2020 Democratic National Convention (DNC) Night 4 Transcript

Speaker 1: (00:33)
I’m here by calling the full session of the 48th Quadrennial National Convention of the Democratic Party to order. Welcome all to our final session of this historic and memorable convention. We’ve called the 48th Quadrennial Democratic National Convention to order.

Speaker 2: (00:59)
Every four years, we come together to reaffirm our democracy. This year, we’ve come to save it.

Kerry Washington: (01:07)
We fight for a more perfect union because we are fighting for the soul of this country and for our lives. And right now that fight is real.

Bernie Sanders: (01:18)
We must come together to defeat Donald Trump, and elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next President and Vice President.

Michelle Obama: (01:27)
Donald Trump is the wrong President for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.

Speaker 3: (01:45)
My dad was a healthy 65 year old. His only preexisting condition was to trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.

Speaker 4: (01:55)
So it’s up to us to carry on the fight for justice. Our actions would be their legacies.

Speaker 5: (02:01)
We just need leadership to bring us back together, to recover from this pandemic and prepare for whatever else is next. Leadership to reimagine what our nation will be. That’s Joe.

Speaker 6: (02:19)
Next President right here.

Speaker 7: (02:21)
He was there for me, he’ll be there for you too.

Speaker 8: (02:25)
Faced with a president of cowardice, Joe Biden is a man of proven courage.

Tracee Ellis Ross: (02:31)
This year, for the first time, the roll call is heading out to all 57 States and territories.

Speaker 1: (02:37)
I’m pleased to announce that Vice President Joe Biden has officially been nominated by the Democratic Party as our candidate for President of the United States.

Joe Biden: (02:49)
I’ll see you on Thursday.

Nancy Pelosi: (02:53)
Our mission is to fight for a future equal to the ideals of our founders, our hopes for our children and sacrifices of our veterans, our brave men and women in uniform and their families.

Speaker 9: (03:04)
The American people are forever indebted to you for all of the work you do on the front line.

Hilary Clinton: (03:11)
We need leaders equal to this moment of sacrifice and service. We need Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Barack Obama: (03:20)
Tonight, I’m asking you to believe in Joe and Kamala’s ability to lead this country out of these dark times and build it back back better.

Kamala Harris: (03:30)
In this election, we have a chance to change the course of history. We’re all in this fight together. What an awesome responsibility. What an awesome privilege. I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America.

Tom Perez: (04:01)
Hi, I’m Tom Perez. This has been an incredible week. It hasn’t been the kind of convention you might’ve been expecting, and to be honest, it wasn’t the kind of convention we had planned for, but in a way, what we’ve seen over the last three nights, and what we’ll see tonight is a more accurate reflection of where our country is than any traditional convention could have been. Yes, we’ve talked a lot about our next President and Vice President, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We’ve talked about how they’ll tackle the challenges we face and lead our country to a brighter future. And we’ve seen that our party is ready to lead, not just now, but into the next generation. But we’ve also heard a lot from people who aren’t running for anything this year, people who might not even think of themselves as political, auto workers and college students, farmers, and immigrants, teachers, nurses, and yes, the occasional calamari chef.

Tom Perez: (04:58)
If the literal meaning of the word convention has to do with coming together, then what is brought us together this year isn’t partisanship, it’s purpose. That’s what has allowed us to bring both diehard progressive’s and conservative ex Republicans under the same tent. That’s what has allowed us to build a campaign where no State, no precinct, no vote is taken for granted. That’s how we build our movement. That’s how we went up and down the ballot. That’s how we make change. And when we can bring that kind of energy to the challenges, our nation faces, well, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish. Just ask Joe Biden, who set his sights on a mission that could change the world forever conquering cancer.

John F. Kennedy: (05:53)
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

Vice president Biden said that with the new Moonshot America can cure cancer. I’m putting Joe in charge of mission control.

Speaker 10: (06:12)
Beau Biden, the son of Vice President, Joe Biden, succumb to brain cancer, Saturday, at the age of 46.

Joe Biden: (06:18)
He’s the one who wanted me to stay engaged. He was worried that I’d not continue to fight for the things I’m passionate about, and I’m trying to keep his promise.

Speaker 11: (06:26)
President Obama signed to the 21st Century Cures Act, including the so-called Moonshot, that could be a giant leap in the fight to cure cancer.

Speaker 12: (06:34)
The Moonshot is the symbol of American ambition and achievement. Now Vice President Joe Biden will lead a similar effort to cure cancer.

Speaker 13: (06:42)
It will be led by Joe Biden, and it’s aimed at ending the disease that killed the Vice President’s son and 600,000 other Americans every year.

Joe Biden: (06:51)
I think of all the people who have gone through what I’ve gone through without one tenth of the help that I’ve had. When you have a son or daughter, husband or wife, someone you adore, you become as educated as you can, as quickly as you can, particularly when you know that’s a very serious form. I learned a lot about the mechanics of cancer and the delivery systems, and there’s so many changes that are just on the cusp. I have now met with over 200 oncologists and cancer research centers, and I’m asking them, ” What is it you want me to clear the way for? Where are we in impediment?”

Speaker 14: (07:24)
He is determined. He’s not going to walk away until there is real change.

Joe Biden: (07:34)
This is a truly bipartisan issue. So the leaders in this effort in the house and Senate are Republicans as well as Democrats.

Speaker 15: (07:42)
He’s been pushed to the edge of what anyone could be expected to bear.

Speaker 16: (07:47)
Following correction, Joe Biden, Cancer Moonshot.

Speaker 17: (07:50)
You’re a man of substance. You have experienced tragedies in your life, and we are inspired by the way that you have responded to those.

Joe Biden: (08:01)
Every single family in America has been affected by cancer. And we are so close.

For the loved ones we’ve all lost, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.

Joe Biden: (08:14)
I believe in Moonshot in this country to cure cancer. It’s personal, but I know we can do this. There are so many breakthroughs just on the horizon. We can make real with an absolute national commitment. There are Democrats and Republicans on the Hill who share our passion to silence this deadly disease. If I could be anything, I would want to be the President of ended cancer, because it’s possible.

Amanda Litman: (08:51)
I’m Amanda Littman. I’m the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Run For Something. In May, 2017, I was invited to join a small meeting in D.C. with a handful of other organization leaders to give updates to the VP on our work. The VP came over, and I tried to play a cool, “Well, my Grammy would be furious if she knew I was at a meeting with you and didn’t get a photo.” “Grammy?” The VP said, perking up as we pose for the photo, you can see here. “Let’s call her.” I called her. “Someone wants to talk to you.” “Hi Grammy, this is Joe Biden.” She was overwhelmed. Grammy went on to tell him her second eldest, my aunt Michelle was in the hospital, colon cancer, advanced, that she was really sick. The VP’s posture changed immediately. “I’m so sorry, Grammy. I’m so, so sorry. You know, my son Beau died of cancer. As a parent, you should never have to even think of one day burying a child. It’s a nightmare.”

Amanda Litman: (09:45)
He stepped away speaking personally with her about sitting in a hospital room with a sick child, about pain. I could hear her choking up on the phone. “I’m giving Amanda my personal home phone number. You need anything, you call me. I’ll come to the hospital and sit with you. Anything.” Grammy still talks about that call. “He’s a genuinely nice man,” she says. “He just gets it.” Her grief, and my family’s grief mattered to him. Our entire country is grieving. We are all going through trauma. Our next president needs to be the one helping us heal. That’s why I’m glad and excited to vote this fall, not just against Trump, but genuinely for Joe Biden.

Tom Perez: (10:25)
Before we continue with tonight’s program, I want to thank everyone who has made this unprecedented convention possible from our delegates and speakers to our party staff and our production team. Next week, it will be the Republican Party’s turn to hold their convention. On behalf of their speakers and staff, I hope their organizers will take safety as seriously as we have. And then it will be up to you, America, you’ll have heard from two very different candidates for President. You’ll be able to dig into the details of their respective plans for solving the challenges we face, and decide which plan you think will work for you and your family.

Tom Perez: (11:08)
But the choice this year is deeper than that. No matter what you think about Donald Trump or Joe Biden, no matter which party you belong to, or whether you belong to any party at all, your job in this election is to decide what kind of movement is capable of being the vehicle for the change we need. Can a movement that demands absolute loyalty to one man and his personal agenda really ever make this country greater? Or do we do better when we join together in a movement of shared values, one that amplifies our diverse voices. We’ve got one more night to show America what our path forward looks like. Not one man, boasting that he alone can fix it, but every day people coming together to face our challenges with unity and determination. Now we turn to one example, California’s fight against the dangerous wildfires raging throughout the State. Please welcome Governor Gavin Newsom.

Governor Gavin Newsom: (12:11)
Well, I confess this is not where I expected to be speaking here tonight. I’m about a mile or so away from one of over 370 wildfires that we’re battling here in the State of California. We are just coming off a record week, a heat wave that led to 130 degree temperatures, the highest temperature ever recorded in California, arguably the world’s history here in our State. The hots are getting hotter, the dries are getting drier. Climate change is real. If you are in denial about climate change, come to California. 11,000 dry lightening strikes, we had over a 72 hour period, leading to this unprecedented challenge with these wildfires.

This is an extraordinary moment in our history. Mother nature has now joined this conversation around climate change. And so we too need to advance that conversation a new. Just today, the President of United States threatened the State of California, 40 million Americans, that happen to live here in the State of California to defund our efforts on wildfire suppression, because he said we hadn’t raked enough leaves. He can’t make that up, nor can he make up the fact we’re involved in over 90 lawsuits with the Trump administration on clean air, on clean water, on endangered species, on pesticides. There is so much at stake in this election, none more important than the work Joe Biden did with Barack Obama on the vehicle emissions standards, the fuel efficiency standards. It will save billions and billions of dollars taxpayers, and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. There is so much at stake in this election.

I couldn’t help myself on my way to one of our relief centers, one of our evacuation centers, just to jump out of the car and just express my deep reverence, my admiration to Joe Biden, to Kamala Harris, California’s own, to their faith, their devotion, their constancy, to their commitment, and not just to the environment, but to the Commonwealth, to our kids, our kids’ kids, our grandkids, to our legacy. There is so much at stake in this election. And I just want to close by reminding each and every one of you. The future is not just something to experience, it’s something to manifest. It’s inside of us, not just in front of us. It’s our decision, not our conditions that will determine our fate and future. So let us resolve that after this historic night, this incredible, incredible week, this remarkable convention, that we do everything in our power to get Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in to the White House in January, 2021.

Joe Biden: (15:06)
America’s an idea, an idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful dictator or tyrant. It gives hope. In this nation, we believe in honesty, decency, treating everyone with respect, giving anyone a fair shot, living nobody behind, giving hate no safe harbor, leading by the power of our example, not by the example of our power, that’s allowed us to stand as a beacon to the world, being part of something bigger than ourselves. It’s a code. It’s a uniquely American code, the most powerful idea in the history of the world. The American Creed that we’re all created equal I think beats in the heart of people in this country.

Jon Meachin: (16:12)
This time next year, I hope the virus is in check and the American spirit is unleashed, and that were not fearing but hoping again.

Dolores Huerta: (16:22)
Unity in our country, this is what I hope to see next year.

Senator Daug Jones: (16:27)
I hope we’ve chosen community over chaos, we’ve chosen unity over division, and we’ve chosen love over hate.

Donna Hylton: (16:35)
I believe that America will have faced its darkest moment and will have come out better.

Khizr Khan: (16:42)
America will be coming together, not splintering apart.

Donna Hylton: (16:48)
No more, no more pain.

Ady Barkan: (16:51)
This time next year, I hope that we will have a government that is accountable to us. That guarantees health care as a human right.

Judge Lina Hidalgo: (16:58)
The promise of America will be restored for all our communities, all are families, for all of us. And when I say all of us, [foreign language 00:17:07].

Jim Roosevelt: (17:10)
I am confident that this time next year we will have a President who provides this country with real leadership, not just tweets.

Susan Molinari: (17:19)
This time next year, I hope we are listening less to the Russians and more to Dr. Fauci.

