President Joe Biden delivered his farewell address at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, as his decision to end his reelection bid unleashed new energy within his party with the rise of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket.
After 52 years of rising to the pinnacle of influence within his party, Biden, 81, received a hero’s welcome for stepping aside to make way for Harris, weeks after many in his party pressured him to abandon his reelection bid. A month after an unprecedented mid-campaign shift, the opening night of the convention in Chicago was designed to give the incumbent president a graceful exit and launch Harris into a showdown with Republican Donald Trump, whose bid for a comeback to the White House is seen by Democrats as an existential threat.
Biden, visibly moved, was greeted with a standing ovation lasting more than four minutes and chants of “Thank you, Joe.”
“America, I love you,” he replied.
Biden spoke clearly and forcefully, appearing to seize the opportunity to defend his record, advocate for his vice president and attack Trump. His speech was more reminiscent of the Biden who won in 2020 than the stammering, sometimes incoherent former candidate whose debate performance against Trump in June triggered the downfall of his reelection campaign.
