CHICAGO –– After waiting nearly an hour to deliver a prime-time address that was pushed back to nearly 11:30 p.m. ET, President Joe Biden waited an extra three minutes at the podium on the first night of the Democratic National Convention as chants from party stalwarts drowned out his attempts to begin his speech.
As convention planning began, Biden, as the party’s nominee, was expected to deliver a speech on the final night.
Instead, he spoke Monday as a leader months away from retirement and as a bridge to recent Democratic leadership.
“I love my job,” he said, nearing the end of his speech. “But I love my country more.”
In the final minutes of what was likely the last major political speech of a half-century-long career, Biden quoted a Gene Scheer song.
“America, America, I gave you the best of everything,” he said.
Early in his speech, thousands of Democratic delegates gathered at the United Center showed their appreciation by delaying and interrupting him with chants of “We love Joe.”
Hours after another crowd, protesters opposed to Biden’s handling of Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, gathered outside the conference hall, Biden delivered his most powerful speech yet on the conflict, calling for a ceasefire. He acknowledged that the protesters “have a point.”
Biden’s speech offered a taste of what the Democratic nominee’s second acceptance speech could look like. But instead of promising what he would do in a second term, he said Vice President Kamala Harris would continue the work of the administration.
Biden endorsed Harris as his successor in the Democratic primary race after he withdrew from the race last month under pressure from Democratic leaders following his debate performance in June.
In a moment that appeared to come as a surprise to Biden, Harris and her second husband, Doug Emhoff, joined the president and first lady on stage immediately after the speech.
“Best Volunteer”
During the speech, Biden touted his own record and said Harris and her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, possessed the same values and character that would lead to the policies Democrats want.
“I promise to be the best volunteer the Harris-Walz campaign has ever seen,” he said.
Much of his remarks also focused on the Republican Party candidate, former President Donald Trump, whom Biden defeated in the 2020 election.
Biden’s appearance was pushed out of the prime-time block as dozens of earlier speakers and performers forced the Democrat’s debut night to go increasingly off schedule, with some forced to reschedule.
“Due to the thunderous applause that interrupted each speaker’s speech, we ultimately skipped elements of our program in order to reach President Biden as quickly as possible and allow him to address the American people directly,” convention officials said in a statement.
“We are proud of the electrifying atmosphere in our convention hall and that our convention showcases the broad and diverse coalition behind the Harris-Walz ticket throughout the week, both on and off stage.”
Infrastructure, Gun Safety, Prescription Drugs
Biden had been promoting his record for nearly four years in office. The country was no longer in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
He said wages were rising and inflation was falling, although he noted that there was still much work to be done on these issues.
He introduced a sweeping infrastructure bill, signed bipartisan gun safety legislation and worked to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
In promoting his administration’s successes, Biden highlighted Harris’ role.
When he mentioned passing a major Democratic bill in 2022 that aims to boost tidy energy production, cap the cost of some prescription drugs and enact other measures, the crowd responded with chants of “Thank you, Joe.”
“Thank you also to Kamala,” Biden responded.
Middle East
Biden also said he still has much work to do and touched on an issue that has divided Democrats during the final year of his presidency: Israel’s war in Gaza.
He added that his administration is working to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“And finally, finally, finally call a ceasefire and end this war,” he said, banging his fist on the lectern. “Those protesters in the street are right. Many innocent people are dying on both sides.”
In other matters, he said Harris and Walz will continue his work.
“Kamala and Tim are going to make the child tax cut permanent,” he said, referring to a COVID-19-era provision that expanded the tax credit for families.
Contrast with Trump
Biden called Trump a tool of authoritarian leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Biden repeated a story he told throughout the 2020 campaign, that he decided to run for president and challenge Trump’s reelection after Trump excused the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Biden has rejected political violence and said he stands for sustainable democracy, a theme he explored in his 2020 campaign, which gained traction after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to keep him in the White House.
Biden said Trump once again has not said he will accept the results of a lost election.
He said the selection of Harris was a necessary step to protect democracy.
“Democracy has triumphed, democracy has delivered,” he said. “And now democracy must be preserved.”
Union message
As he has done for most of his half-century in national politics, Biden has turned to union members, a customary Democratic constituency.
“Wall Street didn’t build America,” he said. “The middle class built America, and unions built the middle class.”
He said he was proud to be on the picket line with a striking member of the United Auto Workers union.
Earlier that evening, UAW President Shawn Fain spoke to the crowd and praised Biden for making history as the first president to picket.
Passing the torch
Speakers during the evening praised Biden for his accomplishments in office and for passing the baton to Harris.
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Biden ally who took Biden’s Senate seat after Biden was elected vice president, said Biden helped the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Jan. 6 attack.
“On behalf of our nation, Joe, for your courage in fighting for our democracy, we thank you,” Coons said. “On behalf of our Democratic Party, for fighting for our democratic values, we thank you.”
First lady Jill Biden said the president was championing causes bigger than himself, something she recalled when she saw him “do some soul searching and decide not to run for reelection and endorse Kamala Harris.”
U.S. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives for years, also praised Biden’s decision to make Harris his vice presidential running mate and endorse her when he dropped out of the race.
Speaking to reporters after his official remarks, Clyburn said Harris’ victory in November would be Biden’s crowning achievement in the history of black presidents. After eight years as the first black president to serve as vice president, Clyburn said Biden had chosen the first black vice president, Harris.
Clyburn said that if Harris wins the November election, “Joe Biden will go down in history as probably the most transformational president this country has ever had.”