Daniel Dae Kim: (17:24)
I hope we all get back to work.

Senator Yvanna Cancela: (17:26)
There’ll be true Americans why we’ll be happy to say are unemployed, Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump.

Senator Amy Klobuchar: (17:33)
This time next year, I hope that all Americans, whether they are Democrats or Independents or Republicans, will be proud of their President, will be proud of their Vice President.

Andrew Yang: (17:45)
And that our recovery is truly people up, families up, and communities up.

Senator Elizabet Warren: (17:49)
That people believe they have a government that is working for them. That’s out there every day everyday doing its best for them.

Danica Roem: (17:58)
I want to see a President of the United States, who can look at a trans-woman in the eye and tell her her rights are worth protecting.

Robyn Senior: (18:04)
I hope America has a president that champions the rights of all young women and girls.

Miyoko Hikiji: (18:09)
This time next year, I want a President who understands what military families need.

Vilissa Thompson: (18:14)
Who cares about the rights and lives of fellow people.

Mari Manoogian: (18:18)
Who will care about our environment again.

Mayor Robert Garcia: (18:20)
Will pass comprehensive immigration reform.

LT. Peggy Flanagan: (18:23)
I hope we have a president who honors treaty rights and tribal sovereignty.

Luz Chaparro Hernandez: (18:27)
A year from now, I hope to see the kids playing on the playground.

Brittney Hubert: (18:31)
I take pride in my job in helping our customers, but next year, I want to do it without wearing a mask or gloves.

Beto O’rourke: (18:40)
I hope that we were all celebrating landmark legislation that the Biden Harris administration have shepherded through Congress and signed into law.

Fred Guttenberg: (18:49)
This time next year, parents will again be able to look forward to the day where we can send our children to school without fear of gun violence.

Khizr Khan: (19:00)
This time.

Judge Lina Hidalgo: (19:01)
This time next year.

Mayor Robert Garcia: (19:01)

Mari Manoogian: (19:01)

Rep. Marcia Fudge: (19:02)
I hope that this country realizes that we have in fact, reclaim the soul of America.

Colin Powell: (19:07)
This time next year, I hope and pray that America will have restored democracy.

Jaime Harrison: (19:13)
We recommit ourselves to come together, one nation under God.

Major General Frank Vavala: (19:18)
One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Kamala Harris: (19:25)
This time next year, I want to see Joe Biden in the oval office.

Hello America, I’m Andrew Yang. You might know me as the guy who ran for President talking about math in the future. Unfortunately for all of us, that future is now. The pandemic has accelerated everything. If you’re like me and my wife, Evelyn, you don’t know if your child’s school is going to reopen this fall. 72% of Americans believe that this is the worst time we have ever experienced. And 42% of the jobs that have been lost, millions of jobs will never return. We are in a deep dark hole, and we need leaders who will help us dig out. I know many politicians promise and then fail to deliver. If you voted for Trump or didn’t vote it all back in 2016, I get it.

Many of us have gotten tired of our leaders, seeming far removed from our everyday lives, and we despair that our government will ever rise to the challenges of our time. But we must give this country, our country, a chance to recover. And recovery is only possible with a change of leadership and new ideas. Bold and innovative policies that will get help into your hands in the midst of this crisis are now possible, but we need your help to turn the page for our country in 75 days. We are here tonight to celebrate Joe Biden’s nomination as the Democratic candidate for President. I have gotten to know both Joe and Kamala on the trail over the past year. The way you really get to know a person, when the cameras are off, the crowds are gone. It’s just you in them. They’re real people. They understand the problems we face. There are parents and patriots who want the best for us and our country. And if we give them the chance, they will fight for us and our families every single day.

Our future is now, and it is daunting. But I ask you tonight to join me, to help Joe and Kamala fight for the promise of America, turn the page for our country and lead us forward to a future we’ll actually be proud to leave to our children. And now I’d like to turn it over to a great Democrat who will be with us throughout the evening. Between the two of us, we have 11 Emmys. How’s that for math? One of my favorite actresses, Julia Louis Dreyfus. Hey Julia.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: (21:39)
Hi Andrew. It’s so glad to see you. So what did you think about Kamala Harris’s speech last night?

It was tremendous. I was so happy for her.

I know me too. She was fabulous. I cannot wait to see her debate. Our current Vice President Mika Pints, or is it Paints?

It’s pronounced Pants, I believe.

Oh, some kind of weird foreign name?

Yeah, not very American sounding.

Yeah, that’s what people are saying, strongly. Well, thank you, Andrew. And please give my regards to the gang.

I will. They’re right in the next room. Have a great night, Julia.

Thank you so much. Good evening America, and welcome to the fourth night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Uniting America. Okay, these last few nights have been going so well, we decided to add a fifth night where we will just play Michelle Obama’s speech on a loop. I first met Joe Biden when I was doing my show Veep. I played the Vice President and he was in fact, the Vice President, and we hit it off immediately. Soon after I was asked to be on the cover of a magazine. Remember those? And I was so excited. It was like, “Oh, what’s it going to be People or Vogue or Rolling Stone?” Well, it turns out it was for Arrive, the official onboard magazine of Amtrak, which nobody ever reads, even though it’s free.

The day it came out, my phone rang and it was the Vice President telling me he loves the cover and the whole article, and that it was one of the best issues of Arrive he had ever read. And that is just one of the many reasons that I wanted to be here tonight for Joe, and to remind you that Joe Biden not only knows how to read, but also he reads everything. I am no policy expert and I certainly don’t pretend to be one, but I have a gut feeling about fairness and what’s right, and that is why I am so excited that just in a little while, we’re going to hear from Joe Biden about his plans for America. Plans for a strong economy that helps working people and small businesses, not just billionaires, and plans to raise the wages for the nurses and teachers and grocery workers that are getting us through this crisis. God, love them.

So how can you help Joe? It’s super simple vote. Right now, you can text, Vote, to 30330 to learn about all of your voting options and make the best plan for how to vote in your community, wherever you are. An easy way to remember 30330, is that’s the year Donald Trump will finally release his tax returns. If we all vote, there is nothing Facebook, Fox News and Vladimir Putin can do to stop us. But first let’s reaffirm the all American values that our party and Joe Biden stand for.

Speaker 18: (24:50)
[inaudible 00:00:24:54].

Speaker 19: (24:58)
[inaudible 00:24: 55], do it while you’re smiling. Okay?

Speaker 18: (25:00)
Ready? And action.

Speaker 20: (25:01)
I pledge the allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which is stands, one nation under God, indivisible, for Liberty and Justice for all.

Speaker 18: (25:17)
Awesome.

Sister Simone Campbell: (27:02)
Good evening. I’m Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of Network, and leader of Nuns On The Bus. Tonight marks an important next chapter in our story of who we will become as a nation. So I speak to you with a sense of urgency and hope, knowing the difficult work ahead, but grounded in my faith. The very first paragraph of the scripture that informs the three Abrahamic traditions tells us the divine spirit breezed over the waters of chaos and brought forth a new creation. Encouraged by this promise that a new creation can come from chaos, let us pray.

Sister Simone Campbell: (27:42)
Oh, Divine Spirit, during the weeks and months ahead, stir our hearts and minds that we might fight for a vision that is worthy of you and you’re called to honor the dignity of all of your creation. A vision of who we are as a people grounded in community and care for all, especially the most marginalized. A vision that cares for our earth and heals the planet. A vision that ends structural racism, bigotry, and sexism so rife now in our nation and in our history. A vision that ensures hungry people are fed, children are nourished, immigrants are welcomed. Oh, spirit breathe in us and our leaders a new resolve that committed to this new American promise, we will work together to build a national community grounded in healing, fearlessly based on truth, and living out of a sense of shared responsibility. In the name of all that is holy, Oh Spirit, bring out of this time of global and national chaos, a new creation, a new community that can with your help realize this new promise that we affirmed tonight. And so with profound hope, let we, the people say, Amen.

Senator Chris Coons: (29:15)
Thank you, Sister Simone. People of faith have long led change from abolition and women’s suffrage, to the labor movement and the struggle for civil rights. Joe Biden will continue that progressive March towards justice, inspired by respect for the dignity of all people, people Joe believes were made in the image of God. Joe learned that from his parents and the nuns and priests right here in Delaware, who taught him and inspired in him a passion for justice. I’m Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, and I want to tell you about my friend, Joe Biden. His faith is strong and it’s personal and private.

For Joe faith isn’t a prop or a political tool. I’ve known Joe about 30 years, and I’ve seen his faith in action. Joe knows the power of prayer, and I’ve seen him in moments of joy and triumph, of loss and spare turn to God for strength. Joe’s comforted me in my toughest moments, as he has so many others. I’ll never forget how Joe took the time to offer me words of comfort as my father lay in hospice. Time and again, I’ve seen him stop everything and listen, really, listen to someone who needs a shoulder to cry on or partner in prayer. That compassion, that empathy is part of his character.

More than anything chose a man of faith and conscience, he’ll be a precedent for Americans of all face as well as people of conscience who practice no particular faith. Joe’s faith is really about our future, about a world with less suffering and more justice, where we’re better stewards of creation, where we have a more just immigration policy, and where we call out and confront the original sins of this nation, the sins of slavery and racism. Joe knows these are central issues in this election, and for him, they’re rooted in faith.

Joe knows that it’s faith that sustained so many ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things. Nurses who brave infection, firefighters who run into burning buildings, teachers working overtime, especially now, they all deserve a servant leader who knows the dignity of work, who sees them, respects them, fights for them. We need a President who brings people of all faiths together to tackle our challenges, rebuild our country and restore our humanity. Someone who knows we’re called to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. Joe Biden will be that President. Joe has always known this race is a battle for the soul of our country, and he’s right. Joe believes, he believes in both the greatness and the goodness of this country. He believes in us, and in what we can do together, my question

Rev. Anthony Thompson: (31:50)
My question is what is your faith, and how would you use your faith in make decisions for our nation?

Joe Biden: (31:59)
Reverend, I kind of know what it’s like to lose family, and my heart goes out to you. But you may remember, after Barack and Michelle and I were there, and my family, I came back on that Sunday to regular service, because I had just lost my son, and I wanted some hope because what you all did was astounding. I don’t know if you all know this, all those who died, were killed by this white supremacist, they forgave him, the ultimate act of Christian charity. They forgave him. Reverend I’m not proselytizing, I happened to be a practicing Catholic, but I went back to the church because I found, particularly, the black church, and this case was me and me, it was not an Episcopal church. I found.

Joe Biden: (33:03)
Not Episcopal Church, I found that there’s that famous phrase from Kierkegaard, faith sees best in the dark. I find the one thing it gives me, and I’m not trying to process. I’m not trying to convince you to share my religious views. But for me, it’s important because it gives me some reason to have hope and purpose.

Just remember, Joe Biden goes to church so regularly that he doesn’t even need tear gas and a bunch of federalized troops to help him get there. No one fought harder for your right to vote than John Lewis. Here to speak about him and his legacy, we have one of our great mayors, Atlanta’s Keisha Lance Bottoms. Mayor Bottoms, hello. I know that you’re recovering from the Corona virus. How are you feeling?

Keisha Lance Bottoms: (34:03)
Well, good evening. I feel really good. Thank you for asking. My husband on the other hand is still having many of the lingering side effects that people talk about, but all in all our family’s doing great.

Well, I’m glad to hear it, but boy, I think a lot of Americans are going to be dealing with that for a long time. Hey Mayor, I wanted to ask you something. Is Atlanta ready for election day?

We will be ready and we are going to do everything that we can to make sure that voting goes smoothly. But we are encouraging people if you can vote early in your state, to please do so. Early vote during the early vote.

Perfect. Excellent advice. Over 40 States now allow some form of early voting. Okay. Stay safe mayor and I turn it over to you.

Well, thank you, Julia and good evening. I’m Keisha Lance Bottoms, a mother of four and mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, cradle of the civil rights movement and like so many other cities, a place where the struggle for human dignity continues. I’m proud to have grown up in this city, educated in its public schools and blessed to have known our hometown heroes like Dr. Joseph Lowery, Dr. C.T. Vivian and our teacher, our friend, our conscience, our Congressman John Lewis. He walked gently amongst us, not as a distant icon but as a God fearing man who did what he could to fulfill the as yet unfulfilled promise of America.

