Joe Biden to turn up in Milwaukee for nomination

Joe Biden will accept the Democratic presidential nomination in person at the party’s national convention in August.

Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with small business owners. Picture: AP

Joe Biden will accept the Democratic presidential nomination in person at the party’s national convention in August, but it will be a largely virtual gathering due to coronavirus concerns.

“Vice-president Biden intends to proudly accept his party’s nomination in Milwaukee and take the next step forward towards making Donald Trump a one-term president,” Mr Biden’s campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said on Thursday.

The convention is set for August 17-20 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a battleground state that Mr Trump won in 2016 but which Democrats are seeking to reclaim in November.

Earlier this month Mr Biden, 77, clinched the Democratic nomination after former rivals including senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren dropped out and endorsed him.

Following consultations with public health officials, convention organisers have determined that “state delegations should not plan to travel to Milwaukee and should plan to conduct their official convention business remotely”.

Organisers said a process was being developed that ensures all delegates can cast their votes remotely during the convention. To minimise risks to public health, several in-person convention parties and gatherings will be scrapped, and Democrats are rolling out new ways to organise and engage with voters online.

Republicans had scheduled their convention for North Carolina. But when the state’s governor refused to guarantee that a large, in-person rally could be held amid the pandemic, Mr Trump switched the location of main events including his acceptance speech to Jacksonville, Florida.

AFP