US President Joe Biden looked back on his political legacy in a party convention speech and sworn the US Democrats in on presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Biden, who had only given up his presidential candidacy a month ago, pledged his energetic support for Harris in his thunderously applauded speech at the convention in Chicago on Monday evening (local time): He would be “the best volunteer” in her campaign.
Biden’s hour-long speech was punctuated by the sadness of farewell. “I have made many mistakes in my career, but I have given you my best,” said the 81-year-old, looking back on his career in politics spanning more than five decades. After his speech, Harris came on stage and gave the president a long hug. It was a highly emotional moment in which the handover of the leadership role in the Democratic Party from Biden to Harris was crystallized.
Biden had previously praised his deputy as “tough” and “experienced” and as a person of “tremendous integrity.” He said making her vice president was the “best decision” of his entire career.
Biden only renounced his candidacy in the November presidential election after weeks of heated debate about his mental state and advocated for Harris as his successor. She was then nominated as presidential candidate in an electronic vote in early August.
Biden now denied being “angry” at those in his own party who had pressured him to resign. “I love my job, but I love my country more,” he said. “All this talk about me being angry at all the people who said I should resign – that’s not true.”
Biden described Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as a “loser” and once again as a threat to US democracy. Trump had promised a “bloodbath” if he lost the election – and that if he won he would be a “dictator” on day one of his new term in office: “This fool means it,” Biden warned.
In contrast to his often erratic appearances, Biden appeared combative and focused at the party convention. Five months before the end of his term, he praised his record in economic and social policy. He also credited himself with having healed “the soul of America” after the Trump presidency and the storming of the Capitol by fanatical Trump supporters in January 2021. The president also summed up his legacy with a quote from a song by singer Norah Jones: “America, America, I gave you my best.”
Harris had praised Biden’s life’s work at the beginning of the convention. “We are eternally grateful to you,” the 59-year-old said in an unannounced short speech. Biden then had tears in his eyes at the beginning of his speech after his 43-year-old daughter Ashley had announced him. The crowd in the hall greeted him with about four minutes of cheering and shouts of “We love Joe!” and “Thank you, Joe.” During his speech, many delegates also became teary-eyed.
Former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost as a presidential candidate to Trump in 2016, also spoke at the start of the party convention. “Something is happening in America, you can feel it – something we have been working towards and dreaming of for a long time,” said the 76-year-old, commenting on the fact that Harris could now become the first woman in the US presidency.
The rest of the convention will be geared towards presenting Harris as a shining light. She will formally accept her nomination in a closing speech on Thursday. The 59-year-old’s candidacy has sparked enormous enthusiasm among the Democrats. The daughter of an Indian mother and a black Jamaican father would also be the first African-American and person of Asian descent to hold the US presidency.
The convention, however, is accompanied by protests against US support for Israel in the Gaza war. On Monday, around a hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators broke through an outer security fence around the United Center, where the convention is taking place. Police prevented the demonstrators from reaching the inner barrier.
In his speech, Biden showed understanding for the protesters: They had “a point” and many innocent people were being killed in the conflict, “on both sides.” The demonstrations brought back memories of the 1968 Democratic Party Convention in Chicago, which was overshadowed by angry protests against the Vietnam War and bloody clashes between security forces and demonstrators.