People often think that they can’t make a difference like our civil rights icons, but every person in the movement mattered. Those who made the sandwiches, swept the church floors, stuffed the envelopes, they too change America and so can we. The baton has now been passed to each of us. We’ve cried out for justice, we have gathered in our streets to demand change and now we must pass on the gift john Lewis sacrifice to give us. We must register and we must vote. In his parting essay written to us, congressman Lewis expressed his pride in the activism that has swept our country and he reminded us that if we fail to exercise our right to vote, we can lose it.

There are those who are disgracefully using this pandemic to spread misinformation and interfere with voting, forcing many in 2020 to still risk their lives to exercise their sacred right to vote. A right that has already been paid for with the blood, sweat, tears, and lives of so many. So let’s stand up for our children, our children’s children and for this great democracy that our ancestors worked to build and let’s vote. Let’s organize to get others to vote with us. You can help make this happen by texting vote to 30330.

We know how important it is that we elect real leaders like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, people of honor and integrity, who hold justice close to their hearts and believe that the lives of my four black children matter. In the words of womanist poet, Audre Lorde, your silence will not protect you. Congressman Lewis would not be silenced and neither can we. We cannot wait for some other time, some other place, some other heroes. We must be the heroes of our generation because we too are America. Our votes can be our voice.

Speaker 21: (38:51)
There’s something deep down within me moving me that I could no longer be satisfied or go along with an evil system.

Andrew Young: (39:05)
Life was extremely dangerous when we were growing up. John Lewis had the respect of everybody because he was the one who demonstrated the most courage. He’d been beaten and knocked down and get up and go to fight another battle. John was focused on ending voter suppression and it wasn’t that he was a great orator, is that he was a great spirit. The power of spirituality and humility and the willingness to suffer rather than to inflict suffering.

Elijah Cummings: (39:56)
One of the things that John has taught us is that, you may have to sacrifice but if you’re sacrificing for a cause, something bigger than you, bigger than you and you really believe in it, then you will have people following you.

John Lewis: (40:12)
If we do not get meaningful legislation out of this Congress, we will march through the South, through the streets of Jackson, through the streets of Danville, through the streets of Cambridge, through the streets of Birmingham.

James M. Lawson Jr.: (40:34)
I think he is the singular figure that has tried to carry out the work of our nonviolent campaigns into the halls of Congress.

Nancy Pelosi: (40:43)
From day one, John Lewis was a role model for the members of Congress, whether they were freshmen are here a long time because he brought with him a kind of heft of weightiness of purpose.

John Lewis: (40:58)
I got arrested a few times during the 60s, 40 times and since I’ve been in Congress, another five times. The means by which we struggle must be consistent with the end we seek.

Stacey Abrams: (41:16)
Someone who has navigated thorny issues of policy not by castigating alone, but by also encouraging people to be better than they think they can be.

John Lewis: (41:26)
Today we are considering a fair housing marriage, which not only protect our nation’s minorities, but it protects the need for those with disabilities and families with children. How long do we have to wait before we decide to ban assault weapons? We have another opportunity to bring more of our citizens into political participation. I have on my marching shoes, I’m fighting. I’m ready to march.

Raphael Warnock: (41:53)
All of these decades later while he and others of his generation achieved much, we’re still fighting against police brutality and fighting for our voting rights. So we best honor him by continuing to fight the good fights that he fought by staying in good trouble.

Raphael Warnock: (42:33)
( singing).

John Lewis: (43:09)
We will create a beloved community. We will redeem the soul of America. As a nation and as a people we will get there.

John Lewis: (43:18)
(singing).

Wow. That was so beautiful. John and Common. Wow. Joe Biden shares John Lewis’ has belief that every vote matters. Personally, I plan to follow the example of six current cabinet members, vice-president Poons and President Trump himself, and vote by mail. To find out everything you need to know about mailing ballots, your polling place or even just am I registered, text vote to 30330. 30330, that would be the president’s golf score if he didn’t cheat. Okay, look, I’ll admit that was a little nasty, but we all know he’s a cheater and I’m proud to be a nasty, nasty woman. When Donald Trump spoke at his inauguration about American carnage, I assumed that was something he was against, not a campaign promise. What we need now is great leadership. Someone experienced in hard working and intelligent. Someone who understands the soul of the American people.

Jon Meacham: (49:15)
I’m historian Jon Meacham. In his final Sunday sermon, days before his death, Martin Luther King Jr said, “We are tied together in the single garment of destiny. This is the way God’s universe is made. This is the way it is structured.” A single garment of destiny. We the people cannot escape that reality nor as Lincoln taught us, can you and I escape history. And we shouldn’t want to for many of us have been given much; liberty, opportunity, a sense of possibility. The task of our time is to make sure those gifts are available not just to folks who look like me but to all of us.

This is a grave moment in America. A deadly virus is ravaging us. Our jobs are evaporating. Our faith and the things that bind us together is fraying for our democracy is under assault from an incumbent, more interested in himself than he is in the rest of us. Extremism, nativism, isolationism and a lack of economic opportunity for working people are all preventing us from realizing our nation’s promise. So we must decide whether we will continue to be prisoners of the darkest of American forces or will we free ourselves to write a brighter, better, nobler story? That’s the issue of this election. A choice that goes straight to the nature of the soul of America.

Humankind has long viewed the soul as the vital center, the core, the essence of existence. The soul is what makes us us. In its finest hours, America’s soul has been animated by the proposition that we are all created equal and by the imperative to ensure that we are treated equally. Yet, America is a mix of light and shadow. Seneca falls and Selma and Stonewall dwell in the American soul but so do the impulses that have given us slavery, segregation and systemic discrimination.

Often we’d prefer to hear the trumpets rather than face the tragedies but an honest accounting of who we’ve been, can enable us to see who we should be. A country driven by the best parts of our soul, not by the worst. A country informed by reason and candor, not by ego and lies. A country that’s big hearted, not narrow minded. The struggle to be who we ought to be is difficult, demanding and ongoing. Justice can be elusive and change in America has been painful and provisional. The civil war led to segregation. The new deal to right wing reaction, civil rights to white backlash, yet history, which will surely be our judge, can also be our guide. From Harriet Tubman to Alice Paul, to John Lewis from the beaches of Normandy, to the rendering of the iron curtain, our story has soared when we’ve built bridges, not walls. When we’ve lent a hand, not when we’ve pointed fingers. When we’ve hoped not feared.

If we live in hope, we open our souls to the power of love. We’ve been taught to love our neighbors as ourselves. As individuals and as a nation, however, we fail at following that commandment more often than we succeed. But when we fail, we must try again and again and again, for only in trial is progress possible. From Jamestown forward, our story has become fuller and fairer because of people who share a conviction that Dr. King articulated on that Sunday half a century ago; the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Bending that arc requires all of us. It requires we, the people, and it requires a president of the United States with empathy, grace, a big heart and an open mind. Joe Biden will be such a president. With our voices and our votes, let us now write the next chapter of the American story; one of hope, of love, of justice. If we do so, we might just save our country and our souls.

Deb Haaland: (53:58)
Good evening. I’m Congresswoman Deb Haaland. I’m grateful to be with you here on indigenous land. The promise of this country is older than our constitution. Over 500 years ago, thousands of Indian tribes were vibrant democratic societies with rich cultures and traditions and communities that had sustained them for millennia on lands they loved and respected. My people, the Pueblo Indians, migrated to the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1200s to escape droughts. We were led to the great river and its tributaries, where we established an agricultural tradition that continues to this day. My people survived centuries of slavery, genocide and brutal assimilation policies. But throughout our past, tribal nations have fought for and helped build this country. There were those like my Laguna grandparents who worked on our country’s railroad and those like my mother, a Navy veteran, who served this country with honor. I stand here today, a proud 35th generation new Mexican, and one of the first native American women ever elected to Congress. I’m a symbol of our resilience as the embodiment of America’s progress as a nation.

I know we can’t take our democracy for granted, especially now, as people are dying, as our land is abused, as our constitution is under attack. We must work for it by getting involved, by registering voters, by voting. Voting is sacred. Why people know that. We weren’t universally granted the right to vote until 1962 and that fundamental right is more important than ever. Whether your ancestors have been here for hundreds of years or you’re a new citizen, know this, whether we vote and how we vote will determine if our nation’s promise of social, racial and environmental justice will outlast us. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris respect our past and understand our present. They will see us through this crisis of leadership that is plaguing our country, and they will help us to build a better future. Thank you.

(singing).

Sara: (56:27)
The first year that I voted was 1974.

Terry: (56:30)
1967.

James: (56:32)
I have not missed a general or a primary election in my 51 year voting history.

Seymour: (56:38)
Now I don’t go to the polls anymore. The U.S. postal service does it for me.

Terry: (56:44)
And we’re seeing our current president sabotage our right to vote, sabotaging democracy by trying to undo the postal system.

James: (56:54)
My father worked for the postal service for 30 years.

Pat: (56:58)
My mother worked for that local post office for 10 years. That job enabled her to feed her family.

James: (57:05)
I am appalled at what the Republicans and the president are trying to do to subvert the vote.

Jeffrey: (57:12)
Nothing or no one will stop me from voting this election.

Sara: (57:16)
We need to keep our mail system. We need Joe Biden.

Sara: (57:19)
(singing)

Donald Trump: (57:21)
Where are they going? Where are these ballots going? Who’s getting them? Who is not getting them? A little section that’s Republican. Will they be stolen from mailboxes as they get put in by the mailman? Will they be taken from the mailman and the mail women? Will they be forged? Who is signing to them? Who’s shining them? Are they signed at the kitchen table and sent in? Will they be counterfeited by groups inside our nation? Will they be counterfeited maybe by the millions by foreign powers?

Speaker 22: (58:09)
Let me put this in my own words. I’ve heard Donald Trump say some pretty unhinged things. I’ve heard them over and over and over again, but nothing is more dangerous to our democracy than his attacks on mailing voting during a pandemic. Okay? Here’s the truth. Donald Trump doesn’t want any of us to vote because he knows he can’t win fair and square. So whether you plan to vote by mail or in person wearing your mask, it is your vote and it’s your right. Don’t let Donald Trump take that away from you. For accurate up to date voting information that you can trust, text vote to 30330. One more time. Text vote to 30330.

Alex Padilla: (58:58)
I’m Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State.

Jocelyn Benson: (59:01)
And I’m Jocelyn Benson, the Secretary of State of Michigan

Voting is the oxygen of our democracy. It decides elections and elections change lives. That’s why we’ve seen so many attacks on our right to vote, including many that specifically target working families, young people and communities of color.

Secretaries of state are responsible for running fair, accessible, secure elections, where every vote is counted and every voice has heard. We serve on the front lines, defending our democracy against any and all attacks, foreign and domestic.

So let’s talk about this election, despite what he says, Donald Trump can’t cancel it, but he and Republicans are making it too hard for so many to cast their ballots. And now he’s attacking a vote by mail to distract and confuse voters.

And let’s be clear, there is absolutely zero difference between voting by mail and voting absentee. Millions of Americans have been voting absentee for decades. Donald Trump, his family, his staff, they all vote by mail. In fact, in States like Colorado, Utah and Oregon, voters have been voting by mail for years. Republicans and Democrats agree, it is safe.

Alex Padilla: (01:00:16)
But now Trump has admitted he’s trying to sabotage the post office to undermine voting by mail and we’re not going to let them do that. Our job is to make sure everyone can vote safely, whether in person or by mail, and your job is to make sure you vote.

Jocelyn Benson: (01:00:34)
And there’s more. Once you’ve done that, talk to your friends and neighbors, spread the word. Tell everyone you know to text vote to 30330 for more voting options. If you’re planning to vote from home, request and return your ballot early and remind everyone you know to make a plan to vote.

Alex Padilla: (01:00:54)
Don’t let anyone keep you from exercising your most sacred right. Make your plan to vote. Grab your mask and head to the polls the first day they’re open or request your ballot and send it in right away. And know this, election results may take a little longer this year, but Democrats will fight to make sure your ballot is counted.

