US President Joe Biden will deliver an emotional farewell speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday, passing the baton to Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee for the November election.
Less than a month after his surprise withdrawal and Harris’s surprise elevation, Biden is expected to receive a hero’s sendoff from those who helped oust him over concerns about his age.
Harris, 81, will say that Harris, America’s first female, black and South Asian vice president, is the most suitable person to complete the work he started of protecting American democracy from Republican rival Donald Trump.
Harris will briefly appear on stage with her boss for his primetime speech, a symbolic moment to show unity among Democrats over his succession.
One remnant of his tenure, however, is a massive planned protest in Chicago against the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Biden said Sunday that he felt “very, very good” about his speech, having spent the weekend honing his address with top aides at the Camp David presidential retreat in rural Maryland.
Warm-up act
Now a one-term president, Biden will be well aware that his legacy depends on whether Harris can defeat Trump — and if she can’t, many will blame her for staying in office for so long.
First lady Jill Biden, 73, who is a staunch supporter of her husband and was with him during the final stages of his crucial decision on July 21, will also take the stage in Chicago.
But there will undoubtedly be mixed emotions for the aging president, who has seen Harris defeat Trump in the polls and excite voters in a way he never was able to during his own tenure as a candidate.
Biden now finds himself as the warm-up act for Harris, who will deliver her keynote address on Thursday in the slot that was his just weeks ago.
He won’t be staying for the big night, but will instead depart immediately after his speech for a six-day vacation in California while the convention continues without him.
Still, Biden will likely receive a warm welcome from Democrats in Chicago as he enters the final stretch of his five-decade political career.
“I feel a sense of nostalgia,” said LoriBeth Hegar, a state representative from North Dakota who was in Chicago for the convention, calling Biden a “great president.”
‘Kleenex Pack’
“I’m going to take a Kleenex with me tomorrow, but I’m also amazed at how much courage and political bravery it took for them to make this decision.”
Biden is still remembered by his party as the man who defeated Donald Trump in 2020 and then steered America out of the trauma of the pro-Trump Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, and the Covid pandemic.
Biden’s early determination to stay in the race despite a poor performance in a debate against Trump in June smacks of arrogance, but there is also widespread gratitude for his ultimate sacrifice.
Harris has managed to turn the White House race around since Biden withdrew, reaching out to young, female and Black voters who had been turned off by the battle between the two older men.
Former President Trump, meanwhile, is in a quandary over what he called a “coup” perpetrated by Democrats.
About a month ago, he seemed headed for victory after surviving an assassination attempt and then appearing triumphantly at the Republican convention in Milwaukee with a bandage over his ear.
But he has since struggled to reorganize his campaign to take on Harris, and has relied on personal insults and vague speeches despite appeals from top Republicans to focus.
While Democrats convene in Chicago, Trump will tour the country, holding rallies in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and Arizona during the week.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
