melania’s pain). The 54-year old House Minority Leader also captured the internet’s attention, with Baldwin joining legions of users in declaring Jeffries as either the future of the Democratic Party, or an imminent presidential candidate.
It wasn’t the only time Baldwin weighed in on the DNC, with the actor elsewhere declaring that Barack Obama’s hand gesture innuendo was a burn worthy of being “put in the Smithsonian,” and otherwise revelling in the atmosphere that “the Dems are on a roll.” Baldwin was one of many celebrities to join the fanfare around the convention, with the likes of Bette Midler, Sean Astin, Mark Ruffalo, George Takei, and Mark Hamill also taking to social media to express their excitement throughout the four-day event.
If Baldwin’s predictions are correct, perhaps in a few years’ time we’ll be covering a Buttigieg-Jeffries ticket, and Trump will be off somewhere sulking in Mar-a-lago.