Because at the end of the day, the biggest role in preserving our democracy isn’t ours, it’s yours.

(singing)

Eva Gutowski: (01:01:30)
Our family has a crazy history with America and it all starts with it being a beacon for immigrants. It’s really cool being like part Polish and part Puerto Rican and also part black because I get to, for me personally, I get to be this like melting pot of America.

Jack G.: (01:01:47)
If you were an immigrant back then, come from an immigrant family, the Democrats brought you in. We’re in danger of losing the meaning of this country.

Every generation before us has had to fight for what they believe in and it’s just our turn now.

Jack G.: (01:02:03)
I was proud when I saw the demonstrations that were going on across the country.

This year’s election means a lot to me because I feel like our generation is so motivated right now to make a difference. There’s a lot of changes that we have to make and I’m counting on Joe Biden and I believe in him.

Speaker 23: (01:02:33)
I’m here because a union job lifted my family out of poverty and into the middle class. My grandfather left the Jim Crow South for Detroit, joined the UAW and got a job on the assembly lines during world war two. That union job enabled him to support his family, raise my mom and send her to Fisk University. That’s the American dream. Together we work, together we rise. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris know the dignity of all working Americans. They know the urgency and the demand of our dream. But working people are under attack. The wealth gap grows, our middle class shrinks and poverty persists. Last week Donald Trump said, and I quote, “Our economy is doing good,” while 40 million Americans are at risk of losing their homes, 30 million aren’t getting enough to eat and 5.4 million people have lost their healthcare because of this crisis. He has failed us but still I believe in the dream of our ancestors.

Speaker 23: (01:03:46)
Together with Joe and Kamala in the White House will raise the minimum wage so no one who works a full time job in America lives in poverty. Together we’ll fight for those who keep us healthy, who keep us safe, who teach our children. We’ll stand for those who cook and serve and clean, who plant and harvest, who pack and always those who deliver. Whose hands are thick with calluses like my granddad’s were. Who lifted me high, who held mine when I was a boy. If he was alive, Joe and Kamala, he would be so proud of you. And he’d tell us, “Take another by the hand and another, and let’s get to work. This dream ain’t free. You got to work for it.” So like his generation up and out of the depression, let’s now work together and stand together. And America, together we will rise.

Joe Biden: (01:04:57)
There is my team. You guys build America, not Wall Street. You build America, right?

Gerald Lang: (01:05:03)
Americans just want to live meekly comfortable. I’ve got a wife that works as well. I’ve got a 17 and a seven year old at home, and we’re still working. Thanks to our international executive board for getting with general motors and making sure that it’s safe for us to return back to work after eight weeks of being laid off. I mean, it’s a hoax at one point and now here we are a full blown.

Joe Biden: (01:05:25)
Yep. Well, I tell you what the future of auto workers America, and I really believe this, can be as bright as it was back in the late 40s and 50s.

Yes.

Joe Biden: (01:05:38)
Simple reason, it’s an iconic industry. It’s an American industry. We made it. We made it.

Yes. Thank you.

Robert Lopez: (01:05:46)
It’s been a very interesting point 2020. I’ve been in the fire service 16 years and never experienced anything like COVID. We got to change our whole tactics, the way we did our day to day and now had a hurricane that just came in two weeks ago and we were almost right on the-

… That just came in two weeks ago, and we were almost right on the eye. I mean, we were doing things we never thought we’d be doing, water rescues with masks on, having to worry about COVID. It was interesting.

Joe Biden: (01:06:15)
How is your family going?

Well, I’m a single dad. I have a almost five-year-old, who is my world. And I’m very lucky that my parents are retired. My mom actually retired right after my daughter was born to help us with her. She was so looking forward to pre-K, going to the preschool, and then unfortunately all this COVID came in and now it’s all going to be online schooling, which I’m fortunate. I have my parents, but I do have a lot of guys that are double income families, and they’re just trying to figure out how they’re going to do it with their kids. What arrangements are they going to have to make since they’re not going to be going to school, it’s going to be online.

Natasha Taylor: (01:06:53)
It’s two people in my household. I have a family of two, and we have grown-up kids that are no longer in the household. But it takes two people to build. We have an ongoing goal of a five year goal of buying a house in the next five years. So hopefully we’ll save, save, save.

Joe Biden: (01:07:12)
Look, everybody, you talk about the middle class. The fact is that the way middle class generate wealth, overwhelmingly is building up equity in their home. It naturally gets passed on from one generation to the next, the equity in the home.

Rob Bair: (01:07:28)
The middle class is continuously taking hits. And one of the reasons why we’re on this call is we realize how important it is to have you in the White House. We need a comprehensive energy policy for renewable resources, which I know you have one. And if we’re going to build the middle class, it’s about the jobs.

Joe Biden: (01:07:49)
The future really rests on investment. We’re going to be investing $2 trillion in infrastructure. Ports, bridges, highways, making sure that we have access to do things that really make a difference. Like what you’re doing, that solar facility outside of Harrisburg. I’m a Scranton boy, central Pennsylvania is okay, but Northeast, keep the faith guys.

Rob Bair: (01:08:14)
Thank you sir.

Natasha Taylor: (01:08:16)
Thank you so much, we appreciate you.

Vivek Murthy: (01:08:22)
I know it’s not typical for a former surgeon general to speak at a convention. Surgeons general are appointed by presidents, but our work isn’t about politics. Our highest duty is to the public. Our true guide is science, and our job is to speak the truth about public health, even when it’s controversial or perceived as political. So here’s the truth. Our nation absolutely has what it takes to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic that’s claimed tens of thousands of our loved ones. We have the talent, resources and technology. What we’re missing is leadership. We need a leader who works with States to ensure that everyone who needs a test gets one, and gets results quickly. A leader who secures a safe, effective vaccine, and distributes it quickly and fairly. A leader who inspires us to practice distancing, and wear masks, not as a political statement, but as a patriotic duty, a commitment we make to one another.

Vivek Murthy: (01:09:26)
That’s why I’m here tonight. Not because of politics or for party, but because I know Joe Biden can be that leader. I’ve worked with Joe Biden. I’ve seen who he is with no cameras around, how he sits with people in their pain, and holds them in his heart. How he pours over COVID briefings, asking smart questions, letting science guide his way, just as he did when managing the Ebola crisis. And six years ago, when Joe Biden met my family, many of them immigrants, awed to be in the nation’s Capitol, I saw how he kneeled beside my grandmother’s wheelchair, took her hands in his, and said, “Thank you for choosing us, the United States of America as the place to trust with your family.” Tonight, as a father, son, and grandson, as the doctor who swore an oath, and as an American who loves my country, I can tell you that Joe Biden is the man I trust to look out for my family, and the leader I know will heal this nation.

Tammy Baldwin: (01:10:39)
Hi, I’m Senator Tammy Baldwin. When I was nine years old, I got sick, really sick. I was hospitalized, but since my grandparents were the ones raising me, and our family’s health plan didn’t cover grandkids, they were forced to pay out of pocket for my three month hospital stay. I got better, but the insurance companies didn’t. They refused to cover me at any cost because I was marked child with a preexisting condition. We all have stories like this, stories about a time when the system was rigged against us. When we were counted out, left out, pushed out. Just think of what we’ve heard these past four days, healthcare professionals who don’t have the protective gear they need, young people whose asthma will get worse as our air quality does, workers who are afraid of losing their jobs. Each story begs this simple fundamental question, a question that gets to the heart of the choice in this election.

What kind of country do we want to be? Do we want to be a country where millionaires get to dodge taxes? Or one where working families get a break? Do we want to be a country where medical bills bury people in debt, or one where healthcare is affordable for all? Or where tens of thousands of people die from a virus, or where the American dream lives? I think we know the answer to that fundamental question, because most of us want the same things. Good schools in our neighborhoods, racial justice, the freedom to love who we want, dignity in our work, and an economy where small businesses and working families thrive. And over the past months, we’ve added another to that list. A nation free from COVID. That’s why Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the only answer in this election. Trust me. They are.

You see, there’s another part of my story, the part where I ran for office, the part where I served in Congress, the part where I worked with Joe Biden and Barack Obama to make sure kids, and grandkids, if they’re dependents can stay on their parents’ health insurance until they’re 26. We got that done. And yes, it was a big effing deal. That’s the America I know, that’s the America I love, and that’s the America we will be with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House. A nation that plans, a nation that builds, a nation that builds back. Say it with me there at home, a nation that builds back better. Here in Wisconsin, our state motto is just one word, forward. This November, let’s move forward and never look back. Thank you.

Joe Biden: (01:13:51)
No other nation. No other nation can match us if we step up, if we lead by the power of our example, not by the example of our power. The only thing that could tear America apart is America itself, and we can not let that happen.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: (01:14:15)
If you want to help Joe and Kamala make sure that America stays strong and united, please go to JoeBiden.com and contribute anything that you possibly can. Tonight, I couldn’t be prouder to be a loyal union member, a passionate climate activist, and a patriotic Democrat, or as Donald Trump will call me in a Tweet tomorrow, a washed up horse face no talent has been with low ratings. Well, with all due respect sir, it takes one to know one. And now I’d like to introduce you to a real American hero, World War II veteran Ed Good.

Edward Good: (01:14:55)
I am Edward Good. I’m 95 years old. I’m a veteran of World War II, and of Korea. When I wear a uniform, I wear only two badges. My parachute wings, and the combat infantry badge. I did make one combat jump over the Rhine in Germany. And I’m proud of that. I have been a Republican since the 1960s. I’m a member of the NRA, and I voted for Trump. I think Trump has been the worst president we’ve ever had. So I’ll be glad to see him go. I think Joe Biden will be a great leader for the United States. Like me, on the day of my jump into Germany, I think Joe Biden cares about doing his proper duty for the United States. And if he’s elected, that’s what he will do.

Michael: (01:16:01)
This year’s election is very important. Probably be the most important election we’ve had in years. I recommend strongly based on the division in this country created by our current president, Donald Trump, we need to put somebody else in the White House that’s going to bring us together. Now, let me just explain something. I’ve been a longstanding Republican for a long time, and I’m telling you, you got to vote for Joe Biden. You have to. I don’t think we can deal with the type of person we have in the White House any longer. So it’s up to you, America, and me, because in this election, I’m voting for Joe. I’m sure, I’m absolutely sure he’s going to help us bring this country together once again.

Lakeisha Cole: (01:16:55)
My name is Lakeisha Cole. I met my husband 20 years ago. When we started dating while I was in college, once I graduated from college, we eloped. Two weeks after that he deployed.

Speaker 24: (01:17:11)
This is what I wanted to do. You love this country, are you willing to do the hard work it takes to maintain it?

What was supposed to be a six month deployment actually turned into 11 months. There was nothing really to prepare me as a new military spouse on how to deal with the stress.

Speaker 24: (01:17:33)
When people get married, they expect to grow with each other. With multiple combat tours, there’s no guarantee of any of those things.

They’re just a long laundry list of uncertainties that we have to juggle.

Stacey Abrams: (01:17:49)
Joe has always cared about military families. They’ve been through so much. When I went to Iraq, one of the generals said, ” I want to share the story with you.” In his daughter’s class, it was a Christmas program and they were playing the Ave Maria. And one of the little girls burst into tears and the teacher ran over and said, “What’s the matter? What’s the matter?” And she said, “That’s the song they played at my daddy’s funeral. He died in the war.” The teacher had no idea that that little girl’s father had fought in the war and had died. And that night I said to my staff, I’m a teacher, we can do better. We’ve got to do better to help our military kids.

The Bidens have a track record of helping military families. And we’ve seen it with their work that they’ve done with joining forces, and how they were able to rally a country behind us.

Joe Biden: (01:18:48)
Then when we send the war to defend our nation, care for them and their families while they’re gone, and care for them and their families when they come home.

It was the very first time that I, as a military spouse, felt like someone was listening to us, and someone cared.

