CHICAGO – After waiting nearly an hour for his prime-time speech, which was pushed back to nearly 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time, President Joe Biden waited an additional three minutes at the lectern on the first night of the Democratic National Convention as his attempts to begin speaking were drowned out by chants from his party loyalists.
When planning for the convention began, Biden, as the party’s nominee, was expected to deliver a speech on the final evening.
Instead, he spoke Monday as a politician just months away from retirement and as a bridge to recent Democratic leadership.
“I love my job,” he said at the end of his remarks. “But I love my country even more.”
In the final minutes of what may be his last major political speech in his 50-year career, Biden quoted a song by Gene Scheer.
“America, America, I gave you my best,” he said.
Early on, and often as he spoke, the thousands of Democratic delegates at the United Center expressed their appreciation, stopping him and interrupting with chants of “We love Joe.”
Hours after another crowd of demonstrators protesting Biden’s handling of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza gathered outside the Congressional hall, Biden made his most unparalleled statement on the conflict, calling for a ceasefire and acknowledging that the protesters “have a point.”
Biden’s speech gave a glimpse of what an acceptance speech for a second Democratic nomination might have looked like. But instead of promising what he would do in a second term, he said Vice President Kamala Harris would continue the work of the administration.
Biden endorsed Harris as his successor on the Democratic ticket when Harris withdrew from the race last month under pressure from Democratic leadership following his performance at the June debate.
In a moment that seemed to surprise Biden, Harris and her second husband, Doug Emhoff, joined the President and First Lady on stage immediately after the speech.
“The best volunteer”
Throughout his speech, Biden touted his own record, saying Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, share the same values and character that would lead to the policies Democrats want.
“I promise I will be the best volunteer the Harris and Walz campaign has ever seen,” he said.
Many of his remarks also focused on the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, whom Biden defeated in the 2020 election.
Biden’s appearance was pushed out of primetime as dozens of previous speakers and artists had to push the Democrats’ debut night further and further off the schedule. Some performances had to be postponed.
“Because of the thunderous applause that interrupted one speaker after another, we ultimately skipped parts of our program to ensure we could get to President Biden as quickly as possible so he could speak directly to the American people,” convention officials said in a statement.
“We are proud of the electrifying atmosphere in our convention hall and proud that our convention showcases the broad and diverse coalition behind the Harris-Walz ticket on and offstage all week long.”
Infrastructure, gun safety, prescription drugs
Biden touted his record from nearly four years in office. The country is no longer in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
He said wages were rising and inflation was falling, but noted that more needs to be done in these areas.
He introduced a major infrastructure bill, signed a bipartisan gun safety bill, and worked to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
Biden praised the achievements of his administration and emphasized the role of Harris.
When he mentioned the passage of a key Democratic bill in 2022 that would boost spotless energy production, cap the cost of some prescription drugs and take other measures, the crowd chanted “Thank you, Joe.”
“Thank you, Kamala,” Biden replied.
Middle East
Biden also said there is still much work to be done and addressed an issue that has divided Democrats over the past year of his presidency: Israel’s war in Gaza.
He said his government was working to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“And finally, finally, finally enforce a ceasefire and end this war,” he said, banging his fist on the lectern. “The protesters in the streets are right. Many innocent people are being killed on both sides.”
On other issues, he said Harris and Walz would continue his work.
“Kamala and Tim will make the child tax cut permanent,” he said, referring to a COVID-19-era provision that increased the tax credit for families.
Contrast to Trump
Biden described Trump as a tool of authoritarian leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Biden repeated a story he had told throughout the 2020 campaign: that he decided to run for president and contest Trump’s re-election after Trump excused a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Biden rejected political violence and committed himself to a lasting democracy – a theme he already expressed in his 2020 election campaign and which became even more relevant after the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 by Trump supporters who wanted to keep him in the White House.
Trump again did not say that he would accept the result of an election defeat, Biden said.
The election of Harris was a necessary step to protect democracy, he said.
“Democracy has triumphed, democracy has delivered,” he said. “And now democracy must be preserved.”
Message from the union
As he has done for most of his half-century in national politics, Biden appealed to union members, a time-honored Democratic constituency.
“Wall Street did not build America,” he said. “The middle class built America, and the unions built the middle class.”
He said he was proud to have been on the picket line with striking United Auto Workers members.
Earlier in the evening, UAW President Shawn Fain addressed the crowd praising Biden for making history as the first president to picket.
Passing the torch
Throughout the evening, speakers praised Biden for his accomplishments in office and for passing the baton to Harris.
Delaware Senator Chris Coons, a Biden ally who took his seat in the Senate after he was elected vice president, said Biden helped the nation recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Jan. 6 attacks.
“On behalf of our nation, Joe, we thank you for your courage in fighting for our democracy,” Coons said. “On behalf of our Democratic Party, we thank you for fighting for our democratic values.”
First Lady Jill Biden said the president is committed to causes bigger than himself. She was reminded of this when she saw him “look deep into his soul and decide to no longer run for re-election and to support Kamala Harris.”
U.S. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, for years the third-highest-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, also praised Biden’s decision to make Harris his running mate and to support her when he left the presidency.
Speaking to reporters after his official remarks, Clyburn said a Harris victory in November would complete Biden’s role in the history of black presidents. After serving the first black president as vice president for eight years, Clyburn said, Biden chose Harris to be the first black female vice president.
If Harris wins the election in November, Clyburn said, “Joe Biden will likely go down in history as the president who most led the transformation in this country.”
