Joe Biden on Thursday delivered the most important speech of his 50 years in politics as he officially accepted the Democratic nomination to challenge President Donald Trump in the November 3 US election and outlined plans to bring relief and solace to a country and an economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden, the 77 year old former Vice-President, vowed to heal the country and promised Americans that he would be a more caring, competent and thoughtful President than Donald Trump. He warned that if re-elected, the current President would go on stoking hatred and fear.
Joe Biden was quoted saying, ” I’ll be an ally of the light, not the darkness… This is a life-changing election. This will determine what America is going to look like for a long, long time. Character’s on the ballot, compassion is on the ballot. Decency, science, democracy – they’re all on the ballot. Who we are as a nation, what we stand for, most importantly, who we want to be – that’s all on the ballot.
“The current President has cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger. Too much fear. Too much division. Here and now, I give you my word, if you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. … And make no mistake, united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America,”
He promised to represent all Americans and to work “just as hard” for those who do not support him, drawing an implicit contrast with the Republican Trump, who has shown little inclination to appeal beyond his base of voters. “And while I’ll be a Democratic candidate, I will be an American President. I’ll work hard for those who didn’t support me, as hard for them as I did for those who did vote for me.”
The speech was delivered inside an empty arena in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, at the conclusion of the four-day Democratic National Convention, which was held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The former US senator described the current moment as one of historical import, amid a health crisis over the coronavirus, a recession, a national reckoning on race and a battle over the environment.