Stacey Abrams: (01:19:07)
It’s not just the service member who serves, the entire family serves as well. Joe said, “We have one sacred obligation, to take care of our military members.” During this pandemic for sure, so many veterans have lost their jobs. So many military spouses have lost their jobs. That’s one of the things that will be a priority in a Biden administration. We will make sure that all Americans have healthcare employment. The things that families need to thrive.

When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. And we know exactly who Joe is. He is the best candidate for America, not just for our families.

Tammy Duckworth: (01:20:12)
Good evening. I’m Tammy Duckworth. When I first enlisted in the army, I was eager to serve my country, yet anxious whether I’d be able to earn my way into the ranks. But I earned my wings, and later commanded my own air assault unit, learning that serving and leading in the military is both a privilege and a sacrifice. To be a commander, you must always put your troops first, because one day you may order them to sacrifice everything for our great nation to do that, leaders must command their troops respect and be worthy of their pledge to protect and defend our constitution. No matter the cost, but military service, doesn’t just take sacrifice from those in uniform. It’s required from their families too. My husband Brian was the one who rushed to Walter Reed. After I was wounded in Iraq, he was the one holding my hand, waiting for me to wake up.

And when I finally did, he was my rock, getting me through those hours, weeks, months of unspeakable pain and unending surgeries. He was my anchor as I relearned to walk, helping me through every step and every stumble. Our military spouses hold their families together, praying for their loved ones safety, wherever they’re deployed and serving as caregivers to our disabled service members. And then picking up the pieces and starting again, whenever the next tour or the next war arises, Joe Biden understands the sacrifices because he’s made them himself. When his son Beau deployed to Iraq, his burden was also shouldered by his family. Joe knows the fear military families live because he’s felt that dread of never knowing if your deployed loved one is safe. He understands their bravery because he has had to muster that same strength. Every hour of every day Beau was overseas. That’s the kind of leader our service members deserve.

One who understands the risks they face and who would actually protect them by doing his job as commander in chief. Instead they have a coward in chief who won’t stand up to a flatter me, a Putin read his daily intelligence briefings, or even publicly admonish adversaries for reportedly putting bounties on our troops heads. As president, Joe Biden would never let tyrants manipulate him like a puppet. He would never pervert our military to stroke his own ego. He would never turn his back on our troops or threaten them against Americans, peacefully exercising. Their constitutional rights. Joe Biden would stand up for what’s right, stand tall for our troops, and stand strong against our enemies. Because unlike Trump, Joe Biden has common decency. He has common sense. He can command, both from experience, and from strength. Donald Trump doesn’t deserve to call himself commander in chief for another four minutes, let alone another four years. Our troops deserve better. Our country deserves better. If you agree, text more to 30330 to elect Joe Biden, a leader who actually cares enough about America to lead.

Beau Biden: (01:23:26)
Good evening. I’m Beau Biden. And Joe Biden is my dad.

Speaker 25: (01:23:33)
Some voices are never silenced. Some work never ceases to change lives. Some people never stop inspiring, even after they’re gone. Beau Biden was a husband, father, brother, son, soldier, attorney general. He was given just 46 years on this earth.

Barack Obama: (01:23:58)
He did in 46 years with most of us couldn’t do in 146. Think about the day that dawns for children who are safer because of Beau. Whose lives are fuller, because of him. Think about the day of the dawns for parents who rest easier, and families who are freer because of him. Some folks may never know that their lives are better because of Beau Biden, but that’s okay. Certainly for Beau, acclaim was never the point of public service.

Speaker 25: (01:24:27)
If you knew Beau, you knew he lived by the strictest code of honor, duty, service, country. You never had to ask if he would do something the right way. He didn’t know any other way.

Beau didn’t cut corners. He turned down an appointment to be Delaware’s attorney general so he could win it fair and square. When the field was clear for him to run for the Senate, he chose to finish his job as AG instead. After 9/11, he joined the National Guard. He felt it was his obligation. He did his duty to his country, and deployed to Iraq.

Speaker 25: (01:25:06)
Beau Biden served his country in battle. He prosecuted one of the worst child predators in American history. And even though he is no longer with us, every day he still inspires the next president of the United States.

It won’t be possible for me to be here this fall. So I have something to ask of you, be there for my dad like he was for me.

A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. And I was absolutely terrified. One of the first people who called me was Joe. His real warmth and kindness on that call, man, I got to say, it made me cry. Our current president has made me cry too, but it’s never had anything to do with his warmth or kindness. Joe Biden’s empathy is genuine. You can feel it. That’s why president Obama asked Joe to head up the Cancer Moonshot. President Obama knows what we all know. Joe Biden understands suffering and loss and sacrifice. Mayor Pete Buttigieg also knows something about sacrifice. He volunteered and was deployed to Afghanistan, then returned home to Indiana to become a highly effective public servant. Say hi to Mayor Pete.

Pete Buttigieg: (01:26:42)
Good evening. Beau Biden lived a life of service. In office, and in uniform. When you put your life on the line for this country, you do it, not because it’s the country you live in, but because it’s a country you believe in. I believe in this country, because America uniquely holds the promise of a place where everyone can belong. We know that for too many, and for too long, that promise has been denied. But we also know America is at its best when we make that circle of belonging wider. Just over 10 years ago, I joined a military where firing me because of who I am wasn’t just possible, it was policy. Now, in 2020, it is unlawful in America to fire someone because of who they are, or who they love. The very ring on my finger, a wedding we celebrated, here where I’m standing, reflects how this country can change. Love makes my marriage real, but political courage made it possible, including that of Joe Biden, who stepped out ahead even of this party, when he said that marriage equality ought to be the law of the land.

There is a long way to go. But if this much can change between 2010 and 2020, imagine what could change between now and 2030. Imagine what we could achieve. This coalition we are building this very season gathering progresses and moderates, independents, and even what I like to call future former Republicans standing for an America where everyone belongs. Joe Biden is right. This is a contest for the soul of the nation. And to me, that contest is not between good Americans and evil Americans. It’s the struggle to call out what is good in every American. It’s up to us. Will America be a place where faith is about healing and not exclusion? Can we become a country that lives up to the truth that black lives matter? Will we handle questions of science and medicine by turning to scientists and doctors? Will we see to it that no one who works full time can live in poverty

I trust Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to guide us toward that better future, because I’ve seen up close their empathy, and their capacity. Just as I’ve seen my fellow Americans capacity to support, and include one another in new ways and do better by the promise of America. The day I was born, the idea of an out candidate seeking any federal office at all was laughable. Yet earlier this year, I campaigned for the presidency often with my husband, Chasten at my side, winning delegates to this very convention. Now I come to this convention proudly supporting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, joining fellow Democrats who were squaring off in competition just a few months ago. A number of us recently got together to talk about the Joe we know.

Cory Booker: (01:30:13)
Hi, I’m Cory Booker. Welcome to everybody at home. I am very excited to present to you a group of people that ran in the 2020 democratic primary against Joe Biden. You could think of this sort of like Survivor on the out interviews of all the people that got voted off the island. Bernie, don’t you laugh, because I got questions for you. Like why does my girlfriend like you more than she likes me?

Bernie Sanders: (01:30:39)
Because she’s smarter than you and that’s the obvious answer, right?

Hey, I’m curious, because Senator Sanders, and Senator Klobuchar, you actually served with Joe Biden in the Senate. I’m wondering if you have any memories of what he was like as a colleague in the Senate.

Amy Klobuchar: (01:30:56)
I remember one night when I was giving one of those floor speeches, and Cory, you know what this is like. No one was there, no one was watching. I was all alone. And I gave my speech with much vigor to a completely empty chamber. And I walked out of there and I thought, “I wonder if my mom was even watching this on C-SPAN.” And at that moment, the cell phone rings. And I actually thought maybe my mom was watching it on C-SPAN. And you know who it was? It was Joe Biden. And that kind of goes to not only his kindness for calling me and being a mentor, but it also goes to how much he cares about our government and what people are saying. And that even when he’s at home at night, he’s watching, and he cares.

But Amy, we all want to know, did your mother watch the speech?

Do you remember the steak fry when we were waiting to go on? It worked out to where I was there the same time he was. And he pulled me aside at one point, and he pointed to somebody who we both knew who was working on my campaign, but he’d known from before. And let me know that that was somebody who had gone through a family tragedy, that Joe somehow knew about. And just thought it was important for me to know that about someone who is working with me. Over time, I realized that that was just basic to who he is, but that always stuck with me.

Elizabeth, do you have any remembrances as well?

Elizabeth Warren: (01:32:21)
I think the day I saw Joe the clearest was on the one year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. And everyone of course was enormously honored to have the vice president here. But at some point in that speech, he shifted to the parent who had lost a child, to the man who had lost a wife, to someone who had experienced loss very personally. And he spoke to each of the families from the heart.

That’s phenomenal. I want to ask what gets you excited about this idea of the inclusion of big ideas from all over the party into the future and to the next administration?

Andrew Yang: (01:33:10)
The magic of Joe Biden is that everything he does becomes the new reasonable. If he comes with an ambitious plan to address climate change, all of a sudden everyone’s going to follow his lead. You can see it wit him choosing Kamala too. He wants to build the best team. Let’s do it together. That’s how we’re going to rebuild this country.

Beto O’Rourke: (01:33:28)
Cory, I’m so optimistic about our country right now, despite some very dark days for a lot of our fellow Americans, in large part because of what young people are doing right now. After the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Young people, by and large led these protests. And they did so in the absolute best traditions of this country. And the tradition of John Lewis. My optimism and my faith in this country is reflected in those young people. And the way that Joe and Kamala are listening to them and incorporating their ideas and their urgency into the campaign that they’re running and the administration that they’re going to lead.

And I often think some people will say they don’t know if they’re going to vote or not, or saying that from a point of privilege that a lot of Americans don’t have. There are so many things for lots of folks who live life on the margins that this election is going to decide, and maybe it’s not a life or death issue for you, but we are all in this together.

Beto O’Rourke: (01:34:29)
Absolutely.

Cory, what I would say is that this is clearly the most important election in the modern history of this country. And Joe Biden, you have a human being who is empathetic, who is honest, who is decent. And at this particular moment in American history, my God, that is something that this country absolutely needs. And all of us, whether you’re progressives, whether your moderates or conservatives have got the come together to defeat this president.

Thanks for that, Bernie. I want to thank you all for joining us for this segment. I mean this sincerely, it was an honor to run against you, and then there’s even a greater honor to stand with you and support of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Mike Bloomberg: (01:35:20)
Good evening. I’ve never been much for partisan politics. I’ve supported Democrats Republicans and independents. Hell, I’ve actually been a Democrat, Republican, and independent. It’s all about people. And the two people running for president couldn’t be more different. One believes in facts, one does not. One listens to experts, the other things he knows everything. One looks forward and sees strength in America’s diversity. The other looks backwards and sees immigrants as enemies, and white supremacists as allies. Here’s another difference. One has proven he knows how to handle a crisis by helping to lead the economic turnaround after the 2008 recession, while the other has not only failed to lead, he has made the current crisis much worse. When confronted with the biggest calamity any president has faced in the modern era, Donald Trump spent the year downplaying the threat, ignoring science, and recommending quack cures, which let COVID-19 spread much faster than it should have, leaving hundreds of thousands needlessly sick or dead.

He has failed the American people catastrophically. Four years ago, I came before this very convention and said New Yorkers know a con when we see one. But tonight, I’m not asking you to vote against Donald Trump because he’s a bad guy. I’m urging you to vote against him because he’s done a bad job. Today, unemployment is at historic highs, and small businesses are struggling just to survive. It didn’t have to be this way. Before I ran for mayor, I spent 20 years running a business I started from scratch. So I want to ask small business owners and their employees one question, and it’s a question for everyone. Would you rehire, or work for someone who ran your business into the ground? And who always does what’s best for him or her, even when it hurts the company? And whose reckless decisions put you in danger, and who spends more time Tweeting than working? If the answer is no, why the hell would we ever rehire Donald Trump for another four years?

