CHICAGO \u2014 In one of his last major appearances before he leaves office in five months, President Joe Biden formally passed the torch to his vice president, Kamala Harris, as a packed convention hall screamed and chanted in adulation for a prolonged stretch as he took the stage Monday night.<\/p>\n
For about five minutes after Biden appeared just before 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, thousands of delegates and supporters cheered for him in a show of thanks for the decades he has served in public office. Convention organizers handed out \u201cWe love Joe\u201d signs before the president\u2019s speech, which the crowd held up and chanted in addition to \u201cThank you, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Biden\u2019s daughter, Ashley, introduced him, and he dabbed tears from his eyes as he took the stage and embraced her. First lady Jill Biden, who spoke shortly before her husband, also teared up and appeared visibly emotional throughout the final portion of the evening, including during the sustained standing ovation the president received \u2014 along with second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz, wife of Democratic vice-presidential contender Tim Walz.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you all, folks,\u201d Biden said. \u201cAnd America, I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Biden opened his speech by rallying the crowd for Harris, in a bittersweet moment that marks the unofficial end of his half-century in politics. He then turned to what he and other Democrats have characterized as the historic nature of his presidency, including multiple pieces of consequential legislation that passed under his leadership \u2014 at one point reminding the audience that Harris served as the tiebreaking vote on many of those bills, seeking to prop her up even as he celebrated his own accomplishments.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me ask you: Are you ready to vote for freedom?\u201d Biden asked at the opening of his speech. \u201cAre you ready to vote for democracy and for America? Let me ask you: Are you ready to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as president and vice president of the United States?\u201d<\/p>\n
Biden\u2019s speech late Monday capped a remarkable two months in American politics, one in which a dismal debate performance pushed many Democrats to question the president\u2019s ability to beat Republican nominee Donald Trump and ended in his stunning decision one month ago to exit the race. Rather than accepting his party\u2019s nomination this week, Biden instead headlined the opening night of a historic convention that will see the Democratic Party nominate the first woman of color to lead its ticket.<\/p>\n
While the rest of the week will look ahead to the momentous occasion of nominating Harris, Monday night in many ways was a tribute to the Democratic leaders who paved the way for her.<\/p>\n
Biden, who spoke for more than 45 minutes in an energetic and animated speech, took a sort of victory lap over his four years in office and sought to cement his legacy. He also spoke of the work that still lies ahead: supporting Ukraine against its invasion of Russia; securing a cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas to end the devastating war in Gaza; and bringing home wrongfully detained Americans.<\/p>\n
At many points, Biden spoke angrily about the threats he said Trump posed, including to American democracy and international alliances. His speech was frequently interrupted by chants from the audience.<\/p>\n
At several points, when enthusiastic delegates chanted \u201cthank you, Joe,\u201d Biden would add: \u201cAnd thank you, Kamala.\u201d<\/p>\n
The president also sought to dispel any notion that he was angry about having to step out of the presidential race when his intention was always to seek a second term.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see, it\u2019s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love the job, but I love my country more,\u201d Biden said. \u201cAnd all this talk about how I\u2019m angry [at] all those people who said I should step down \u2014 that\u2019s not true.\u201d<\/p>\n
At one point, a small group of delegates protesting Biden\u2019s handling of Israel\u2019s war in Gaza sought to stage a demonstration during his speech, holding up a banner that read \u201cstop arming Israel.\u201d But delegates quickly blocked them with \u201cWe heart Joe\u201d signs and drowned them out. <\/p>\n
Earlier in the evening, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, celebrated the various women who preceded her and Harris, marking the historic nature of Harris\u2019s nomination and the echoes between her role and Harris\u2019s. Eight years ago, it was Clinton who headlined a triumphant Democratic convention and appeared poised to be the nation\u2019s first woman president, only to lose to Trump in a race that devastated the party.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfterwards, we refused to give up on America,\u201d Clinton said, speaking of the ensuing years. \u201cWe marched, many ran for office, and we kept our eyes on the future. Well, my friends, the future is here.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added, \u201cTogether we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling. And tonight, we are so close to breaking through once and for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Numerous speakers who appeared before Biden reflected on his presidency and his \u201cselfless\u201d decision in exiting the presidential race to make way for Harris, a younger, more energetic candidate whom most Democrats feel has a better chance of defeating Trump.<\/p>\n
