President Joe Biden declared “I gave my best to you” as he passed the torch to Kamala Harris with a full-throated defence of his own record and a warning of what lies in wait if Donald Trump wins in November.
On a bitter-sweet night for the 81-year-old US President, cheering thousands attending the Democratic National Convention hoisted “We love Joe” placards before he delivered effectively a farewell address to the party faithful.
With force and emotion, Mr Biden spoke for nearly an hour on the rally’s opening night - one month on from his dramatic decision to bow out of the presidential election, after doubts about his mental and physical stamina reached a deafening crescendo.
The crowd gathered in Chicago’s United Center sports arena was as deafening in welcoming him to the stage for a four-minute ovation, reflecting gratitude at his self-sacrifice in endorsing Vice President Harris to run against Mr Trump, a decision that has transformed the Democrats’ prospects for November.
He produced a tissue and appeared to wipe away a tear after being introduced by his daughter Ashley and wife Jill, who told the audience that she “saw him dig deep into his soul” when he decided to exit the White House race.
“America, I love you,” Mr Biden replied when the ovation finally ebbed. “I made a lot of mistakes in my career, but I gave my best to you,” he added, his robust delivery a world away from the stumbling disaster of his televised debate against Mr Trump in late June, which sealed his fate.
The president called his choice of Ms Harris to be his running mate four years ago “the best decision I made my whole career”. He declared: “She’s tough, she’s experienced and she has enormous integrity. Her story represents the best American story.”
Ms Harris staged a surprise appearance on the stage earlier in the evening to salute Mr Biden’s career in politics stretching back to his first election to the Senate in 1972.
“Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you’ll continue to do,” she said. “We are forever grateful to you.”
The president touted successes from his administration, including a massive boost to infrastructure spending which he said underlined that “the job of the president is to deliver for all of America”. He drew a contrast to Mr Trump’s praise in 2017 of white supremacists when they marched in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Before the speech, the night’s programming leant heavily on abortion rights to draw a glaring election contrast to the Republicans, after Trump appointees to the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling two years ago.
The convention also honoured the civil rights movement with an appearance from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, 82, a veteran activist who is ailing with Parkinson’s disease.
In November 2008, the Rev. Jackson stood sobbing in a vast crowd as Barack Obama gave his victory speech in Chicago’s Grant Park on the night he was elected America’s first black president.
Sixteen years on, Ms Harris is set to become the first black woman, and first person of South Asian descent, to be the presidential nominee of a major party.
Hillary Clinton, who failed in her bid to become the first woman president when she lost to Mr Trump in 2016, told the convention that the vice president could now break the “highest, hardest glass ceiling” in politics.
The former secretary of state also hailed Mr Biden for stepping aside, saying, “Now we are writing a new chapter in America’s story.” Leading up to Ms Harris’s acceptance speech on Thursday, the convention will look back to previous chapters of Democratic success when Mr Obama takes the stage on Tuesday night, and Bill Clinton on Wednesday.