Trump says we should vote for him because he’s a great businessman. Really? He drove his companies into bankruptcy six times, always leaving behind customers and contractors who were cheated and swindled and stopped doing business with him. Well this time, all of us are paying the price, and we can’t let him get away with it again. Donald says we should vote for him because the economy was great before the virus. Huh? Biden and Obama created more jobs over their last three years than the Trump administration did over their first three. And economic growth was higher under Biden and Obama than under Trump. In fact, while Biden helped save one million auto industry jobs, Trump has lost 250,000 manufacturing jobs.

So when Trump says he wants to make America great again, he’s making a pretty good case for Joe Biden. Look, our goal shouldn’t be to bring back the pandemic economy. It should be as Joe says, to build it back better. Joe’s economic plan will create clean energy jobs that help fight another crisis that Trump is ignoring, climate change, and Joe will rebuild our crumbling roads and bridges, something Trump has incessantly talked about doing, but in the last…

Something Trump has incessantly talked about doing, but in the last three and a half years, he hasn’t done anything. What a joke. And let me tell you a little secret. Donald Trump’s economic plan was to give a huge tax cut to guys like me who didn’t need it, and then lie about it to everyone else. Well, Joe will roll back that tax cut that I got, so we can fund things our whole country needs, like training for adults who have lost jobs and making college more affordable and investing in American research and development, so that the products of tomorrow are made today by American workers. Growing up, I was taught to believe that America is the greatest country in the world, not because we won the Second World War, but because of why we fought it, for freedom, democracy and equality.

My favorite childhood book was called Johnny Tremain, about a Boston boy who joins the Sons of Liberty at the dawn of the American Revolution. At the end of the book, Johnny stands on Lexington Commons and sees a nation that is, quote, “Green with spring, dreaming of the future.” That’s the America I know and love. And that’s the America we are in danger of losing under this President. So let’s put an end to this whole sorry chapter in American history and elect leaders who will bring integrity and stability, sanity and competence back to the White House. Joe and Kamala, go get him for all of us.

We can help you find the best and safest way to vote in your state. Simply text Vote to 30330 to learn more. 30330. It’s actually not that hard to remember. Watch. Person, woman, man, camera, TV, 30330. Anyone can do it. I want to introduce you now to a young man who Vice President Biden met earlier this year in New Hampshire and helped to find his voice. Say hello to Brayden Harrington.

Brayden Harrington: (01:41:18)
Hi. My name is Brayden Harrington and I am 13 years old. And without Joe Biden, I wouldn’t be talking to you today. About a few months ago, I met him in New Hampshire. He told me that we were members of the same club. We stutter. It was really amazing to hear that someone like me became Vice President. He told me about a book of poems by Yeats he would read out loud to practice. He showed me how he marks his addresses to make them easier to say out loud. So I did the same thing today. And now I’m here talking to you today about the future, about our future.

Brayden Harrington: (01:42:23)
My family often says when the world feels better, before talking about something normal, like going to the movies. We all want the world to feel better. We need the world to feel better. I’m just a regular kid. And in the short amount of time, Joe Biden made [inaudible 01:42:48] more confident about something that’s bothered me my whole life. Joe Biden cared. Imagine what he could do for all of us. Kids like me are counting on you to elect someone we can all look up to, someone who cares, someone who will make our country and the world feel better. We’re counting on you to elect Joe Biden.

Michael Beals: (01:43:12)
The first time I met Joe, I was really new at my synagogue and I had to do a funeral service and a [foreign language 00:04:27]. And towards the end of the service, the door opens up. This person who was much younger than these octogenarians who were there walked in the room. It was our US Senator, Joe Biden. He was just very respectful. And he stayed in the back and his head was bowed in reverence. And at the end, I said, “Senator Biden. Why are you here?” Because how does a nice Irish Catholic boy know from [foreign language 01:43:52]? And what he said was just so lovely. He said, “This dear lady gave $18 to my campaign from the very first time I started in 1972.” So he wanted to show his respect by saying thank you. And that just blew me away.

Speaker 26: (01:44:10)
[inaudible 00:05:16]. I think you guys might have though we were smaller [crosstalk 00:01:44:19].

Speaker 27: (01:44:23)
Yeah.

Speaker 28: (01:44:23)
Joe Biden’s granddaughter interview, take one.

Speaker 26: (01:44:25)
No, no. This is good.

Speaker 28: (01:44:26)
Okay [inaudible 00:01:44:26]. Good.

Speaker 29: (01:44:26)
Okay. So what don’t I know about your grandfather?

Speaker 27: (01:44:32)
He’s always eating ice cream. Usually it’s vanilla, with chocolate.

Speaker 30: (01:44:38)
Sprinkles.

Speaker 27: (01:44:38)
With Chocolate sprinkles.

Speaker 26: (01:44:39)
Vanilla on a regular night.

Speaker 30: (01:44:41)
No, no. With chocolate chip.

Speaker 27: (01:44:42)
But no, [crosstalk 01:44:42]-

Speaker 30: (01:44:43)
Chocolate and the Breyer’s that have half chocolate and half vanilla. He likes ice cream in hidden ways.

Speaker 27: (01:44:48)
Yeah.

Speaker 31: (01:44:48)
Yeah.

Speaker 27: (01:44:49)
Eating it in the freezer so that my grandma doesn’t see.

Speaker 30: (01:44:54)
Yeah. He eats it [crosstalk 01:44:52].

Speaker 27: (01:44:54)
He hides it.

Speaker 29: (01:44:55)
How often does it call you?

Speaker 30: (01:44:56)
Every day.

Speaker 26: (01:44:57)
Yeah, every day.

Speaker 30: (01:44:59)
If we don’t talk to him for a day, it’s-

Speaker 31: (01:45:01)
He’ll ask what’s wrong.

Speaker 30: (01:45:02)
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 26: (01:45:02)
He’ll think we’re not alive.

Speaker 31: (01:45:04)
He always calls with the same energy, even after he’s just done 15 interviews in a row. Hi, Pop. I was just talking about you.

Speaker 26: (01:45:13)
I don’t necessarily pick up every day, but I have a lot of voicemails.

Speaker 30: (01:45:17)
He will pick up our calls no matter where he is. He’d be onstage giving a speech and we’d call him and he’d be like, “What’s wrong? Is everything good?” We’ll be like, “No.”

Speaker 27: (01:45:26)
“Just fine. [crosstalk 01:45:26].”

Speaker 31: (01:45:26)
We’re [crosstalk 01:45:26].

Speaker 29: (01:45:29)
What does the word family mean to you?

Speaker 30: (01:45:31)
It’s a lot of time together. We’ve grown up together. He’s made sure that every single tradition, every holiday, we’re all together. I don’t think that there’s been any decision, no matter how big or small, that we haven’t decided as a family.

Speaker 27: (01:45:49)
Pop told us that this election would be totally different from any other election ever. He was worried how it would affect his kids,

Speaker 26: (01:45:57)
Whether or not we wanted to go through another campaign and be scrutinized by the press.

Speaker 31: (01:46:02)
There had been talks of a big meeting coming.

Speaker 30: (01:46:04)
It’s normally called by the parents, I would say. But this time it was called by me.

Speaker 26: (01:46:09)
I came down from Penn and Maisie came up from DC and my cousins lived down the road.

Speaker 30: (01:46:13)
He thought we were calling a meeting sort of to discuss whether or not we wanted him to, but really we were calling it to be like, “Get in that race. Hurry up.”

Speaker 27: (01:46:23)
We just knew that he had to run and we weren’t going to take No as an answer.

Speaker 30: (01:46:31)
At the end of the day, I think we’re all very happy we had that meeting.

Joe Biden: (01:46:37)
All right. Well, when you get back there, give me a call, and so tell how the whole thing went. Okay?

Speaker 31: (01:46:39)
Okay, I will.

Joe Biden: (01:46:41)
I love you, baby.

Speaker 31: (01:46:41)
I love you too.

Ayesha Curry: (01:46:43)
We want to ensure that our kids live in a nation that is safe, happy, healthy and fair. And so this election…

Stephen Curry: (01:46:51)
We’re voting for Joe Biden. And let’s have a conversation with these kids.

Let’s do it. So let’s jump right in, shall we?

Ryan Curry: (01:47:00)
What does jump in mean?

Speaker 32: (01:47:03)
[inaudible 00:01:47:01].

Mommy, I can’t be quiet.

Why?

[inaudible 00:01:47:07].

I don’t want you to be quiet. You deserve to speak and say whatever it is that comes to your mind in this moment right now. Every election is important. This upcoming election is especially important. One, because the social injustices right now, racial inequality, but also because we have children.

Excuse me, Mommy.

Yes.

I need to go to the bathroom.

Okay.

Do you want to go right now? Do you know where the President lives?

In the White House?

Riley Curry: (01:47:38)
Washington, DC.

Do you know what the President’s job is?

To tell what happened to the world?

That’s good. That’s a good one.

Keep the environment safe?

That is correct.

That’s correct.

As we say, that is correct.

That is correct.

That is correct.

Correct.

If you could create the ideal person to lead this country, what characteristics would that person have?

A very kind personality.

What would you like to see taking care of the people?

I would like to see them taking care of the Earth and the people.

So girls, it is 2020 and the election is coming up in November. Do you know who is running for President?

Joe Biden.

Yeah.

And…

Exactly. That’s it. This video’s over.

What would you say if you knew that Joe Biden was going to have a woman as his Vice President?

Surprised and happy.

Why?

There’s not a lot of women being President and helping alongside the President.

How important do you think your faith is in the way that you live your life?

Really big, because I’m grateful for all the things that I have and that I love my family.

And with that said, everyone, we really thank you, one, for listening to this very candid conversation with our daughters. And we just want to encourage you to truly do your research. Think about your own homes and what you’d like to see projected out into the world. And the right direction is making sure that you vote this election for Biden.

Whatever you do, please vote. Every vote counts. Just remember that.

You’re going to dance out?

Speaker 32: (01:49:54)
And cut.

Here’s the big question. How much of your time and energy are you willing to devote to elect Joe Biden? Here’s my answer. I’m going all in. Look. Elections can break your heart, but sometimes they can make you sing from the mountaintops. And this year, we’re going to sing. This year, we’re going to elect a President who’s honest, experienced and intelligent, a President who actually believes in the rule of law, who will restore dignity and normalcy to the White House and the soul of this nation. And boy, won’t that be something. One of my favorite things Joe Biden says is that you can succeed in life without sacrificing your ideals or your commitment to family. So who better to introduce our nominee, Joe Biden, than his children.

Hunter Biden: (01:50:52)
I’m Hunter Biden.

Ashley Biden: (01:50:54)
And I’m Ashley Biden.

Joe Biden is our dad.

And Beau is our brother.

We want to tell you what kind of President our dad will be.

He will be tough.

And honest.

Caring and principled.

He’ll listen. He’ll be there when you need him.

He’ll tell you the truth, even when you don’t want to hear it,

He’ll never let you down.

He’ll be rock steady.

The strongest shoulder you can ever lean on.

He’ll beam with pride every time you succeed.

He’ll make your grandkids feel that what they’ve got to say matters.

He’ll treat everyone with respect, no matter who you are.

He’ll get up no matter how many times he’s been knocked down.

He’ll be the worst enemy any bully ever saw.

He’ll be the best friend you’ve ever had.

He’ll love you with all of his heart.

And if you give him your cell phone number…

He’s going to call it.

How do we know?

Because he’s been that way our whole life.

He’s been a great father.

And we think he’ll be a great President.

Beau isn’t with us any longer.

But he is still very much alive in our hearts, and we can still hear his strong voice.

Just like it was yesterday.

Just like it was yesterday.

In 2008 and 2012, he introduced our dad at those conventions.

And if he was here, we’re pretty sure we’d know what he’d say.

So before we show you a film about our dad’s journey, we wanted to give Beau the last word. Beau.

Beau, take it away.

In moment’s both public and private, he’s the father I’ve always known, the grandfather my children love and adore. My father, my hero, Joe Biden.

Speaker 33: (01:53:08)
Our lives have been turned upside down, shattered and shaken. But the American story has had moments like this before. And he was there answering the call.

When we came into office in 2009, we were going through what was then the worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Speaker 34: (01:53:37)
The economy was hemorrhaging 100s of 1000s of jobs a week. People were losing their homes to foreclosure. The financial system was in tatters. Auto sales had dropped to near zero levels.

