The Democratic National Convention began in Chicago on Monday and the party’s presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, took the stage to thank President Joe Biden.
“Thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifelong commitment to our country, and for all that you will continue to do,” Harris said before the president’s keynote speech. “We are forever grateful.”
Biden ended his re-election campaign last month and endorsed Harris as his successor. His unprecedented exit came after weeks of fighting for his political survival, and the party has quickly rallied behind the vice president.
“All this talk about how angry I am at all the people who said I should resign – that’s not true,” Biden said in his speech on Monday. “I love my country more, and we have to preserve our democracy.”
Harris will deliver a speech on Thursday formally accepting the party’s nomination. She will be the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead a major party’s ticket.
“She will be a president we can all be proud of, and she will be a historic president who will leave her mark on America’s future,” Biden said Monday.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the first woman in history to lead a major party, also spoke at the convention, as did First Lady Jill Biden.
