 "US President Joe Biden attends Day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, US., August 19, 2024. Reuters")
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (Monday in the US) received a thunderous ovation as he took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. This moment followed his handover of the party’s presidential nomination to Vice President Kamala Harris. In his farewell address, Biden, introduced by his daughter Ashley, declared “I love you” to roaring cheers, just weeks after bowing out of the White House race against Donald Trump.
In a poignant reflection on his presidency and the journey ahead, Biden framed his legacy and the future of the nation. Here are a few quotes from his speech:
“The murder rate is falling faster than at any time in history. Violent crime has dropped to the lowest level in over 50 years, and it will continue to decline when we elect a prosecutor to the Oval Office instead of a convicted felon.”
“I know more foreign leaders by their first names and know them well than anybody alive, just because I’m so damn old.”
“We’ve had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress ever, period. Just think about it. Covid no longer controls our lives. We’ve gone from economic crisis to the strongest economy in the entire world – record 16 million new jobs, record small business growth, a record high stock market. Wages are up, inflation is down, way down, and continuing to decrease.”
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More Shorts“Donald Trump calls America a failing nation. When he talks about America being a failing nation, he says we’re losing. He’s the loser. He’s dead wrong.”
“Donald Trump promised infrastructure week every week for four years. He never built a damn thing.”
“Wall Street didn’t build America; the middle class built America, and unions, unions built the middle class.”
“Democracy must be preserved. We are in a battle for the very soul of America.”
“Now, it’s summer. The winter has passed. With a grateful heart, I stand before you now on this August night to report that democracy has prevailed. Democracy has delivered, and now democracy must be preserved.”
“It was, I told you then, a winter of peril and possibility … we were in the grip of a once-in-a-century pandemic, historic joblessness, a call for racial justice, long overdue, clear and present threats to our very democracy. Yet, I believe then and I believe now, that progress was and is possible. Justice is achievable, and our best days are not behind us. They’re before us.”
“Are you ready to vote for freedom? Are you ready to vote for democracy and for America? And let me ask you: Are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as president and vice president?”
“I ran for president in 2020 because of what I saw.”