Speaker 33: (01:53:54)
The auto companies faced bankruptcy and many said, “Let them fail.” But Joe remembered his father and what it meant to lose a job. The Finnegans and Bidens were Irish Catholic. Joe was their first, and then his sister, Valerie.

Valerie Biden Owens: (01:54:29)
From the moment I opened my eyes, my big brother was there. The thing that was most important was family and family and family.

Speaker 33: (01:54:42)
As the post-war boom faded, Joe’s father struggled to find work in Scranton, but 140 miles south, there was a job, cleaning boilers in Wilmington.

There was a long stairway up to the second floor. Dad went up to Joey in our bedroom and saying, “Joey, you got to be a big boy.”

Speaker 33: (01:55:06)
For the first time, Joe saw the heavy burden on a father and it was a lesson he would never forget.

A job is a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about dignity.

Speaker 33: (01:55:20)
The country was losing 10s of 1000s of jobs a day and they needed three votes to pass the Economic Rescue Package.

Speaker 34: (01:55:28)
Joe Biden was handed to the task of going to get those three Republican votes.

Speaker 33: (01:55:34)
Joe returned to the place where he had been so effective.

Speaker 34: (01:55:38)
Passionate argument, sympathetic listening, a willingness to make adjustments and accommodations to bring people on board.

Speaker 33: (01:55:46)
When the law finally passed, the President tapped his partner to run the program. Joe tracked every dollar, calling mayors and governors.

Speaker 34: (01:55:57)
Talking to them on the phone one-on-one. He gave all of them his cell phone.

Cecillia Munoz: (01:56:01)
And I watched him bring his heart to that job. It matters that you have in your mind the family that you’re trying to reach, the neighborhood that you’re trying to reach, the people whose lives are affected by what you do.

Speaker 33: (01:56:16)
The skills that had made him so effective had not come easy. When he entered school, there was a problem. Joe had a stutter.

Joe Biden: (01:56:27)
And it’s mortifying. It allows that child to become an object to ridicule.

Speaker 33: (01:56:33)
When his teacher mimicked him and Joe ran home from school, his mother drove him back.

Joe Biden: (01:56:38)
“Did you say to my son, Mr. Biden?” My mom said. “I was just trying to make a point.” My mother stood up, all 5 foot 2 of her. “If you ever talked to my son like that again, I’ll come back and rip that damn bonnet off your head. Do you understand me? Joey, go back to class.”

Speaker 33: (01:56:55)
Joe resolved to overcome his stutter.

Joe Biden: (01:56:57)
Some letters are harder than others. And I used to get up at night and go stand in front of the mirror with a flashlight and practice. She’d make me look her in the eye. “Look at me. Remember, Joey, you’re the smartest boy in that class. Nobody’s better than you, Joey.” From having to deal with stuttering, it gave me insight into other people’s pain, other people’s suffering.

Speaker 33: (01:57:27)
At 19, Joe sought out a summer job that few of his peers considered taking.

Speaker 35: (01:57:32)
He was a lifeguard along with the Black lifeguards. That’s when I first seen Joe and we became friends.

Joe Biden: (01:57:39)
It was one of the best things I’ve ever done, because it gave me a sense that we really didn’t know one another.

Speaker 33: (01:57:45)
After Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, riots broke out in Wilmington and the National Guard stayed for almost a year.

Joe Biden: (01:57:56)
I quit the law firm and asked for a job to become a public defender. That’s what sort of got me involved in politics.

Speaker 33: (01:58:05)
J. Caleb Boggs was a popular war hero in a solidly Republican state and few took Joe’s campaign seriously.

In Delaware, the Democratic party was non-functional. When it got time to put up a candidate, they didn’t want to touch it. This young upstart, Joe Biden, who had a lot of ideas and no money, no influence, the Party said, “Okay. Well, then go ahead, Biden. Give it a whirl.”

Speaker 36: (01:58:34)
That’s [inaudible 01:58:35].

Joe Biden: (01:58:35)
That’s all I can add. You’re going to [inaudible 01:58:37] you see. Help me out. If not, vote for the other fellow. But look me over if you would.

Speaker 37: (01:58:40)
We’d have a coffee and we’d come out of that, we’d have five more coffees. He was very articulate on the issues. He brought people to say not just that, “Boy, I agree with what you’re doing.” It’s “What can I do to help?”

Speaker 38: (01:58:52)
Delaware is the first state. J. Caleb Boggs who is the incumbent, Republican, being challenged by Joseph Biden. Biden is a Democrat who is 29 years of age.

Speaker 33: (01:59:06)
But exhilaration soon turned to tragedy.

Speaker 37: (01:59:10)
I mean, it was clear he had decided that, “I’m not going to be a senator, that the boys need me too much.”

Joe Biden: (01:59:17)
I was prepared to walk away in 1973. But men like Ted Kennedy and Mike Mansfield and Hubert Humphrey, Fritz Hollings, Danny Inouye, They convinced me to stay, “Just stay six months, Joe.” Remember, Danny? “Just stay six months.”

He couldn’t allow the suffering to debilitate him, just like he couldn’t allow the stuttering to define him. That’s the backbone. There’s something bigger than Joe suffering.

Speaker 37: (01:59:53)
The Senate turned out to be a wonderful place for him. He had a real gift for bringing people together.

The three of them had a bond that was forged in sorrow and expanded into joy when Jill entered.

Jill Biden: (02:00:14)
They had built this beautiful family, this circle of trust.

And then the extra gift of Ashley.

Growing up, it was full of adventure, laughter.

We do everything as a family and we’ve always done everything as a family.

Jill Biden: (02:00:35)
He was always a good loving father. I mean, there’s nothing more important to Joe than his children.

It’s hard to explain how ever-present he was in our lives.

You don’t have to guess what my dad believes. A great benefit of being my father is that he doesn’t have to contort himself into different people at different times.

Beau was going to do fine things. I mean he had it all and then he got sick. The whole world tilted and it felt like we were all falling off.

Speaker 33: (02:01:12)
Once again, Joe faced the unimaginable.

Joe Biden: (02:01:17)
My mother, she said, “Bravery resides in every heart and someday it will be summoned.”

The way he survived losing my mom and my sister and then losing my brother is understanding that you have to have purpose.

Joe Biden: (02:01:42)
Every day I get up, I ask myself, I hope he’s proud of me because that’s [inaudible 02:01:49] makes me move on.

Speaker 33: (02:01:53)
From his time in the Senate and then the White House, Joe always found a way forward, forging unlikely friendships and alliances. And time after time, he made progress possible and always holding in his heart, the struggles of his family and every family, always fighting to make his country whole.

Cecillia Munoz: (02:02:18)
It’s a very rare quality to bring your empathy skills to the process of governing. Joe Biden never forgets that. That’s the point of moving the wheels of government.

He will keep his word. He will reach out and hear what other people have to say.

To have somebody who believes in what’s best in us? Someone like Joe Biden who actually believes in the American idea? That’s the kind of person who I want in the White House.

Joe Biden: (02:02:59)
Good evening. Ella Baker, a giant of the civil rights movement, left us with this wisdom. “Give people light and they will find the way. Give people light.” Those are words for our time. The current President has cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger, too much fear, too much division. 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. It’s time for us, for we the people, to come together. And make no mistake united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America. We’ll choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege. I’m a proud Democrat and I’ll be proud to carry the banner of our Party into the general election. So with great honor and humility, I accept this nomination for President of the United States of America.

Joe Biden: (02:04:17)
But while I’ll be a Democratic candidate, I will be an American President. I’ll work hard for those who didn’t support me, as hard for them as I did for those who did vote for me. That’s the job of a President, to represent all of us, not just our base or our Party. This is not a partisan moment. This must be an American moment. Someone with the calls for hope and light and love, hope for our future, light to see our way forward and love for one another.

Joe Biden: (02:04:51)
America isn’t just a collection of clashing interest of Red States or Blue States. We’re so much bigger than that. We’re so much better than that. Nearly a century ago, Franklin Roosevelt pledged the New Deal in a time of massive unemployment, uncertainty and fear. Stricken by a disease, stricken by a virus, FDR insisted that he would recover and prevail and he believed America could as well. And he did. And we can as well. This campaign isn’t just about winning votes. It’s about winning the heart and, yes, the soul of America, winning it for the generous among us, not the selfish, winning it for workers to keep this country going, not just the privileged few at the top, winning it for those communities who have known these injustice of a knee on the neck, for all the young people have known only America being of rising inequity and shrinking opportunity. They deserve the experience of America’s promise. They deserve to experience it in full.

Joe Biden: (02:06:05)
No generation ever knows what history will ask of it. All we can ever know is whether we’re ready when that moment arrives. And now history has delivered us to one of the most difficult moments America’s ever faced. Four historic crises all at the same time, a perfect storm, the worst pandemic in over a 100 years, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the most compelling call for racial justice since the ’60s and the undeniable realities and just the accelerating threats of climate change. So the question for us is simple. Are we ready? I believe we are. We must be.

Joe Biden: (02:06:55)
All elections are important, but we know in our bones, this one is more consequential. As many have said, America is at an inflection point, a time of real peril, but also extraordinary possibilities. We can choose a path to becoming angrier, less hopeful, more divided, a path of shadow and suspicion, or… Or we can choose a different path and together take this chance to heal, to reform, to unite, a path of hope in light. This is a life-changing election. This will determine what America’s going to look like for a long, long time. Character’s on the ballot. Compassion is on a ballot. Decency, science, democracy, they’re all on the ballot,. who we are as a nation, what we stand for, and most importantly, who we want to be, that’s all on the ballot. And the choice could not be more clear.

Joe Biden: (02:07:59)
No rhetoric is needed. Just judge this President on the facts. 5 million Americans infected by COVID-19, more than 170,000 Americans have died, by far the worst performance of any nation on Earth. More than 50 million people have filed for unemployment this year. More than 10 million people are going to lose their health insurance this year. Nearly one in six small businesses have closed this year. And this President, if he’s reelected, you know what will happen? Cases and deaths will remain far too high. More Mom and Pop business will close their doors, and this time for good. Working families will struggle to get by. And yet the wealthiest 1% will get 10s of billions of dollars in new tax breaks. And the assault on the Affordable Care Act will continue until it’s destroyed, taking insurance away for more than 20 million people, including more than 15 million people on Medicaid, and getting rid of the protections that President Obama worked so hard to get past for a 100 million more people who have preexisting conditions.

Joe Biden: (02:09:19)
And speaking of President Obama, a man I was honored to serve alongside for eight years as Vice President, let me take this moment to say something we don’t say nearly enough. Thank you, Mr. President. You were a great President, a President that our children could and did look up to. No one’s going to say that about the current occupant of the White House. What we know about this President is that if he’s given four more years, he’ll be what he’s been for the last four years. The President takes no responsibility, refuses to lead, blames others, cozies up to dictators and fans the flames of hate and division. He’ll wake up every day believing that job is all about him, never about you. Is that the American you want for you, your family, your children? I see a different America, one that’s generous and strong, selfless and humble. It’s an America we could rebuild together.

Joe Biden: (02:10:23)
As President, the first step I will take will be to get control of the virus that has ruined so many lives, because I understand something this President hasn’t from the beginning. We will never get our economy back on track, we will never get our kids safely back in schools, we’ll never have our lives back, until we deal with this virus. The tragedy of where we are today is it didn’t have to be this bad. Just look around. It’s not this bad in Canada or Europe or Japan or almost anywhere else in the world. And the President keeps telling us, “The virus is going to disappear.” He keeps waiting for a miracle. Well, I have news for him. No miracle is coming. We lead the world in confirmed cases. We lead the world in deaths. Our economy is in tatters with Black, Latino, Asian-American, native American communities bearing the brunt of it. And after all this time, the President still does not have a plan. Well, I do.

