Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention.
With five months left in his presidency, President Joseph R. Biden called on Americans to unite to defend democracy, defeat Donald Trump in November, and keep the nation moving forward. His bittersweet but rousing speech on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago signaled the closing of one chapter and the opening of a new one for Vice President Kamala Harris.
The speech, which got underway well after 10 p.m., was met with thunderous applause, standing ovations, laudatory chants, and echoing cheers. It put an end to a contentious and, at times, acetous re-election process. Biden stepped down from the race a month ago after Democratic party leaders openly questioned his stamina, health, and age, leading the octogenarian to quickly endorse Harris weeks prior to the convention.
The move not only put an end to political infighting that threatened to disrupt the Biden-Harris ticket, but also created much-needed momentum for Democrats leading into November.
Building upon the convention theme of “For the People,” the nation’s 46th president spoke about his administration’s accomplishments and drew a stark contrast between Harris and her GOP opponent, often taking the former president to task for misleading, boastful, and mendacious claims. “Donald Trump promised infrastructure every week for four years and he never built a damn thing,” Biden said, before touting a litany of successes.
“COVID no longer controls our lives. We’ve gone from an economic crisis to the strongest economy in the entire world,” Biden said. “Record 16 million jobs; record small business growth; record high stock market, record high 401k. Wages are up, inflation is down, way down, and continues to go down.”
He continued, “We are uniting our country. We’re growing our economy. We’re improving our quality of life. And we’re building a better America.” The president then went on to rally delegates and the American public, in general, to support the Harris ticket to keep moving the nation forward.
Many herald the president’s speech as a testament to his love for the nation. Mainstream media labeled his address as a “swan song.” The idiom is used to refer to one’s final gesture or performance before retirement or death. With just under 150 days left in power, Biden may have other opportunities to share his final thoughts before his departure from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Just weeks prior to the convention and after a disastrous debate performance, the President had vowed to stay in the race, despite numerous calls from high-profile Democratic leaders for him to step down. He did so in a Sunday, July 21st letter, which read in part, “it has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Later he amended his statement by endorsing his vice president to replace him at the top of the ticket. “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” Biden posted on the X platform.
Ashley Biden comforts her father President Biden after introducing him.
The endorsement came one week after Trump was grazed by a bullet during a failed assassination attempt at a July 14th Pennsylvania rally. The incident caused outrage and began to bolster the Trump campaign, which had been repeatedly criticized by fact-checkers for spreading misinformation and outright lies.
However, Biden’s endorsement drew concern among party leaders who felt it might circumvent the democratic nomination process. Other officials and pundits argued Harris was the logical choice, as she had been instrumental in many of the Biden’s administration’s legislative successes, and it was too late in the season to launch a well-funded presidential operation from scratch.
Eventually, after gaining enough support from delegates, national party leaders and celebrity influencers, the Vice President became presumptive nominee and raised a whopping $310 million in a matter of days for as the head of the ticket. Her Thursday night convention speech, presented after the Crusader deadline, was expected to be part coronation, part clarion call for unity, focus and strength leading into the November 5th election day.
As the Democratic convention rallied toward victory, Harris and her vice-presidential running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, launched an aggressive $90 million advertising blitz designed to energize her base, stimulate voter turnout, and dispel political disinformation.
Recent polls suggest that the vice president has made significant inroads with independent voters and now leads Republican candidates, former President Donald Trump, and Ohio Senator JD Vance by slim margins. A New York Times poll in the swing state of Pennsylvania had the vice president at 49 percent and Trump at 48 percent.
“Barack gave us hope; Kamala is going to give us the way forward,” Illinois Speaker Chris Welch told delegates during an earlier session.
Before the speeches began after the opening prayer by Archbishop of Chicago Cardinal Blasé J. Cupich, the posting of the honor guard, Pledge of Allegiance, and a moving rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner by the Soul Children of Chicago, led by Dr. Walter Whitman. The parliamentary procedures and early evening speeches were done before a half-empty room as delegates slowly filled the arena.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson took the podium at 5 p.m., welcomed delegates, and set the tone for what was to come for the remainder of the week. Speaking of Vice President Harris, the mayor said, “As the son of a family that worked to make ends meet, I know that Kamala Harris, the daughter of a mom who worked hard every single day, will look out for the interest of everyday people.
“I know that, as a fellow former social studies teacher, that (Walz) will never shrink from standing up for our democracy and for those most in need. And as a Black man raising a little Black girl on the west side of Chicago, I know that my daughter, Braden will see not only a reflection of herself in the White House, but she will experience the deepest part of American values,” he said, calling Chicago the “greatest freakin’ city in the world.”
The mayor’s remarks were followed by a series of labor executives, civil rights leaders and elected officials, including Sen. Dick Durbin (IL), Sen. Raphael Warnock (GA), Rep. Maxine Waters (CA), Rep. Jim Clyburn (SC), Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Michigan State Senator Malorie McMorrow, and former Secretary of State Hilary R. Clinton.
Bass, who served as speaker of the California general assembly during Harris‘s tenure as the first woman district attorney in San Francisco, spoke to the vice president’s commitment to child welfare and juvenile justice. “Our bond was forged years ago by a shared commitment to children; we fought to address youth homelessness and reform the child welfare system. We wanted to make sure that California’s foster youth aren’t cut off and left on their own the day they turn 18.
“As attorney general, Kamala created our state’s bureau of children’s justice and worked to give children in the juvenile justice system the support they needed,” Mayor Bass said. “When I asked her to swear me in, the first woman vice president swearing in the first woman mayor of Los Angeles, we knew we were sending a message to young girls everywhere that they too can lead.”
