WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night with a call to optimism at a time of national fear, concluding an unusual four days of virtual pageantry in which Democrats portrayed their struggle against President Trump as a battle against a dark force with American democracy hanging in the balance.
In a 25-minute speech, the former vice president channeled concern over multiple, simultaneous crises facing the country while urging the American people to choose what he called “a path of hope and light.”
“The current president has cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger, too much fear, too much division,” Biden said. “Here and now, I give you my word: If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I’ll be an ally of the light, not the darkness.”
He gave the remarks from an austere ballroom set with American flags but absent a crowd, due to health concerns driven by the coronavirus pandemic. The only accompaniment came from cars gathered outside, drive-in style, honking in lieu of applauding.
In the silence, he outlined his solutions to the pain of those struggling without a job or fearful of losing one. Looking at the camera and offering an attempt at solace, he directly addressed those left behind by the deaths of more than 170,000 Americans from covid-19. His voice rose while speaking about Trump and the response to the global pandemic.
“He keeps waiting for a miracle,” Biden said, never uttering Trump’s name. “Well, I have news for him: No miracle is coming.”
Biden also spoke directly to young people, who have been slow to warm to his candidacy. He noted their protests for racial justice and civil rights, their advocacy of gun control and their desire to see the nation deal with the crisis of climate change.
“I hear their voices and if you listen, you can hear them, too,” Biden said.
Biden showed a flash of anger when he turned to foreign policy and recent reports that Russia had placed bounties on American troops in Afghanistan, saying that in his presidency, “America will not turn a blind eye to Russian bounties on American soldiers.”
After emerging atop the most crowded presidential primary in recent history, the former two-term vice president and six-term U.S. senator from Delaware claimed the nomination on his third try, accepting it 12,126 days after he launched his first presidential campaign, in 1987.
