The American president, Joe Bidenreceived an overwhelming ovation of almost five minutes on Monday at the Democratic National Conventionbefore giving a speech in which he warned about the threat posed by the Republican candidate Donald Trumpand in which he passed the baton to the vice president Kamala Harris.
“I love my job, but I love my country more,” Biden said during a speech that capped a half-century political career with a final stage marked by calls within his own party for him to end his re-election campaign, after doubts arose about his ability to beat Trump in November.
The first day of the convention, however, became a tribute to Biden’s career and his sacrifice for the American people. When he arrived on stage, the excitement of the audience was such that the president had to wait five minutes to begin his speech.
“I love you!” a visibly moved Biden responded as thousands of people stood up, chanting “We love you Joe” and waving blue banners decorated with red hearts bearing the same message.
As he walked onto the stage, surrounded by the fervor of the crowd, he had to wipe away a few tears as he hugged his daughter Ashley, who introduced him by describing him as “one of the most transcendental leaders in history.”
Attacks on Trump
Biden devoted much of his speech to attacking Trump and warning of the threat he poses to US democracy, recalling the 2021 assault on the Capitol and stating that during his presidency, Nazis, white supremacists and even the KKK “were emboldened” because they saw him as an “ally.”
«There is no place in America for political violence, you cannot love the country only when you win», Biden said as he began his speech.
With that serious tone, Biden passed the baton to Harris, stating that “democracy must be preserved” and urging Americans to go to the polls to defend U.S. values.
To the roar of the crowd, Biden called Harris’s selection as vice president “the best decision” of his career and recounted how over the past four years they have become friends and he has come to see how the vice president is a “tough” and “smart” leader.
Harris followed Biden’s speech closely from the United Center, the venue for the convention. When the president finished, she took the stage with her husband. Douglas Emhoff and the first lady Jill Biden to congratulate the president.
Biden then took the moment to take Harris’s hand and raise their hands together to the applause of the audience.
Harris’s intervention
This, however, was not Harris’ first appearance at the convention. Hours earlier, the vice president had made an unexpected appearance on stage to pay tribute to the president’s “historic leadership.”
Then, Harris’s arrival, to the rhythm of the song ‘Freedom’ of Beyoncébrought the audience to their feet and burst into shouts and applause, making the stadium rumble.
“When we fight, we win!” Harris said, repeating words that have become the central theme of her banner, with many Democratic delegates waving signs with that slogan.
Hillary Clinton encourages Harris to break the glass ceiling
Another of the most exciting moments of the night came with the intervention of Hilary Clinton, who encouraged Harris to break the glass ceiling, in an emotional speech where she included the current campaign in the history of the feminist struggle in the United States.
“When a barrier falls for one of us, it falls for all of us,” said Clinton, who in 2016 made history by becoming the first woman to win the presidential nomination of one of the two major U.S. political parties.
Dressed in a white suit, the same color she wore in the first presidential debate against Trump in 2016 and which pays homage to the suffragette movement, Clinton said that progress is not “guaranteed” and urged Democrats to go to the polls to vote en masse for Harris.
A night of symbols and tributes
The night was full of symbols with a tribute to the reverend Jesse Jacksonwho ran for president in 1984 and 1988 and who many Democrats credit with paving the way for Barack Obama won the White House in 2008.
There were also exciting speeches such as that of the senator for Georgia Raphael Warnockwho referred to “the poor children of Israel and the poor children of Gaza” and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Corteza standard-bearer for the progressive wing and the first politician to mention the war in Gaza from the stage of the Democratic convention.
Ocasio-Cortez offered Harris a challenge, saying she is working “tirelessly to achieve a ceasefire” in the Middle East and “to free the hostages.”
Throughout Monday afternoon, outside the stadium where the convention is being held, thousands of protesters took to the streets to pressure Harris to withdraw her support for Israel, echoing a discontent felt by the Democratic base and particularly young people. EFE (I)
#Biden #Clinton #asked #Kamala #Harris #support
