US President Joe Biden welcomed Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) as the best hope for preserving American democracy.
Biden was in the spotlight on opening night of the DNC, delivering the party’s farewell speech five months before the end of his presidential term.
“Are you ready to vote for freedom? Are you ready to vote for democracy and for America? Let me ask you, are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz?”
His speech in Chicago kicked off a four-day event. The president’s reluctant decision to step down on 21 July followed intense pressure from party leaders who worried that the 81-year-old incumbent was too old to win or serve another four years.
I love the job, but I love my country more.
The president is urging Democrats to unite around a candidate who, if she wins on 5 November, will become the first Black and South Asian woman to be elected president of the United States.
In his speech, Biden praised his administration’s achievements and made the case for Americans to elect Harris as his successor in the White House. He also accused Trump of befriending Russian President Vladimir Putin and weakening NATO.
Unlike most of the speakers, Biden acknowledged the anger of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the conference hall on Monday, saying he was working relentlessly to achieve a ceasefire.
Hillary Clinton backed Harris
Earlier in the evening, Harris, 59, made a surprise appearance, drawing applause from the crowd as she vowed to defeat Trump. She will officially accept the nomination on Thursday.
“Let us fight for the ideals we hold dear and let us always remember, when we fight we win!”
Democrats also hailed their failed 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, whose defeat to Trump in 2016 dashed hopes of the first woman to take the White House.
Clinton, who became the first woman to nominate herself for president from a major US party, drew applause when she took the stage on Monday.
The story of my life and the history of our country is that progress is possible, but not guaranteed. And now, we are writing a new chapter in America’s story. Kamala has the character, experience and vision to lead us forward.
