Politics

Elizabeth Warren's DNC Speech Included Toy Blocks That Spelled Out 'BLM' in the Background

Sen. Elizabeth Warren urged Americans to vote for Joe Biden while also criticizing President Donald Trump during her DNC speech on Wednesday night

Published on August 20, 2020 11:44 AM

Elizabeth Warren honored the Black Lives Matter movement in a subtle way during her speech at the Democratic National Convention.

On Wednesday night, the senator for Massachusetts and former presidential candidate addressed the nation from the Early Childhood Education Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, urging Americans to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in November.

The setting for Warren's speech provided a vibrant background in which viewers noticed toy block letters that spelled out "BLM" on a shelf over Warren's left shoulder.

"We all need to be in the fight to get Joe and Kamala elected. And after November, we all need to stay in the fight to get big things done," the longtime politician said.

Kristen Orthman, Warren's former campaign communications director and current deputy chief of staff, told ABC News in a statement that the idea to include the BLM sign was thought of by Warren and her senior advisor, Roger Lau.

"They wanted to do a number of things in the background of the room and this was one they wanted to have visible in the camera shot," Orthman said.

Along with the BLM sign, the Warren campaign placed additional Easter eggs strategically throughout the classroom, which Warren's team shared photos of on Twitter.

The colorful school backdrop also featured toy blocks spelling out "DBFH" to represent the senator's "Dream Big, Fight Hard" message, a postal worker jacket that emphasized the efforts to save the USPS, blue toy blocks that spelled out "JOE," and artwork that reminded people to vote on November 3.

During her speech, Warren also took a swipe at President Donald Trump — whom she has sparred with on numerous occasions — and called out his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.

"COVID-19 was Trump's biggest test. He failed miserably," she said. "Today, America has the most COVID deaths in the world and an economic collapse — and both crises are falling hardest on Black and Brown families."

Nearing the end of her remarks, Warren spoke to the millions of Americans who are struggling financially due to the pandemic and made a plea for them to vote.

"This crisis is bad, and it didn't have to be this way,” she said. “This crisis is on Donald Trump and the Republicans who enabled him. On November 3rd, we will hold them all accountable.”