‘I made a lot of mistakes but I gave it my best’: Joe Biden’s emotional farewell

By Jacob Paul (with Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall)

Joe Biden was greeted by roaring crowds as he said goodbye after serving a 50-year career as a Democratic politician.

In brief...

• Joe Biden addressed crowds in Chicago for the keynote speech on the first day of the Democratic National Convention on Monday.
• He heaped praised on his successor Kamala Harris, made warnings about Donald Trump and defended his own legacy.
• But it was not all smooth sailing, with pro-Palestinian protesters causing disruption.

Joe Biden took the stage one hour late after “raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker” delayed the night’s programme at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

But the ousted former presidential nominee still returned to chants of “thank you Joe” and “we love Joe” as he addressed the arena.

Perhaps a forgiving crowd, the packed stadium seemed grateful that the 81-year-old president stepped aside for Kamala Harris, the new face of the Democrats and the star of the convention.

But this was Joe Biden’s moment.

Kamala Harris arrives at the DNC early to support Joe Biden

An emotional farewell

“I made a lot of my mistake in my career, but I gave my best to you”, he told the crowd.

“For 50 years...I give my heart and my soul to our nation...I was too young to be in the Senate...and too old to stay as president.

“I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you”

Passing the torch

Lewis Goodall describes the speech as an effort from the Democrats to “ensure the generational torch is being passed”.

And pass it he did, giving nods to Harris throughout.

Biden said choosing her as his running mate was the "best decision of my whole career" as he vowed to be the "best volunteer" for her campaign.

He also defended his own presidential legacy, pointing to the legislative changes he made like the infrastructure bill and his drug-pricing and climate bill.

“We’ve had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress ever, period”, he said.

“Just think about it. Covid no longer controls our lives. We’ve gone from economic crisis to the strongest economy in the entire world.”

Joe Biden gives speech at the Democratic National Convention

‘We must save democracy’ 

Biden made the usual warnings about Donald Trump.

“When he [Trump] talks about America being a failing nation, he says, we’re losing. He’s the loser. He’s dead wrong”.

He told the crowd that democracy was saved in 2020, and “we must save it again in 2024”.

"It's that simple, it's that serious, and it's in your hands."

Chaos in Chicago

But it was not all smooth sailing for the Democrats on Monday.

During Biden’s speech, a group pro-Palestinian demonstrators put a banner that read “Stop arming Israel!” on display. Surrounding attendees tried to tear the banner down in a moment of disruption.

Shouts attacking Biden for his policy on Gaza could also reportedly be heard, but were drowned out by pro-Biden chants.

It came after a day of chaotic scenes erupted in Chicago as Israel-Gaza protestors breached a portion of the DNC perimeter fence.

Biden acknowledged the protests, saying they “have a point” as innocent people on both sides have been killed.

The News Agents Take

Speaking from the event in Chicago, Jon Sopel says Biden's speech was "raucous" and "emotional".

But it was clearly an act of "passing the baton" onto Harris to "take the fight to Donald Trump".

Lewis Goodall points out the banners reading "thank you Joe" that were being held up in the crowd.

But he asks what it is exactly that they're thanking him for.

Lewis adds: "They're thanking him for not staying in the race and for giving this speech, not the keynote speech on Thursday."

This will instead be given by Kamala Harris, the new presidential nominee for the party.

"They are so pumped for Kamala", says Lewis, who was sat in the conference hall throughout the night.

The energy in the room is "unmistakeable" and "profound", says Jon.

But it "never would have been" for Biden, Lewis adds.

Hear Lewis and Jon’s take on the speech in full on today’s episode of The News Agents.

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