The Democratic National Convention drew to a close Thursday, with former Vice President Joe Biden delivering his acceptance speech.
In his speech, delivered virtually amid the pandemic, Biden touched on how as President he would address the twin ills that have defined 2020: the COVID-19 crisis, and America coming to grips with growing inequality and systemic racism.
“I understand something this President hasn’t from the beginning,” he said. “We will never get our economy back on track, we will never get our kids safely back in schools, we’ll never have our lives back until we deal with this virus.”
Addressing the nation’s reckoning with race, her referred back to Charlottesville, as he did when he launched his campaign, and denounced Trump’s assertion that there were “very fine people on both sides” that day.
Then, after recalling a conversation he had with George Floyd’s daughter after his murder and remembering former Rep. John Lewis, Biden said, “America’s ready, in John’s words, to lay down, quote, ‘the heavy burden of hate at last.”
His speech followed remarks from his family members testifying to his values, and remarks by a number of prominent Democratic senators who took the virtual stage on the final night of the convention, including Cory Booker (NJ), Chris Coons (DE), Tammy Baldwin (WI) and Tammy Duckworth (IL).
Follow along with the TPM staff’s coverage below.
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What to Know
- The theme of the DNC's final night is "America's Promise"
- The Chicks (formerly known as The Dixie Chicks), John Legend and Common will perform
- "Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus will serve as emcee
The Democratic National Convention drew to a close Thursday, with former Vice President Joe Biden delivering his acceptance speech.
In his speech, delivered virtually amid the pandemic, Biden touched on how as President he would address the twin ills that have defined 2020: the COVID-19 crisis, and America coming to grips with growing inequality and systemic racism.
“I understand something this President hasn’t from the beginning,” he said. “We will never get our economy back on track, we will never get our kids safely back in schools, we’ll never have our lives back until we deal with this virus.”
Addressing the nation’s reckoning with race, her referred back to Charlottesville, as he did when he launched his campaign, and denounced Trump’s assertion that there were “very fine people on both sides” that day.
Then, after recalling a conversation he had with George Floyd’s daughter after his murder and remembering former Rep. John Lewis, Biden said, “America’s ready, in John’s words, to lay down, quote, ‘the heavy burden of hate at last.”
His speech followed remarks from his family members testifying to his values, and remarks by a number of prominent Democratic senators who took the virtual stage on the final night of the convention, including Cory Booker (NJ), Chris Coons (DE), Tammy Baldwin (WI) and Tammy Duckworth (IL).
Follow along with the TPM staff’s coverage below.