CHICAGO — US President Joe Biden has passed the baton of the Democratic Party to Kamala Harris and urged Americans to vote for her, saying she will be a "historic president" who is tough, experienced and respected by world leaders.
Biden, who received a standing ovation when he came on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday night, said choosing Harris as his running mate in 2020 was the "best decision" he made in his whole career.
“She’ll be a president our children can look up to. She’d be a president respected by world leaders because she already is. She’d be a president we can all be proud of. And she’d be a historic president who puts her stamp on America’s future,” Biden said.
Harris, 59, is scheduled to formally accept the Democratic Party's presidential nomination on Thursday to take on Republican rival Donald Trump, 78, in the November 5 election.
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"Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became our nominee and it's the best decision I made in my whole career,” he said. “She's tough, she's experienced, and she has enormous integrity,” Biden said.
“Are you ready to elect Kamala Harris as the President of the United States of America," Biden said, amidst cheers from thousands of members and leaders of the Democratic Party at its four-day national convention here as he urged his countrymen to vote and elect his deputy of four years.
“I love my job. I love my country more. We need to preserve our democracy. We need you to beat Donald Trump and elect Kamala and Tim as President and Vice President of the United States," Biden, 81, said in a nearly hour-long address.
He said Trump will find out women's power in 2024.
Harris will soon serve as the 47th President of the United States, Biden said, amidst cheers from his party members and leaders.
“We saved democracy in 2020 and we must do it again in 2024,’ he said, urging his countrymen that America’s future is in their hands. “America, America, I gave my best to you. I made a lot of mistakes in my career. But I gave my best to you," he said.
“Let me ask you: 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 Waltz as president and vice president?” he asked.
Biden appeared to wipe away a tear as he hugged his daughter Ashley Biden who introduced him at the four-day convention.
Observing that the decisions that were being made now would determine the fate of the world and the country, Biden said he and Kamala had four years of extraordinary progress in the United States.
Making a strong pitch to elect Harris as the next president of the United States, Biden said Trump promised infrastructure every week for four years. He never built a damn thing, he alleged.
“Together, we are building a better America,” he said as he listed out some of the key achievements of the Biden-Harris Administration.
“You cannot say you love your country only when you win,” he said.
“More Americans have health insurance today than ever before. And after fighting for 50 years to give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, we finally beat Big Pharma. Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote," he said.
“He (Trump) is the looser,’ Biden said as he attacked the former president.
"America is winning. America is prosperous. America is safer today than was under Donald Trump," he said as he accused Trump of killing the strongest border security bill in the history of the country.