Joe Biden spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Monday not as a candidate but as a supporter passing the baton to his running mate Kamala Harris. The president spoke for nearly an hour in what felt like his final political dirge.
“I have made many mistakes in my career, but I have given you my best,” he said. “For 50 years, like many of you, I have given my heart and soul to our nation, and I have been blessed, a million times over, by the support of the American people. I was too young to be in the Senate because I am not yet 30, and I am too old to remain President, but I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you. I can honestly say that I am more optimistic about the future than I was when I was elected to the Senate at the age of 29.”
Biden received a standing ovation after being introduced by his daughter Ashley, and was kissed by his wife, first lady Jill Biden. The president fought back tears as he met his daughter on stage. Chants of “We love Joe!” rang out, and Biden responded with “I love you!”
“I love my country even more,” Biden added. “And we need to preserve our democracy! In 2024, we need your vote, we need to keep the Senate, we need to take back the House — and most of all, we need to defeat Donald Trump!”
“Choosing Kamala was the first decision I made when I became a candidate, and it was the best decision I have ever made in my entire career,” he said.
“She is strong, she is experienced, she has tremendous integrity. Tremendous integrity. Her story is the best American story. And like many of our best presidents, she was also vice president,” Biden said to loud cheers.
It was a joyous event—a retirement party for generations. Many in the audience cried. While pro-Palestine protesters sought to interrupt his speech several times, they were largely drowned out by his supporters, and Biden pushed ahead with a fiery speech. “We have to remember who we are,” he said at one point, raising his voice to say, “We are the United States of America!”
“Kamala and Tim understand that this country must remain a place of potential, not just for some of us but for all of us,” Biden said of the new Democratic ticket. “Join me in pledging to give your whole heart to this effort. And my heart will be — I will be the best volunteer Harris and Walz have ever seen.”
It’s been less than a month since Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, and a lot has changed. His running mate, Harris, has surged to the top of the Democratic ticket, and he’s picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as his running mate. The two are riding a wave of enthusiasm that—for the first time in months—appears to give Democrats a fighting chance to win in November.
Biden's withdrawal from the race was linked to a very poor performance in the debate against Donald Trump, in which the president appeared weak, had difficulty completing his thoughts, and failed to present a convincing case against the Republican candidate.
While he occasionally stumbled Monday night — and acknowledged his age — Biden delivered a powerful speech, repeatedly attacking Trump while praising the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration.
Biden’s speech on Monday was the opening remarks to the four-day culmination of Harris’ nomination, which was confirmed via virtual voting earlier this month. Harris made a brief appearance at the United Center on Monday, thanking Biden for his “historic leadership” and “lifetime service to our nation.”
Harris visited Biden on stage after his speech ended later that night, and appeared to tell him, “I love you.”
