Rumors about Beyoncé and Trump's live tweets do not diminish Harris' “freedom” at the DNC closing

On the morning of the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention, rumors were already circulating of a major “surprise guest” to top the previous night's celebrity speakers, and one name rose to the forefront in the question of who it might be – Beyoncé – as her song “Freedom,” from her 2016 album Lemonade, became the anthem of Kamala Harris' campaign. But even if those rumors turned out to be unfounded, it did not dampen the joyous mood that had been building since the convention began on Monday, and the grand finale was, in fact, exactly what it was supposed to be from the start: Harris herself.

As the clock ticked down on Thursday, a social media post by White House political director Emmy Ruiz fueled speculation about a maybe/maybe not appearance by the singer. The post included a bee emoji — presumably a reference to “The Beyhive,” Beyoncé's fan club. Speculation intensified after TMZ ran a now-false “exclusive” that Beyoncé had been spotted in Chicago and was sure to be at the event. But as the evening wore on and Harris took the stage, social media chatter turned to jokes that it was all just a ruse (not real) to keep people in the loop.

“The surprise guest was the friends we met along the way,” joked media columnist Justin Baragona in a tweet.

“Good evening, 'DNC Surprise Beyoncé' was a 7-hour sociological study conducted by the Democratic Party. We are now finished with our study. Thank you for your attention,” Democratic strategist Joshua Rush said in another post.

When the Hollywood Reporter ran a quote from a Beyoncé representative saying, “Beyoncé was never supposed to be there. The report of a performance is false,” convention attendees and viewers were able to take off their glittery cowboy hats and focus on the evening's intended purpose. Maybe not the “freedom” everyone had hoped for, but a historic moment of “freedom” that carries more weight and will last far longer than the length of a song — maybe even four or eight years.

“On behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party affiliation, race, gender or their grandmother's language, on behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever embarked on their own improbable journey, on behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with, the people who work hard and pursue their dreams and look out for each other, on behalf of everyone whose history could only be made in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination for President of the United States,” Harris said in her opening remarks Thursday night as the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead a major party nomination.

As Harris spoke about the experiences that made her the woman, politician and presidential candidate she is today, she had to interrupt the audience's applause several times to make sure she had enough time to include everything she wanted to share with viewers.

“I will uphold the fundamental principles of America, from the rule of law to free and fair elections to the peaceful transfer of power. I will be a president who unites us around our highest goals. A president who leads and listens, who is realistic and practical and has common sense. And who always fights for the American people. That is my life's work,” she said, citing examples of how Trump stands for everything he himself tries to fight against.

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“Imagine Donald Trump without guardrails… Consider what he plans to do if we give him back power. Consider his express intention to release the violent extremists who attacked the Capitol police officers. His express intention to imprison journalists, political opponents, and anyone he considers an enemy. His express intention to use our active military against our own citizens,” she said of her opponent, who live-tweeted her speech the entire time.

“IS SHE TALKING ABOUT ME?” Trump wrote at the beginning of her address to Truth Social.

And just as the evening was not about Beyoncé, but about the hope for a better and happier America, it was not about him either. Harris did not talk about Trump per se, but about what should be done with him.

“In many ways, Donald Trump is an untrustworthy man, but the consequences of Donald Trump returning to the White House are extremely serious,” Harris said. And that was a serious point, made more clear in this case without a soundtrack.