This story is part of the IDS’ national convention coverage. Follow reporter Andrew Miller on X and IDS social media for updates.
CHICAGO — Joe Biden passed the torch of presidential nominee to Kamala Harris in a triumphant speech Monday, as an energized crowd cheered at almost every one of his lines.
The moment at the end of the Democratic National Convention’s first day felt like the culmination of Biden’s career in politics, even before the day he will leave office. It came almost a month after he withdrew his re-election bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden came out wiping tears from his eyes after his wife Jill and daughter Ashley’s speeches introducing him. The crowd of democrats cheered for him throughout his entire remarks.
“We love Joe!” the crowd chanted, holding hundreds of vertical signs reading “We <3 Joe.”
For most of his speech, he focused on his own record as president and attacked former President Donald Trump — calling him a threat to democracy. With five months left, he said, he still has much to get done.
In his record, he highlighted his Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which have provided and continue to fund billions for clean energy, infrastructure and other initiatives.
He described an economy in tatters as he took office in 2021, in contrast to now as low unemployment holds and inflation cools. Polling still shows that Americans feel poorly about the economy, though sentiment is improving. Biden nonetheless marked his administration as successful.
More than anything, he described a world at a point of tension where every decision immeasurably changes history. One example: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he said America then turned around into the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization into Sweden and Finland.
And it means, he said, the work his administration is doing to reach a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War. Several shouts from protesters inside the arena were unsuccessful in pausing Biden’s speech.
“Those protesters out on the street, they have a point,” Biden said. “A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.”
Toward the end, he highlighted Kamala Harris’s campaign as his successor.
Toward the end, as the crowd once again chanted “thank you Joe,” he replied, “thank you, Kamala.”
He also outlined the priorities he wants to see in her administration — largely continuations and expansions of his own policies on issues such as drug costs, climate change and labor issues.
“America, I gave my best to you,” he said.
After his speech concluded, his family, along with Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff, embraced on stage. The Democratic Party, a month ago feeling peril among intra-party division, concerns over Biden’s age and about winning the election at all, cheered in unity.
— Andrew Miller covers politics and elections for the Indiana Daily Student. Contact him at ami3@iu.edu, or direct message via X.
