CHICAGO — President Joe Biden, in a fiery and emotional address to fellow Democrats, declared “America is winning” Monday night as he attempted to define his legacy on the environment, the economy and democracy in a speech he believed only a month ago would be the launch of his reelection bid.
The bittersweet moment on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, coming after tributes from Biden’s wife and daughter, started late and went past midnight on the East Coast after lengthy tributes to Vice President Kamala Harris, his replacement at the top of the ticket.
The belated adulation while many Americans slept underscored the complex challenge of the convention’s first night: celebrating a one-term president who knocked Donald Trump out of the White House while shoring up Biden’s stand-in for another competitive contest with former President Trump.
Biden’s nearly hour-long speech was a swan song to a career that has spanned a half century and the visibly emotional president referred to a favorite lyric to describe his mindset.
“Let me know in my heart, when my days are through, America, America, I gave my best to you,” Biden said, quoting a Norah Jones song.
But he also looked forward, describing his selection Harris as his running mate four years as the best decision he has made in his career and arguing that electing the vice president in November is critical to building up his legacy and accomplishments.
“She’s tough, she’s experienced,and she has enormous integrity, enormous integrity. Her story represents the best American story. Like many of our best presidents, she was also vice president,” joked Biden, who served as President Obama’s No. 2. “She’ll be a president our children could look up to. She’ll be a president respected by world leaders because she already is. She’ll be a president we can all be proud of, and she will be a historic president who puts her stamp on America’s future.”
While many of the evening’s speakers focused on describing the historic nature of Harris’ run and describing their personal relationships with her, the vice president, in a surprise appearance at the convention Monday, focused on Biden’s legacy.
“I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible president, Joe Biden, who will be speaking later tonight,” Harris said, after receiving a rapturous response when she stepped on stage in Chicago. “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. Thank you.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who made history as the first female presidential nominee for a major party in 2016, spoke about the arc of women’s political power — women winning the right to vote after Clinton’s mother was born, Rep. Shirley Chisholm’s groundbreaking presidential run in 1972, Geraldine Ferraro becoming the first woman to appear on a major party ticket in 1984 and her own groundbreaking run.
“It was the honor of my life to accept our party’s nomination for president. And nearly 66 million Americans voted for a future where there are no ceilings on our dreams,” she said, before urging the delegates to work hard in the closing months of the campaign. “Together, we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest, glass ceiling, and tonight, tonight, we’re so close to breaking through once and for all.
“And you know what? On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office,” Clinton said in a speech that was greeted by raucous cheers and brought the crowd to their feet.
Before Biden spoke, many of the speakers on Monday struck a strong populist tone. Sean Fain, leader of the United Auto Workers, led the crowd in a “Trump’s a scam” chant as he praised Biden and Harris for joining workers on strike and cast Trump as a plutocrat, bent on helping “the other side.”
“We have to help her win, because we know that Donald Trump” being reelected would result in him selling out the nation with the goal of “lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
The overturning of Roe vs. Wade and the resulting restrictions on abortion access in many states was also a theme. Two female speakers recounted their struggles accessing medical care after their pregnancies became unviable, while the third became pregnant when she was 12 after she was raped by her stepfather.
Biden’s speech bookended one of the more unusual months in modern American politics as Biden, 81, was nudged aside by his own party four weeks ago over concerns he lacked the vigor to defeat former President Trump. Instead of speaking Thursday night, as the nominee, he will speak on the opening night, before heading off for vacation in Santa Barbara County.
The party is now trying to celebrate him, while acknowledging that his exit has added excitement to a race that seemed headed toward failure just four weeks ago.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who helped orchestrate the effort to persuade Biden to drop out, called him “selfless” and “one of the greatest, most consequential presidents in our country’s history” while speaking to reporters Monday at the California delegation breakfast. “I just wanted to win this election,” she said, when asked about her now-frayed relationship.
Democrats are planning on welcoming Biden as a hero. But he remains unpopular with the nation at large, with approval from 38% of voters compared with 56% who disapprove of him, according to the Fivethirtyeight.com polling average.
Biden is hoping those numbers will improve over the next several years, as they often do for former presidents, when they retreat from the daily news cycle. Since announcing his departure from the campaign, Biden has tried to boost Harris by pointing to his legacy projects, including trillions spent on infrastructure, the social safety net and environmental projects.
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