Biden had come under unrelenting pressure from Democrats to step aside after his June 27 debate performance against Trump that, for many in his party, renewed questions about his ability to defeat the former president and potentially his fitness for a second term. The president bitterly fought leaders of his party for more than three weeks, insisting he was best positioned to beat Trump, before deciding to drop his reelection bid on July 21.<\/p>\n
Clinton also joined the other speakers in expressing gratitude for Biden\u2019s record.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s salute President Biden,\u201d Clinton said. \u201cHe has been democracy\u2019s champion at home and abroad. He brought dignity, decency and confidence back to the White House. And he showed what it means to be a true patriot. Thank you, Joe Biden, for your lifetime of service and leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jill Biden took the stage shortly before her husband appeared, citing the times he had comforted grieving people he met on the campaign trail or stopped to encourage a child who suffered from a stutter. Saying Biden knows that America\u2019s greatness comes in part from small acts of kindness, she added, \u201cKamala Harris knows that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris herself also made a brief surprise appearance early in the proceedings, to a rapturous reception from the crowd.<\/p>\n
The vice president emphasized that she wanted to \u201ccelebrate our incredible president, Joe Biden.\u201d She added, \u201cJoe, thank you for your historic leadership, your lifetime of service to our nation, and all you will continue to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first night of the Democratic convention featured a conscious show of traditional patriotism, with American flags on display throughout the United Center and the waving of \u201cUSA\u201d signs that were distributed to the thousands of delegates. Some of the speakers were greeted with chants of \u201cUSA\u201d as they took the stage, an echo of the recent Olympic Games.<\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s speakers also leaned heavily into Trump\u2019s criminal conviction for falsifying business records, seeking to position the race as one between a former prosecutor and a felon. When Clinton noted that Trump would be the first felon to run for president, the crowd began chanting, \u201cLock him up\u201d \u2014 a striking moment for a woman who endured \u201cLock her up\u201d chants from Trump crowds in the 2016 campaign.<\/p>\n
But for all the praise of Biden, many of those celebrating his presidency \u2014 when he passed numerous pieces of consequential legislation long sought by Democrats and led the U.S. response to Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine \u2014 are the same people who pressured him to leave the race even as he resisted.<\/p>\n
Convention organizers have sought to strike a delicate balance between celebrating what many Democrats see as Biden\u2019s historic presidency and his more than 50 years in politics, and maintaining the jubilant energy and excitement that has surrounded Harris\u2019s sudden ascension to the top of the ticket when Biden stepped aside.<\/p>\n
While Biden knows his legacy is directly tied to Harris\u2019s ability to beat Trump in November, the rapid enthusiasm that Harris has generated has created a bittersweet mix of emotions for the president, according to people close to the president, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private dynamics.<\/p>\n
Biden has made peace with his decision, these associates say, even if he still harbors some resentment toward those who he feels abandoned him when he was convinced he could defeat Trump. The president and his circle believe he was wounded politically not just by his debate performance, but by the ensuing weeks of second-guessing from leaders of his own party.<\/p>\n
Toward the end of his speech, Biden promised to be \u201cthe best volunteer Harris and Walz have ever seen.\u201d He ended by reflecting on all he had given the country and what it meant to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerica, I gave my best to you. I made a lot of mistakes in my career. But I gave my best to you for 50 years,\u201d Biden said. \u201cI\u2019ve been too young to be in the Senate because I wasn\u2019t yet 30, and too old to stay as president. But I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
CHICAGO \u2014 In one of his last major appearances before he leaves office in five months, President Joe Biden formally passed the torch to his vice president, Kamala Harris, as a packed convention hall screamed and chanted in adulation for a prolonged stretch as he took the stage Monday night. For about five minutes after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":8163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}