CHICAGO (TND) — President Joe Biden gave somewhat of a farewell address to the Democratic National Convention in the keynote address Monday night to cap off a whiplash few weeks of presidential politics after his decision to drop out of the race rejuvenated the party's voters and chances in the upcoming election against former President Donald Trump by lifting Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket.
Biden received a lengthy welcome from the crowd in a packed United Center in Chicago with applause and chants of "We love Joe" and "Thank you Joe," a moment that moved him to tears as he greeted his daughter on stage.
“America, I love you,” he started.
It was a full-circle moment for Democrats as Biden closed the night with a speech formally passing the torch to his vice president. It’s a sharp reversal from where the party stood a month ago during the Republican convention when the race was trending toward Trump after he survived an assassination attempt.
Much of the night focused on honoring Biden and his accomplishments in a decades-long career in Washington that culminated in his one term as president but also looking toward the future in Harris.
Harris made an unannounced appearance to thank Biden for his service in a decadeslong career as a lawmaker in Washington and to rally the crowd.
"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," she said. "This November, we will come together and declare with one voice, as one people, we are moving forward when optimism, hope and faith."
Biden retold the story that brought him back into national politics in the 2017 "unite the right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia where white supremacists carrying torches marched through the city.
“I could not stay on the sidelines,” Biden said. “So I ran. I had no intention of running again. I’d just lost part of my soul. But I ran with a deep conviction.”
He also flexed his administration's successes from his time in office like the massive bipartisan infrastructure bill and legislation placing a cap on the price on insulin. He also tried to make an appeal across the aisle, noting that the vast spending enacted under his administration resulted in more investments in red states than blue ones.
"The job of the president is to deliver for all of America," he said.
Several speakers on Monday are close Biden allies like South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn and Delaware Sen. Chris Coons. Clyburn, who is credited with saving Biden's floundering Democratic primary campaign in 2020, praised the work the Biden administration was able to accomplish and credited the president's selection of Harris as his vice president as on of his best decisions. Coons spoke at length thanking Biden for all he has done for the country during his years in Washington and leading the crowd in chants of "We love Joe."
Former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was among the primetime speakers Monday night where she pushed Harris forward as the person to break the "highest, hardest glass ceiling" to become the country's first female president, a goal she came up short on in her own campaign against Trump in 2016.
“Together, we’ve put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling,” Clinton said. “On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris taking the oath of office as our 47th president of the United States. When a barrier falls for one of us, it clears the way for all of us.”
Democrats also had abortion access front and center for voters as they have continued to make it a central issue in campaigns since the overturning of Roe v. Wade two years ago. Monday's program included a video of Trump praising the role he played in getting the landmark abortion ruling overturned by nominating three justices who ruled in favor of it to the Supreme Court.
Three women who faced dangers to their health as a result of abortion bans passed in the aftermath of Roe being overturned spoke on stage and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a finalist to be Harris' VP pick, also focused most of his remarks on the issue.
“He calls it a beautiful ban,” Hadley Duvall, who was impregnated by her stepfather at the age of 12, said of Trump. “What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child.”
Harris is coming into the convention riding a wave of momentum after taking over as the party’s presidential nominee just four weeks ago. She has eliminated polling deficits Biden had been facing for months and seen her approval ratings increase among several key voting blocs that will be vital to win the White House.
Harris and Walz have been making appearances across the country in a blitz in the two weeks since he became her running mate. For Walz, the vice presidential nomination was the first time most Americans had heard of the Minnesota governor and the convention will be his best chance yet to introduce himself on a national stage.
Walz has only had the vice presidential spotlight for two weeks, leaving him as an unknown to most Americans who are just starting to tune into presidential politics ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Harris is also introducing herself to voters still. While she has the fame and name recognition of being the vice president, she is still rolling out a policy platform and giving voters an idea of what America might look like under a potential Harris administration.
The dynamics surrounding the race have shifted considerably coming into the Democratic convention from where they were for Republicans last month in Milwaukee. Former President Donald Trump had just survived an assassination attempt days earlier, helping spark momentum within the party for his presidential bid and the announcement of his own VP pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
But since Biden’s decision to exit the race and Harris’ rise to the top of the ticket, polls have consistently found momentum shifting in Harris’ favor. While she has seemingly been able to significantly shift the balance of the race in her four weeks as the party’s nominee, there are still many questions lingering over her candidacy and the unity within the party moving forward.
Whether she will be able to keep up the enthusiasm for her campaign into November and turn out voters is an unknown and she will face tests in battleground states to push undecided voters to the Democratic ticket. There are also potential issues with Israel, as protesters calling for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas descended on Chicago in an issue that has divided Democrats.
The first mention of the war in Gaza came from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who is aligned with the party's progressive wing but has endorsed Harris and backed her efforts to get to a deal to reach a cease-fire.
“She is working tirelessly to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and bringing the hostages home,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The convention typically includes a roll call vote to formally nominate the party’s presidential ticket but Democrats held it virtually earlier this month to avoid potential issues with appearing on the ballot in Ohio. A ceremonial roll call is expected to take place during the week before Harris and Walz formally accept their nominations later this week.
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