Clinton, a former U.S. Senator and First Lady, won the popular vote against Trump in 2016 but did not receive enough electoral ballots to secure the presidency. When she entered the stage, she received a three-minute-long standing ovation when she took to the podium. “We’re not just electing a president; we’re uplifting our nation. We’re opening the promise of America wide enough for everyone,” Clinton said. “Together, we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceilings. Tonight (we are) so close to breaking through once and for all.”
“I was just 22 years old when Fannie Lou Hamer made her presence known at another Democratic Convention,” said Rep. Waters. “It was in 1964 in Atlantic City, and she arrived with a group of Black delegates from Mississippi and she simply asked, that her delegates be seated in place of the state‘s old white delegation.
“She didn‘t get the outcome she was hoping for in Atlantic City,” Water said to cheers, “but you can bet that when the official Mississippi delegation was seated at the convention four years later, Fannie Lou Hamer was sitting there with them. Now, here we are. Here we are 60 years later, at another Democratic convention with Kamala Harris as our party‘s nominee.”
Vice President Harris surprised convention goers by briefly taking the stage and offering remarks. In them, she thanked President Biden for his support and celebrated his years of public service. “Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you,” she said, as applause continued to erupt.
“Looking out at everyone tonight, I see the beauty of our great nation,” Harris continued. “People from every corner of our country and every walk of life are here united by our shared vision for the future of our country. And this November, we will come together and declare with one voice as one people, we are moving forward.”
This is the first DNC Convention ran by a diverse group of women and jointly led by people of African American heritage. Both the Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison and convention Chairwoman Minyon Moore are Black.
Harrison served as chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party and in 2020 ran an unsuccessful bid to unseat Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. The lawyer and former lobbyist for the Podesta Group, United Way Worldwide and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, he also worked as a congressional aide to Rep. Clyburn.
Moore, who began her career at Operation PUSH as an aide to Rev. Willie T. Barrow and Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., grew up in the Englewood neighborhood. She served as an aide to President Bill Clinton and director of White House political affairs in from 1993 to 2001. Speaking of President Biden, she said, “He has revived our country and restored our country’s soul. And last month, in a true act of patriotism, he passed the torch to the next generation and the next President of the United States, Kamala Harris.”
Before the president took the stage, delegates were treated to performances from country singers Mickey Guyton and James Isbell. “Scandal” actor Tony Goldwyn, who played a U.S. president, served as partial host.
Five hours after the program began, the president was introduced by his daughter Ashley, who was proceeded by her mother, First Lady Jill Biden. She said, “Joey and I have been together for almost 50 years. And still, there are moments when I fall in love with him all over again.
“…I’m reminded of all he’s accomplished in the name of something bigger than himself: Receiving the medal of freedom with humility; placing his hand on our family bible to take his oath of office; and, weeks ago when I saw him dig deep into his soul and decide to no longer see re-election and endorse Kamala Harris,” Mrs. Biden said.
Their remarks brought tears to the president’s eyes as he wiped his face with a cloth and walked steadily toward the podium. At times it felt as if the ceilings and floors of the United Center would collapse from the sound waves, stomping, clapping and cheering resonating throughout the arena. Handheld navy-blue banners with red words and an emoji of “I Love Joe” fluttered by the thousands.
Though most of Mr. Biden’s speech focused on his administrative accomplishments and the strength of the Harris-Walz ticket, the president directed quite a few jabs at Trump, whose name elicited boos, jeers, and thumbs down from attendees. His voice grew forceful and direct at those times.
“Donald Trump calls America a ‘failing nation’…,” Biden said. “Think about this. He publicly says this to the whole world. I’m going to say something outrageous: I know more foreign leaders by their first names, and I know them well than anybody alive just because I’m so damn old. I’m not joking. Think of the message he sends around the world. He says we’re losing. He’s the loser. He’s dead wrong.”
“America is safer today than under Donald Trump,” Biden said. “(He) continues to lie about crime in America, like everything else. Guess what? On his watch the murder rate went up 30 percent, the biggest increase in history. Meanwhile, Kamala and I made the largest investment in public safety ever.
“Now the murder rate is failing faster than any time in history,” he continued. “Violent crime has dropped to the lowest level in more than 50 years. And crime will keep coming down when we put a prosecutor in the Oval Office instead of a convicted felon.”
Biden began his political career at the age of 27. After practicing law in Delaware, he won his first political race in 1970, securing a spot on the New Castle County Council representing the 4th District. He served on the council for two years.
Biden stepped into national politics in 1972 when he ran for the U.S. Senate at 29 years of age. After a hard fought battle, the underdog candidate defeated two-term Republican incumbent J. Caleb Boggs; and having turned 30 before being sworn-in he was able to legally assume office.
Unfortunately, in that same year his first wife, Nelia, and 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car accident while Christmas shopping. The accident left his sons Beau and Hunter severely injured. Despite considering resignation from his recently won Senate seat, Biden continued his political career. He wed public school teacher Jill Jacobs in 1977, and Ashley was born in 1981.
In 2008 he was elected vice president under President Obama and served two terms. After defeating Trump in 2020, Biden not only made Harris the first woman and first Black/Asian woman as second in command, but in 2022 also appointed the first African American woman and first federal public defender, Ketanji Brown Jackson, to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Despite acknowledged “errors” in his political career, Biden continues to be celebrated as one of the most effective presidents in U.S. history.
“Each of us has a part in the American story,” he said. “For me and my family there’s a song that means a lot to us that captures the best of who we are as a nation, …called American Anthem. ‘The work and prayers of centuries that brought us to this day, what shall our legacy be, what will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through, America, America, I gave my best to you.”
