CHICAGO — President Biden received a swift, bittersweet send-off Monday at the Democratic National Convention, where he had hoped to accept the nomination for a second term before he was forced to pass the torch to the party’s new star, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mr. Biden, 81, had to address the crowd of thousands on the relatively low-profile first day of the gathering at the United Center after poignant introductions by first lady Jill Biden and their daughter, Ashely Biden. Until a month ago, he planned to accept the party’s nomination on the triumphal final night of the convention.
To sustained cheers and chants of “thank you, Joe,” Mr. Biden recounted what he viewed as his administration’s achievements and criticized GOP nominee Donald Trump repeatedly as a “liar.”
He said of his presidency, “I gave my best to you. For 50 years, I gave my heart and soul to our nation.”
The president also tried to put to rest the reports that he resents party leaders who convinced him to bow out of the race in July in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“All this talk about how I’m angry at all the people who thought I should step down — that’s not true,” Mr. Biden said. He said choosing Ms. Harris as his running mate “was the best decision I made in my whole career.”
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He said of her and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, “They’ll continue to lead America forward. They’ll protect your civil rights. They’ll protect your right to vote.”
“She’ll be a president our children will look up to,” Mr. Biden said. “She’ll be respected by world leaders because she already is. She’ll be a president we can all be proud of and she’ll be a historic president who puts her stamp on America’s future.”
But before Mr. Biden spoke, Ms. Harris stole the show by making a surprise appearance on the stage. She spoke for two minutes, including praise for the president.
“This is going to be a great week and I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible President Joe Biden,” she said. “Thank you for your lifetime of service to our nation and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you.”
The crowd was prepped for a raucous standing ovation for the president, which would give him the chance to have the stage alone to relish the moment before reflecting on the past 3½ years.
The speech provided Mr. Biden an opportunity to boast of his one-term achievements: that he brought the country back from the depths of the pandemic and spurred an economic recovery by boosting infrastructure development and wiping out student loan debt.
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“I’ve been determined to keep America moving forward, not going back,” Mr. Biden said. “To stand against hate and violence in all its forms, to be a nation where we not only live with but thrive on diversity, demonizing no one, leaving no one behind and becoming a nation that we profess to be.”
The audience was ready to roar for Mr. Biden, but the nation’s oldest president could not exit the stage quickly enough for many delegates.
The party’s excitement and momentum are laser-focused on Ms. Harris, 59, who, after a quick ascension to the top of the ticket, has mostly closed the gap in critical polls that showed Mr. Biden trailing former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party nominee.
“She is awesome,” said Bonnie Daniels, a Texas delegate. “She is going to be an incredible president.”
Ms. Daniels, who backed Ms. Harris when she ran unsuccessfully for the nomination in 2019 and led a pro-Harris club in El Paso, said she is “ecstatic” that she is now poised to become the nominee.
Ms. Harris won the nomination in a virtual vote just two weeks after Mr. Biden was forced to step aside by party elders who said he had little chance of winning after a disastrous debate performance in June and escalating questions about his cognitive fitness.
Mr. Biden’s DNC appearance on Monday, Ms. Daniels said, is bittersweet.
“You have to understand. Democrats love Joe Biden. He saved us,” Ms. Daniels said. “And it’s an emotional moment. He’s a great president. For him to have done such a selfless act is such an incredible thing he’s done for the country. For Democrats.”
The speech was meant for Mr. Biden to pass the torch to Ms. Harris.
He enthusiastically endorsed her for president the day he stepped aside from the ticket, effectively cutting out other party hopefuls from seeking the nomination. With Mr. Biden’s backing, Ms. Harris received no opposition and zoomed past her predecessor in the polls. According to most polls, she now has a slight lead over Mr. Trump nationwide and is tied or leading in some battleground states.
On the convention stage, Mr. Biden was expected to pay tribute to Ms. Harris while using the speech to discuss his own achievements as he prepared to conclude more than 50 years of elected public office.
He didn’t plan to stick around after his DNC speech. Mr. Biden won’t be at the convention to hear his vice president give her acceptance speech. He planned to immediately leave Chicago to start a two-week vacation.
Katie Hofmman, an Ohio delegate, wore her Joe Biden T-shirt on the convention floor. She said she had met the president “many times” and was on the verge of tears now that he was headed for the exits.
“I am just so proud he is our president and that he is such a patriot,” Ms. Hofmman said.
Mr. Biden, she said, “has stepped up by stepping back for the betterment of our country.”
Ms. Hofmman said she cried when Mr. Biden dropped out of the race.
“When people asked me about it, I said, I love Joe. But it’s time. And I can deal with this,” she said.
Mr. Biden was thrust into the presidency by voters exhausted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of economic crises, the death of George Floyd, and the Jan. 6 riot that followed his election. He frequently referred to his crusade of healing as a battle for the soul of America.
Trying to soothe a traumatized nation, Mr. Biden radiated a folksy demeanor, nostalgically talking about growing up in working-class Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Shortly after taking office, Biden signed into law a $1.9 trillion stimulus package to jump-start an American economy that had been shuttered during the pandemic. The package also expanded testing for COVID-19 and funded new treatments.
He quickly followed that up with a $1 trillion infrastructure law in November 2021, aimed at repairing the nation’s roads, bridges and railways and paying for the development of high-speed internet to rural communities and more.
However, the U.S. economy, flooded with too much money, sent consumer prices soaring, while his anti-fossil fuel policies raised gas prices.
By June 2022, inflation had soared to 9.1%, its highest level in 40 years.
Mr. Biden’s approval ratings dived. For most of his presidency, Mr. Biden’s job performance approval was mired in the high 30% to low 40% range, a historically low rating.
On Monday, delegates wanted to celebrate the positives of Mr. Biden’s time in office.
Delegates received a gift bag with Biden memorabilia, including a mug titled “A Cup of Joe.” Digital billboards flashed some of his catchphrases, including “Keep the Faith.”
Still, it was a somber moment. After the debate fallout, Mr. Biden fought desperately for a month to keep his candidacy afloat. He was ultimately forced out by top party leaders, including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat.
Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat who ran against Mr. Biden in the primary, said the president’s exit from the ticket and elevation of Ms. Harris gave the party a lifeline.
“She has turned the tables on former President Trump,” he said.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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