President Joe Biden touted his domestic policy record, discussed his 52 years of public service, and enthusiastically endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in his nearly hour-long speech during the opening night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday.
His speech comes weeks after Biden, 81, announced he would no longer seek reelection, tapping Harris for the role that sparked enthusiasm within the party’s ranks.
The first night of the convention was designed to send off Biden, who spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Senate, and make way for Harris to lead the party into the matchup against former President Donald Trump in November.
“It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your President,” Biden said. “I love the job, but I love my country more.”
Biden, emotional as he took the stage, was greeted by large signs that said “we love you, Joe,” which the crowd regularly interrupted his remarks to chant.
Biden spoke clearly and enthusiastically, a contrast to his debate performance against Trump on June 27 which led to his political demise, and brought back many of the same talking points he mentioned in 2020, including the idea that this election is “a battle for the soul of America.”
He also made the case that Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate, are the best people to continue his work.
“Her story represents the best American story, and like many of our best presidents, she was also vice president,” Biden said. “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.”
Biden also spent a large portion of his speech recounting his domestic policy achievements.
Biden recounted his Bipartisan Infrastructure bill — which has invested over $400 billion in infrastructure spending across the U.S. — and his cap on prescription drug costs for seniors among others.
“I made a commitment to you that I be a president for all Americans, whether you voted for me or not,” Biden said. “We have done that. Studies show the majority of the bills we have passed actually delivered more to red states than blue. That’s the job of the president.”
Biden spent a portion of his remarks on his foreign policy achievements, mentioning the recent prisoner transfer that resulted in the release of 24 Americans detained in Russia. Biden called the swap “one of the most complicated swaps in history.”
Biden talked briefly about the war in Gaza, a topic that has divided Democrats, and acknowledged pro-Palestinian protesters who demonstrated at the DNC on Monday.
Biden said he will keep working to end the war in Gaza, bring hostages home, and deliver more humanitarian aid to Gaza. Biden also said he will work on delivering a ceasefire on the war in Gaza, something protesters have been demanding of Biden for months.
Acknowledging the protesters, Biden said, “Those protesters out in the street, they have a point — a lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.”
More than an hour before Biden’s remarks, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., during her endorsement of Harris said the vice president has been “working tirelessly to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Biden also spoke on his decision to end his reelection bid, hinting at polling that showed Trump gaining ground after his debate performance exposed fault lines in the Democratic party.
Biden called on Democrats to preserve democracy by electing Democrats up and down the ballot.
“We need to preserve our democracy in 2024. We need you to vote. We need you to keep the Senate, we need you to win back the House of Representatives, and above all, we need you to beat Donald Trump.”