Joe Biden closed out the last day of the 2020 Democratic National Convention with his acceptance speech, highlighting the elections as an American moment.
The 77-year-old former Vice President Joe Biden had a very emotional acceptance speech that centered on bringing concrete plans to rebuild the country. He also emphasized that as a president, he has the duty to represent everyone and not just the party he belongs in.
As he expressed, “This is not a partisan moment. This must be an American moment.”
Joe Biden: “I will be an ally of the light not of the darkness”
He started his DNC speech by telling the viewing public that the current president has “cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger. Too much fear. Too much division.”
He then promises that if entrusted with the presidency, he will “will draw on the best of us not the worst. I will be an ally of the light not of the darkness.”
The first part of his speech was dedicated to encouraging Americans to come together and “overcome this season of darkness.”
“We will choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege.”
He further noted how proud he is for being a Democrat candidate. Nevertheless, he will work as an American president, which means working hard equally for those that supported and didn’t support him.
Biden highlights that this is the job of the president, “[t]o represent all of us, not just our base or our party.”
Joe Biden on George Floyd’s death: “Daddy changed the world”
Further into the former VP’s speech, he spoke of the events that encouraged him to run in the first place. One of the instances that he highlighted was his conversation with George Floyd’s daughter, Gianna.
George Floyd became one of the faces of the Black Lives Movement that shook the nation earlier this year after he died in the hands of the police officers. The “I can’t breathe” phrase became more than just Floyd’s last words. It became a powerful statement that pushed the youth of today to rally on the streets, amid a pandemic, seeking for justice for people just like Floyd.
Biden shared Giana’s words to him, “Daddy changed the world.”
He mentions that George Floyd’s murder must have been the breaking point. He urged the people to rid the country of systematic racism.
Joe Biden's speech tonight had people standing on top of their cars and waving American flags during a pandemic and a depression, because they were just that filled with hope for what's to come.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) August 21, 2020
He urged everyone to be a “United America.” Somewhere in his speech, he spoke of his plans to fight COVID-19 that has left millions unemployed, and over 170,000 Americans dead.
“All elections are important. But we know in our bones this one is more consequential. America is at an inflection point. A time of real peril, but of extraordinary possibilities.”
He ended his speech by quoting the Irish poet Seamus Heaney.
Featured image courtesy of lev radin/Shutterstock