When Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race last month, officially passing the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, he announced the news while isolating with COVID—in a brief, almost anticlimactic letter. There were no cameras and no speech for “my fellow Americans.” But on Monday night, Biden took the opportunity to perform a proper swan song at the Democratic National Convention, where he delivered a poignant speech that cemented his legacy as a president who led a term of immense consequence—and one who (eventually) ended it with Washingtonian grace. “Democracy has prevailed,” he said, after wiping tears from his eyes while taking the podium. “And now democracy must be preserved.”
The president began by recalling the devastation of January 6, which occurred weeks before his inauguration. “In front of me was a city surrounded by the National Guard. Behind me was a Capital that just two weeks before had been overrun by a violent mob,” he says. “I knew then in the bottom of my heart what I know now. There is no place in America for political violence.”
On the issues themselves, Biden took several swings at Trump—and was particularly forceful when it comes to abortion. “MAGA Republicans found out the political power of women in 2022,” he said. “And Donald Trump is going to find out the power of women in 2024. Watch.” He also expressed a noteworthy level of concern around the Israel-Hamas war. “End the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people,” the president said, adding, “those protestors out there in the street have a point.”
While Biden largely eschewed sour grapes over his withdrawal, he did at one point let his feelings slip: “All this talk that I’m angry at all those people who said I should step down,” he expressed, “that’s not true.” For the most part, though, the president touted his historic achievements on labor, healthcare, the economy, and infrastructure. “Donald Trump promised infrastructure week every week, for four years. And he never built a damn thing,” he said. “But right now, we’re giving America an infrastructure decade.” On several occasions, the crowd even chanted “Thank you Joe,” to which the president responded, “Thank you, Kamala,” carefully highlighting her role in his political braintrust.
It was a heartfelt adlib—but, of course, hardly one Harris needs. Her elevation instantly invigorated the rank-and-file, ended infighting among party leaders, and boosted enthusiasm among the average voters. Her running mate, Tim Walz, the straight-talking governor of Minnesota with working-class bona fides, has also breathed new life into the ticket and could prove a key factor in winning over midwestern swing voters in battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan. Perhaps most notably, the Harris-Walz ticket quickly upended the Democrats’ electoral map, with Harris now pulling ahead of Trump in five out of seven battleground states. “They’ll continue to lead America forward,” Biden said of Harris and Walz. “Kamala and Tim will protect your civil rights.”
There was a bittersweet tinge to Biden’s address, which came less than a month after the president bowed out from the race amid longstanding concerns about his mental fitness to campaign and serve. Those concerns reached fever pitch following the president’s dismal June debate performance against Trump, who by the next month was polling well ahead of Biden in seven swing states. Mainstream media pundits began painting the president as a lion in the winter, while Democratic heavyweights—including Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Barack Obama—reportedly coordinated a behind-the-scenes effort to force him out. For weeks, Biden resisted calls to step aside, accusing political and media “elites” of bucking popular will, until finally caving under the pressure. As First Lady Jill Biden recalled in her own speech, “I saw him dig deep into his soul.”