Biden lauds Kamala, blasts Trump: 'Put a prosecutor in the Oval Office instead of a convicted felon'
President Joe Biden championed Vice President Kamala Harris while bashing Republican challenger former President Donald Trump, declaring that he wants to “put a prosecutor in the Oval Office instead of a convicted felon.”
During a speech that began just before midnight at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, the president called on attendees to “save democracy” in November by voting against Trump, who he called a “loser.”
“America is safer today than it was under Donald Trump,” Biden claimed, touting his efforts to improve public safety. “Now, the murder rate is falling faster than at any time in history. Violent crime has dropped to the lowest level of more than 50 years.”
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“And crime will keep coming down when we put a prosecutor in the Oval Office instead of a convicted felon.”
Biden was alluding to the 12-member New York jury decision from late May, which found that Trump was guilty of 34 felonies related to an allegation that he had paid porn star Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) $130,000 back in 2016 to conceal an alleged sexual encounter from a decade earlier as he was running for president.
Biden focused on a host of topics, including outlining policies he championed as president on issues including environmental activism, education, public safety investments, and supporting labor unions.
Biden promoted Harris throughout his speech, saying, among other things, that she would “not bow down” to overseas dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also claimed that if elected president, Harris would make housing and prescription drugs more affordable for everyday Americans.
He also said that a Harris presidency would, with the help of a Democrat majority in Congress, “restore” Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide and was overturned in 2022.
On the first day of the convention, many speakers commended Biden for his decades in Congress and for helping to elevate Harris to the national stage.
“I have never known a more compassionate man than Joe Biden,” said Democrat Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware. “I have never known a man who has taken from his own loss and his own faith and delivered so much for the future of so many others.”
“On behalf of our nation, Joe, for your courage in fighting for our democracy, we thank you. On behalf of our Democratic Party, for your loyalty in fighting for our democratic values, we thank you.”
Earlier that evening, former first lady and 2016 Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton called on attendees to “salute President Biden” for his public service, saying that “he has been democracy’s champion at home and abroad” and that he “brought dignity, decency and competence back to the White House.”
Last month, Biden announced that he was quitting and would no longer seek reelection, saying in a statement that he had “decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”
Biden also endorsed Harris in his announcement, saying that his selection of her as his running mate when he ran for president back in 2020 was “the best decision I’ve made.”
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he added.
Harris, who did not receive any primary votes this election cycle, nevertheless secured enough Democrat delegate support to secure the presidential nomination in advance of the convention.
