First day of Democratic National Convention: The speech Joe Biden never wanted to give

The US President was fiercely defiant, right down to how long it took him to acknowledge the reality of the moment, writes Tom Minear.

Listening to Joe Biden address the Democratic convention, you would have been forgiven for thinking he remained the party’s candidate for November’s US election.

He reeled off the achievements of his first presidential term.

He framed the contest with Donald Trump as “a battle for the very soul of America”, just as he did in 2020.

And, for the most part, he was more forceful and energetic than he had been in months.

US President Joe Biden delivers the keynote address on the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Picture: Mandel Ngan / AFP

This was the speech Biden always wanted to give, having missed a celebratory convention because of the pandemic when he was first named his party’s presidential candidate.

But it was also the speech Biden never wanted to give, because instead of accepting the nomination to pursue a second term, he was there to pass the torch to Kamala Harris.

Joe Biden and his daughter Ashley Biden appear onstage during the convention. Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

With his grandson Beau Biden after his speech. Picture: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP

Taking the stage at 10.30pm in Chicago, having recently vowed to avoid public events after 8pm, the speech was vintage Biden.

The 81-year-old did not cough or whisper, and only occasionally stumbled over his words.

Instead, he was fiercely defiant, right down to how long it took him to acknowledge the reality of the moment.

“I love the job, but I love my country more,” he eventually said of his decision to drop out.

While the President’s aides said his address was not about his legacy, it didn’t sound like it.

Little of it was about Harris, although he said choosing her as his running mate was the best decision he ever made.

In doing so, he made her campaign a continuation of his own.

The first day of the DNC ended with an rousing speech from the US President. Picture: Robyn Beck / AFP

It hands the Democrats an awkward task for the rest of the week.

They have to accentuate his achievements while sharing the credit with Harris to boost her, and they have to downplay his failures while sheeting home the blame to him rather than his Vice President.

In the end, it was the convention Biden never wanted to attend.

And so, straight after his speech, he hopped on Air Force One for a summer break in California, leaving the spotlight in Chicago to fall on Harris alone as the curtain closed on his 52-year political career.

Originally published as First day of Democratic National Convention: The speech Joe Biden never wanted to give