Biden’s DNC Speech Praises Harris, But Mostly Focuses on Himself — and Trump

On Monday evening, President Joe Biden returned to headline the Democratic National Convention stage, as he has many times in the past — though this time, it was not in the way he had probably prepared for just two months ago.

Instead of returning as a presidential candidate, Biden spoke as a supportive incumbent who had opted not to run again, backing the campaign of his vice president, Kamala Harris, instead.

Biden’s decision to drop out of the race came after a disastrous debate performance in late June against Donald Trump, the Republican nominee and former president that Biden had defeated four years ago. Although both candidates were panned by critics for their answers during that debate, Biden stumbled at several points, resulting in many questioning his cognitive ability to serve another term, and his polling numbers against Trump taking a noticeable drop.

Biden initially resisted pressure from within his party to exit the race, but finally relented in mid-July. Just a couple of days after, Vice President Kamala Harris, who had received Biden’s endorsement to replace him as a candidate, secured enough delegates to become the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for president.

Harris made an unexpected appearance before the convention — and hours before Biden himself appeared onstage — to thank her current boss. “We are forever grateful to you,” she said, directing her message to the president.

Preceding his appearance, the Democratic convention featured speeches from other dignitaries. The theme of the night was officially “For the People,” meant to recognize the storied (and, at various points, troubling) career of the current president. But to an outsider, the true theme was apparent: that Donald Trump should not be president ever again, and that Kamala Harris is preferable to the GOP nominee.

To be sure, the speeches throughout the night highlighted aspects of Harris’s career as well. But they were frequently juxtaposed with criticisms of Trump, both of his four years in office and of the nearly four years he’s been a private citizen trying to regain the presidency.

“The Democratic National Convention so far is largely about Donald Trump,” Washington Post columnist Aaron Blake wrote.

Biden’s speech was no different, featuring many lines that attacked Trump while attempting to play up Harris as the morally superior candidate.

Of course, Biden’s characterization of Trump as the anti-democracy candidate is justified — Trump has, at various points over the past few years, stated his desire to terminate the Constitution, expressed that he would like to act as a “dictator” on his first day of assuming office, and displayed admiration for authoritarian leaders across the globe (not to mention his attempts to upend his election loss to Biden in 2020, including by inciting a mob of his loyalists to attack the Capitol on January 6, 2021).

Still, for a night meant to highlight his own career while promoting his vice president as someone who could assume his role, Biden spent a great deal of time focusing on his predecessor.

“Biden’s speech was touching, as expected, although it was more a defense of his record than an endorsement of his potential successor,” New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow said. “He didn’t so much pass the torch as set it ablaze and run a final lap.”

Appearing onstage around 10:30 Central Time before the attendees at the Democratic National Convention, Biden received a standing ovation for several minutes. He appeared to wipe away a tear at one point.

While invoking his own accomplishments as president throughout the speech — including during the COVID-19 pandemic and his economic agenda — Biden made the case for his successor Harris to be president.

“You cannot say you love your country only when you win,” Biden said, referring to Trump’s frequent attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election outcome.

Biden added:

We’re facing an inflexion point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come. That’s not hyperbole, I mean that literally. We’re in a battle for the very soul of America.

Biden frequently slurred his words throughout his speech, and appeared to shout his remarks and mumble at times — to the point that even the ordinarily reliable teleprompter in the United Center had difficulty discerning what he said. Biden’s remarks were repeatedly interrupted by supporters chanting accolades for him and cheering his name, including the oft-stated “We Love Joe” line that adorned pre-made signs throughout the arena.

There was also at least one protest against Biden and his policies — specifically his administration’s unwavering financial support of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Delegates in favor of liberation for Palestine unfurled a banner reading “Stop Arming Israel” early in Biden’s speech, featuring the colors of the Palestinian flag.

Other delegates nearby tried to drown out their words and block their banner with “We Love Biden” signs. Some delegates tried to rip the banner away from the protesters, and at one point, a delegate tried to block Drop Site News’s Ryan Grim from documenting what was happening.

Convention organizers shut down the lights in that section of the arena to conceal the visual parts of the interruption of Biden’s speech. The lights were restored a few minutes later, with the individual apparently removed.

Biden concluded his speech by thanking his country for allowing him to serve as president.

“I love the job, but I love my country more,” Biden said, explaining why he ultimately decided to drop out of the race.

“All this talk about how I’m angry at all those people who said I should step down, that’s not true. I love my country more. And we need to preserve our democracy in 2024,” he said, taking another subtle jab at Trump.