After four days of praise from the most prominent Democrats in the United States, and a slew of celebrities, Joe Biden officially accepted the party’s nomination for president “with great honor and humility.” Biden, 77, spoke to the country from his home state of Delaware, pledging to voters that he’ll undo the harm he believes Donald Trump has done to the United States.
He began his acceptance speech by quoting civil rights icon Ella Baker. “Give people light and they will find the way. Give people light,” Biden said, adding, “I will draw on the best of us, not the worst us. I will be an ally of the light not the darkness.” Biden stated that Trump has failed his “basic duty” as president to protect the nation. “The current president has cloaked American darkness for much too long — too much anger, too much fear, too much division. Here and now, I give you my word: if you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst.”
Biden stressed that if Trump’s given a second term as president, nothing will change. The economy will not bounce back, and Trump will break all of his promises. “What we know about this president is if he’s given four more years he’ll be what he’s been for the last four years… he’ll wake up every day believing the job is about him, not about you,” Biden said.
He vows to not be a partisan president like the current Commander in Chief, who constantly bashes Democrats and punishes governors who dare go against him. “While I’ll be a Democratic candidate, I’ll be an American president,” Biden pledged. “I’ll work hard for those who didn’t support me. That’s the job of a president, to represent all of us, not just our base or our party.” He added, “Make no mistake. United, we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America. We’ll choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege.”
Biden also lambasted President Trump for his botched handling of the COVID-19 crisis, announcing that he’ll impose a national mandate on mask wearing if elected. “Our current president has failed and in his most basic duty to the nation. He has failed to protect us. He has failed to protect America. And, my fellow Americans, that is unforgivable,” he said.
Before the DNC began, Joe took to Twitter with an inspiring message for his followers: “We’ve been tested. This is a critical moment. Tonight, we’ll take the next step to restore leadership to this country and the White House,” he wrote. “I first ran for Senate when I was 29 years old, and I’m as optimistic about our future now as I was then,” he said in a second tweet. “It’s time to set our nation on a new path. One where we finally live up to our highest ideals and everyone has a fair shot to get ahead.”
Biden’s acceptance comes one day after Senator Kamala Harris officially became his running mate, the first Black and South Asian woman to ever be nominated to a major party’s national ticket — and just the fourth woman. “Here’s the thing: We can do better and deserve so much more” than Trump, Harris said during her acceptance speech. “We must elect a president who will bring something different, something better, and do the important work. A president who will bring all of us together — Black, White, Latino, Asian, Indigenous — to achieve the future we collectively want. We must elect Joe Biden.
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