2020 race: Joe Biden to America: ‘I’ll lead you out of the dark’

It was the moment Joe Biden has dreamed since he was a young senator in the early 1970s.

Joe Biden, flanked by wife Jill and running mate Kamala Harris, lets slip the mask in Wilmington, Delaware, at the conclusion of the convention. Picture: AFP

It was the moment Joe Biden has dreamed since he was a young senator in the early 1970s. Yet it took almost half a century, two failed presidential bids and untold family tragedy before the now 77-year-old former vice-president finally won the right to accept the Democratic nomination for president.

Mr Biden — a poor orator at the best of times — surprised his detractors on Thursday night (Friday AEST) by giving what may have been the best speech of his long political life to the Democratic National Convention.

Standing in front of American flags in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, Mr Biden pledged to lead the US through its “season of darkness” by bringing a divided ­nation together to restore jobs, dignity and respect with a dramatically different style of presidency.

In a crisp and often emotional speech to accept his nomination, he laid out a vision of an America that he said would be “generous and strong, selfless and humble”.

Speaking to his biggest national audience of the campaign, Mr Biden said Donald Trump had taken the country to a dark place, through mismanagement of the coronavirus, a collapsed economy and through deliberate division.

“United we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America,” he said.

“Too much anger, too much fear, too much division. Here and now, I give you my word: If you ­entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I’ll be an ally of the light, not the darkness. This is not a partisan moment, this must be an American moment.”

His speech balanced sharp criticism of the President with an optimistic vision of the future.

Mt Biden targeted Mr Trump’s style of leadership, saying he “takes no responsibility” and “fans the flames of hate and division”.

“He’ll wake up every day (in a second term) believing the job is all about him, never about you.

“Is that the America you want for you, for your family, your children? I see it differently — one that’s generous and strong, selfless and humble. It’s an America we can rebuild together.”

Mr Biden accused Mr Trump of “unforgivable” mismanagement of the coronavirus, which has cost more than 170,000 American lives.

“Our current President has ­failed in his most basic duty to the nation, he’s failed to protect us … that is unforgivable,” he said. “(It is) by far the worst performance of any nation on earth.”

He said that if Mr Trump was re-elected cases and deaths would remain far too high. “More mom-and-pop businesses will close their doors and this time for good. Working families will struggle to get by and, yet, the wealthiest 1 per cent will get tens of billions of dollars in new tax breaks.”

Mr Biden’s speech barely mentioned foreign policy or China, however he said “America will not turn a blind eye to Russian bounties on the heads of American soldiers” under his leadership.

“Nor will I put up with foreign interference in our most sacred democratic exercise, voting,” he said. “I will be a president who will stand with our allies, and friends, and make it clear to our adversaries that the days of cozying up to dictators is over.”

Mr Biden spoke of his ambition to reduce economic inequality, combat climate change, address systemic racism and protect healthcare.

Prior to his acceptance speech, the convention played a video about Mr Biden’s life and about his family, including the loss of his first wife and infant daughter in a car crash, and his rise to become a long-time senator and eventually vice-president. A tribute was played to his son Beau who died of brain cancer in 2015. The video ­included comments from Mr Biden’s surviving son, Hunter, who was at the centre of the Ukraine controversy that led to the impeachment of Mr Trump.

Hours before Mr Biden spoke Mr Trump was in the swing state of Pennsylvania where he warned voters that Mr Biden was trying to “destroy the American way of life”.

“If you want a vision of your life under (a) Biden presidency, think of the smouldering ruins in Minneapolis, the violent anarchy of Portland, the bloodstained sidewalks of Chicago, and imagine the mayhem coming to your town and every single town in America,” he said. “Joe Biden is a puppet of the radical left movement that seeks to destroy the American way of life. They don’t want energy, they don’t want guns, they don’t want religion. The only thing they’re not abolishing is taxes.”

The final night of the convention, hosted by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, included a tribute to civil rights hero and congressman John Lewis, who died recently.

Others who spoke on the final day included former Democrat presidential aspirants Pete But­tigieg, Cory Booker and Andrew Yang, as well as two of the shortlisted candidates for Mr Biden’s running mate, Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and senator Tammy Duckworth.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia