The Democratic Party formally nominated Joe Biden for U.S. president at its national convention on Tuesday, turning to future leaders and elder statesmen to make the case for why he is the right choice to face Republican President Donald Trump in November.
Quotes from the second night of the four-day convention are below:
FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON:
“Joe Biden wants to build an economy far better suited to our changing world. Better for young people. Better for families, working and raising their kids. Better for people who lost jobs and need new ones. Better for farmers tired of being collateral damage in trade wars. Better for workers caring for the sick, elderly, and people with disabilities.
“Joe won’t just put his signature on a check and try to fool you into thinking it came from him. He’ll work to make sure that your paycheck reflects your contribution to, and your stake in, a growing economy. In this job interview, the difference is stark. You know what Donald Trump will do with four more years: blame, bully, and belittle. And you know what Joe Biden will do: build back better.
FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY:
“Before Donald Trump, we used to talk about American exceptionalism. The only thing exceptional about the incoherent Trump foreign policy is that it has made our nation more isolated than ever before. Joe Biden knows we aren’t exceptional because we bluster that we are, we are exceptional because we do exceptional things.”
“This is the bottom line: Our interests, our ideals, and our brave men and women in uniform can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump. Our troops can’t get out of harm’s way by hiding in the White House bunker. They need a president who will stand up for them.”
ACTIVIST AND “GOLD STAR” PARENT KHIZR KHAN (nominating Biden for president on behalf of Virginia):
“Three years ago, my beloved city, Charlottesville, Virginia, was attacked by white supremacists, and a young woman was killed. We were attacked again when Donald Trump praised those racists, turning his back on a community that just wanted peace. That was the day Joe Biden decided to join this battle for the soul of America. Over time, my wife, Ghazala, and I have come to know his soul. He’s a decent, compassionate man. He will bring this nation together.”
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE VERONICA ESCOBAR OF EL PASO (nominating Biden for president on behalf of Texas):
“A year ago, my safe community of El Paso was targeted by a domestic terrorist who murdered 23 innocent people, injured 23 more, and devastated all of us. His motive was racism and xenophobia. In the face of hate we choose love. … And in the face of continued gun violence in America, we demand change. The time has come to act.”
VOTING RIGHTS ACTIVIST, FORMER GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE STACEY ABRAMS:
“America faces a triple threat: a public health catastrophe, and economic collapse, and a reckoning with racial justice and inequality. So our choice is clear: a steady experienced public servant who can lead us out of this crisis just like he’s done before, or a man who only knows how to deny and distract.”
PROGRESSIVE ACTIVIST ADY BARKAN, DIAGNOSED WITH ALS:
“Everyone living in America should get the healthcare they need regardless of their employment status or ability to pay.”
“With the existential threat of another four years of this president, we all have a profound obligation to act, not only to vote, but to make sure that our friends, family and neighbors vote as well. We must elect Joe Biden.”
FORMER ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL SALLY YATES:
“From the moment President Trump took office, he’s used his position to benefit himself, rather than our country. He’s trampled the rule of law, trying to weaponize our Justice Department to attack his enemies and protect his friends, rather than standing up to Vladimir Putin. He fawns over a dictator who is still trying to interfere in our elections. He’s even trying to sabotage our Postal Service to keep people from being able to vote.”
“Put simply, he treats our country like it’s his family business, this time, bankrupting our nation’s moral authority at home and abroad.”
FORMER REPUBLICAN SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL:
“The values I learned growing up in the South Bronx and serving in uniform were the same values that Joe Biden’s parents instilled in him in Scranton, Pennsylvania. I support Joe Biden for the presidency of the United States because those values still define him. And we need to restore those values to the White House.”
FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER:
“We deserve a person with integrity and judgment, someone who is honest and fair, someone who is committed to what is best for the American people. … Joe is that kind of leader, and he is the right person for this moment in our nation’s history. He understands that honesty and dignity are essential traits that determine not only our vision but our actions. More than ever, that’s what we need.”
FORMER SECOND LADY, BIDEN’S WIFE, JILL:
“There are those who want to tell us that our country is hopelessly divided, that our differences are irreconcilable. But that’s not what I’ve seen over these last few months. We’re coming together and holding on to each other. We’re finding mercy and grace in the moments we might have once taken for granted.”
“We have showed that the heart of this nation still beats with kindness and courage. That’s the soul of America Joe Biden is fighting for now.”
(Compiled by Sonya Hepinstall; Editing by Howard Goller and Peter Cooney)
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