Biden’s Democratic convention moment: opening act, not the main attraction
- Biden will give a bittersweet farewell address on Monday, passing torch to Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for November’s election
President Joe Biden, forced by his allies to abandon his re-election bid a month ago, will be in the spotlight on opening night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday, aware that his party has swiftly moved on without him.
Instead of his hoped-for high-profile speech on Thursday to accept the Democratic nomination for another four-year term, Biden will be the main event at the start of the Chicago convention before travelling to California for a holiday.
In his speech, Biden is expected to tout his accomplishments – boosting the US economy and strengthening US alliances abroad – and make the case for Americans to elect his vice-president, Kamala Harris, as his White House successor.
Harris, 59, is likely to appear on stage with Biden, 81, sources said on Saturday. Her campaign has been weighing whether and how to use Biden in winning over voters, and the president plans to raise funds for her ahead of the November 5 election.
Biden quickly threw his support behind Harris when he yielded to pressure from fellow Democrats on July 21 and abandoned his quest for a second term.
Biden’s botched June 27 debate against former president Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate again this year, added to growing concerns that Biden was too old for another term.
For three weeks, Biden resisted entreaties from allies to step aside while opinion polls showed Trump extending his lead, but he finally gave in and left the race.
Biden was annoyed by the pressure from Democrats, including long-time friend and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to step aside. He believed he could still win, despite polls showing him in a weakening position against Trump.