Joe Biden: (02:11:34)
If I’m your President, on day one, we’ll implement the national strategy I’ve been laying out since March. We’ll develop and deploy rapid test with the results available immediately. We’ll make the medical supplies and protective equipment that our country needs. And we’ll make them here in America, so we will never again be at the mercy of China or other foreign countries in order to protect our own people. We’ll make sure our schools-

Joe Biden: (02:12:03)
… and to protect our own people. We’ll make sure our schools have the resources they need to be open, safe, and effective. We’ll put politics aside, we’ll take the muzzle off our experts so the public gets the information they need and deserve, honest unvarnished truth. They can handle it. We’ll have a national mandate to wear a mask, not as a burden, but as a patriotic duty to protect one another. In short, we’ll do what we should have done from the very beginning. Our current president has failed in his most basic duty to the nation. He’s failed to protect us. He’s failed to protect America and my fellow Americans that is unforgivable. As president I’ll make you a promise, I’ll protect America, I will defend us from every attack seen and unseen, always without exception every time.

Joe Biden: (02:13:06)
Look, I understand how hard it is to have any hope right now. On this summer night let me take a moment to speak to those of you who have lost the most. I have some idea how it feels to lose someone you love. I know that deep black hole that opens up in the middle of your chest and you feel like you’re being sucked into it. I know how mean and cruel and unfair life can be sometimes, but I’ve learned two things.

Joe Biden: (02:13:40)
First, your loved one may have left this earth, but they’ll never leave your heart. They’ll always be with you, you’ll always hear them. And second, I found the best way through pain and loss and grief is to find purpose. As God’s children, each of us have a purpose in our lives. We have a great purpose as a nation to open the doors of opportunity to all Americans, to save our democracy, to be a light to the world once again, and finally to live up to and make real the words written in the sacred documents that founded this nation. That all men and women are created equal endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights among them, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Joe Biden: (02:14:36)
My dad was an honorable decent man. He got knocked down a few times, pretty hard, but he always got back up. He worked hard and he built a great middle class life for our family. He used to say, “Joey, I don’t expect the government to solve my problems, but I sure in hell expect them to understand them.” Then he’d say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity. It’s about respect. It’s about your place in the community. It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, “Honey, it’s going to be okay, and mean it.”

Joe Biden: (02:15:16)
I’ve never forgotten those lessons. That’s why my economic plan is all about jobs, dignity, respect, and community. Together we can, and we’ll rebuild our economy. And when we do, we’ll not only build back, we’ll build back better. With modern roads, bridges, highways, broadband, ports, and airports as a new foundation for economic growth with pipes to transport clean water to every community. With 5 million new manufacturing and technology jobs so the future is made in America.

Joe Biden: (02:15:53)
Well, the healthcare system that lowers premiums, deductibles, drug prices. By building on the Affordable Care Act he’s trying to rip away. With an education system that trains our people for the best jobs of the 21st century. There’s not a single thing American workers can’t do. And with cost that doesn’t prevent young people from going to college, and student debt doesn’t crush them when they get out. With a childcare and eldercare system that makes it possible for parents to go to work and for the elderly to stay in their homes with dignity. With an immigration system that powers our economy and reflects our values. And with newly empowered labor unions, they’re the ones that built the middle class. With equal pay for women, with rising wages, you could raise a child on, a family on, and yes we’re going to do more than praise our essential workers.

Joe Biden: (02:16:55)
We’re finally going to pay them, pay them. We can, and we will deal with climate change. It’s not only a crisis it’s an enormous opportunity. An opportunity for America to lead the world in clean energy and create millions of new, good paying jobs in the process. And we can pay for these investments by ending loopholes, unnecessary loopholes, and the president’s $1.3 trillion tax giveaway to the wealthiest 1% and the biggest, most profitable corporations, some of which do not pay any tax at all. Because we don’t need a tax code that rewards wealth more than it rewards work.

Joe Biden: (02:17:43)
I’m not looking to punish anyone, far from it. But as long past time the wealthiest people and the biggest corporations in this country pay their fair share. And for our seniors, Social Security is a sacred obligation. A sacred promise made, they paid for. The current president is threatening to break that promise. He’s proposing to eliminate a tax that pays for almost half the Social Security without any way of making up for that loss revenue resulting in cuts. I will not let that happen. If I’m your president, we’re going to protect Social Security and Medicare. You have my word. One most powerful voices we hear in the country today is from our young people. They’re speaking to the inequity and injustice that has grown up in America. Economic injustice, racial injustice, environmental injustice. I hear their voices, if you listen you can hear them too. And whether it’s existential threat posed by climate change, the daily fear of being gunned down in school, or the inability to get started in your first job will be the work of the next president to restore the promise of America to everyone.

Joe Biden: (02:19:12)
And I’m not going to have to do it alone because I’ll have a great vice president at my side, Senator Kamala Harris. She’s a powerful voice for this nation. Her story is the American story. She knows about all the obstacles thrown in the way of so many in our country, women, black women, black Americans, South Asian Americans, immigrants, the left out in the left behind, but she’s overcome every obstacle she’s ever faced. No one’s been tough around the big banks on the gun lobby. No one has been tougher in calling out the current administration for its extremism, it’s failure to follow the law, it’s failure to simply tell the truth. Kamala and I both draw from our families, that’s where we get our strength. For Kamala’s Doug and their families. For me, it’s Jill and ours. I’ve said many times, no man deserves one great love in his life let alone two. But I’ve known two. After losing my first wife in that car accident, Jill came into my life. She put our family back together. She’s an educator, a mom, a military mom, and an unstoppable force. If she puts her mind to it, just get out of the way she’s going to get it done. She was a great second lady. And I know she’ll make a great first lady for this nation. She loves this country so much. And I’ll always have the strength that can only come from family. Hunter, Ashley, all our grandchildren. My brothers, my sister, they give me courage, they lift me up.

Joe Biden: (02:21:03)
While he’s no longer with us, Beau inspires me every day. Beau served our nation in uniform. A year in Iraq, a decorated Iraqi war veteran. So I take very personally the profound responsibility of serving as commander in chief.

Joe Biden: (02:21:26)
I’ll be a president who’ll stand with our allies and friends and make it clear to our adversaries. The days of cozing up to dictators is over. Under president Biden America will not turn a blind eye to Russia bounties on the heads of American soldiers, nor will I put up with foreign interference in our most sacred democratic exercise, voting. And I’ll always stand for our values of human rights and dignity. I’ll work in common purpose for more secure, peaceful, and prosperous world. History has thrust one more urgent task on us. Will we be the generation that finally wipes out the stain of racism from our national character? I believe we’re up to it. I believe we’re ready.

Joe Biden: (02:22:26)
Just a week ago, yesterday was the third anniversary of the events in Charlottesville. Close your eyes, remember what you saw on television. Remember seeing those Neo-Nazis and Klansmen and white supremacists coming out of fields with lighted torches, veins bulging, spewing the same antisemitic bile heard across Europe in the 30s. Remember the violent clash that ensued between those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it. Remember what the president said when asked, he said there were “very fine people on both sides.” That was a wake-up call for us as a country, and for me a call to action.

Joe Biden: (02:23:15)
At that moment I knew I’d have to run because my father taught us that silence was complicity and I can never remain silent or complicit. At the time I said, we’re in the battle for the soul of this nation and we are. One of the most important conversations I’ve had this entire campaign. It was with someone who was much too young to vote. I met with six year old Giana Floyd, the day before her daddy, George Floyd was laid rest. She’s an incredibly brave little girl, and I’ll never forget it. When I leaned down to speak to her, she looked in my eyes and she said, “Daddy changed the world. Daddy changed the world.”

Joe Biden: (02:24:12)
Her words burrowed deep into my heart. Maybe George Floyd murder was a breaking point. Maybe John Lewis is passing the inspiration, but however it’s come to be, however it’s happened, America’s ready in John’s words to lay down, “The heavy burden of hate at last.” And then the hard work of rooting out our systemic racism.

Joe Biden: (02:24:44)
American history tells us that’s been in our darkest moments that we’ve made our greatest progress that we found the light. In this dark moment I believe we’re poised to make great progress again, and we can find the light once more.

Joe Biden: (02:25:07)
Many people have heard me say this, but I’ve always believed you can define America in one word, possibilities. The defining future America, everything is possible. That in America, everyone, and I mean everyone should be given an opportunity to go as far as their dreams and God given ability will take them. We can never lose that.

Joe Biden: (02:25:32)
In times as challenging as these, I believe there’s only one way forward as United America. A united America, United in our pursuit of a more perfect union, United in our dreams of a better future for us and for our children. United in our determination to make the coming years bright. Are you ready? I believe we are. This is a great nation. We’re a good and decent people. For Lord’s sake this is the United States of America, and there’s never been anything we’ve been able to accomplish what we’ve done it together.

Joe Biden: (02:26:17)
The Irish poet Seamus Heaney once wrote, “History says don’t hope on this side of the grave, but then once in a lifetime the long for tidal wave of justice can rise up and hope and history rhyme.” This is our moment to make hope and history rhyme with passion and purpose. Let us begin you and I together. One nation under God, united in our love for American, united in our love for each other, for love is more powerful than hate. Hope is more powerful than fear, and right is more powerful and dark. This is our moment. This is our mission. May history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight, as love and hope and light join in the battle for the soul of the nation. And this is a battle we will win and we’ll do it together. I promise you. Thank you. And may God bless you. And may God protect our troops.

Joe Biden: (02:27:26)
(singing)

Rabbi Lauren Berkun: (02:38:24)
Good evening. I’m Rabbi Lauren Berkun. Please pray with me. God, you have been a refuge for us in every generation. As we conclude this convention from the safety of our homes, we pray for a national home, where security, dignity, and prosperity abound for all its inhabitants. Oh Lord, our guardian who neither slumbers nor sleeps, awaken us to the tireless task of perfecting our home in this great land built on foundations of freedom, justice and equality. Teach us to number our days that we may attain a heart of wisdom. Strengthen us each day in our sacred duty to promote leaders who will transform crisis into hope, challenge into opportunity, cruelty into compassion, and hate into love. So may it be your will and let us say, amen.

Jim Martin: (02:39:30)
Hi, I’m father Jim Martin, let us pray. Loving God, help us open our hearts to those most in need. The unemployed parent worried about feeding his or her children, the woman who’s underpaid, harassed, or abused, the black man or woman who fears for their lives. The immigrant at the border longing for safety, the homeless person looking for a meal, the LGBT teen who’s bullied, the unborn child in the womb, the inmate on death row. Help us to be a nation where every life is sacred, all people are loved, and all are welcome. Amen.

Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid: (02:40:15)
Peace be on to you all, assalamu alaikum. I am Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, imam of The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood incorporated located in New York City. [foreign language 02:40:30] in the name our Lord, the merciful, the compassionate God. [foreign language 02:40:37], oh God of mankind, send us forth this night we pray, inspired with the courage to transform ourselves and our society. Grant us the unwavering resolve to exercise our demands of generational racism and violence from the soul of America once and for all. That our children’s children and their children might be spared the burden of our iniquities. Forgive us our sins of inhumanity to our neighbors, oh Lord. Bless our young and our elders, our teachers, and the common working people, our crisis responders, and our care takers.

Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid: (02:41:38)
Guide the leaders of this nation and bless them with reverence, moral courage, competence, integrity, empathy, love, and compassion. Hear our prayer most merciful God. Amen. Āmīn.

Speaker 39: (02:42:05)
Four days ago we came together to begin a historic convention, a convention across America. Since then we’ve traveled all across this country, hearing from real people who are ready for something different, something better. We said this convention was for everyone and we really meant it. It will take all of us to solve the big challenges we are facing, but if we’ve seen anything these last four days is that Americans are up to the task.

Speaker 39: (02:42:36)
So if you came here uncertain, I hope you’ll leave in resolved. And if you came here resolved I hope you’ll leave in fired up and ready to elect Joe Biden as our president and Kamala Harris as our vice president. And get out to vote for Democrats everywhere.

Speaker 39: (02:42:56)
There being no further business to come before this convention I now declare the 48 Democratic National Convention to be adjourned, but I promise we the people are just getting started. Thank you Milwaukee. Thank you Wisconsin. And thank you America, and.

(02:43:15)
good night.

2020 Democratic National Convention (DNC) Night 4 Transcript

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