In a bittersweet moment, President Joe Biden addressed Americans on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, bidding farewell and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris after ending his reelection bid.
Nearly overcome with emotion, he embraced his daughter Ashley, who had introduced him to the crowd.
“It’s been the honor of my life to serve you as your president,” Biden said. “I love my job. But I love my country more.”
Referring to Harris—who he called “vice president soon-to-be-president Kamala Harris”—Biden said, “Her story represents the best American story. She’ll be a president our children can look up to. She’ll be a president respected by world leaders. She will be a president we can all be proud of. She will be a historic president who puts her stamp on America’s future.”
As he ceded the party’s leadership to Harris, Biden recounted his Administration’s accomplishments, explained why he ran for President in 2020 and took direct aim at former President Donald Trump.
Throughout his half-century-long career, the 81-year-old was elected to the Senate at just 29, ran for the Democratic nomination for President twice, joined Barack Obama’s historic ticket as running mate in 2008—serving two terms as vice president—and was finally elected President in 2020.
He attributed his decision to run against Trump in 2020 to the 78-year-old’s 2017 comments, which appeared to speak favorably of neo-Nazis following the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally.
“We’re in a battle for the very soul of America. I ran for president in 2020 because of what I saw in Charlottesville in August of 2017. Extremists coming out of the woods carrying torches, their veins bulging from their necks, carrying Nazi swastikas and chanting the same exact antisemitic bile that was heard in Germany in the early ’30s,” Biden said.
“When the president was asked what he thought had happened, Donald Trump said, and I quote, ‘There are very fine people on both sides.’ My God, that’s what he said. That is what he said and what he meant. That’s when I realized … I could not stay on the sidelines. So I ran,” Biden continued.
“All of us carry a special obligation,” Biden said, addressing not just Democrats but Americans of all political sides. “We saved democracy in 2020, and now we must save it again in 2024,” he added, reminding people that “Donald Trump says he will refuse to accept the election result if he loses again.”
Further in his speech, Biden highlighted his Administration’s legislative wins, including bringing the nation back from the COVID-19 pandemic, making historic investments in infrastructure, creating millions of jobs, and lowering prescription drug prices. He added that Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, “understand that this nation must continue to be a place of possibilities—not just for the few of us, but for all of us.”
Biden also reiterated his commitment to “rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class,” and noted that the bills he passed “delivered more to red states than blue.”
“As your President, I’ve been determined to keep America moving forward, not going back,” Biden said. “To stand against hate and violence in all its forms. To be a nation where we not only live with but thrive on diversity, demonizing no one, leaving no one behind, and becoming a nation that we profess to be.”
Addressing the elephant in the room, Biden assured the convention crowd that he harbors no ill will toward Democrats who publicly and privately urged him to withdraw from the 2024 race.
“And all this talk about how I’m angry with all those people who said I should step down—that’s not true,” Biden said, as the crowd chanted, “We love Joe.”
“I’ve either been too young to be in the Senate because I wasn’t 30 yet, or too old to stay as President. But I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you.”
“America’s future is in your hands,” Biden said as he encouraged people to vote and fight in a “battle for the very soul of America.”