Democratic National Convention (DNC) 2020 Night 2 Transcript: Speeches by Bill Clinton, AOC, Jill Biden & More

Speaker 1: (00:53)
Joe Biden picking up not one but three endorsements from his former opponents.

Speaker 2: (00:57)
I will be casting my ballot for Joe Biden.

Speaker 3: (01:00)
We have found that leader in Vice President soon to be President Joe Biden.

Speaker 4: (01:05)
The Democrats really seemed to unify last night here in Dallas and do it behind Joe Biden.

Speaker 5: (01:10)
It is up to us to heal this country. I am ending my campaign and endorsing Joe Biden for president.

Speaker 6: (01:18)
The vice president gained the support of two more former rivals, Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker.

Kamala Harris: (01:25)
He is a public servant. He has also worked for the best of who we are as a nation.

We will elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States.

Cory Booker: (01:34)
I’m on Team Joe, I’m ridin’ with Biden.

Cory Booker: (01:37)
I am so proud to be on Joe’s team because Joe is on your team.

Speaker 7: (01:43)
I hereby am endorsing Joe Biden to be the next President of the United States.

Speaker 8: (01:48)
Today I’m proud to join Joe Biden.

Julian Castro: (01:50)
I don’t think there is anybody to try and heal the country right now than Joe Biden. People trust him. They believe in him.

Speaker 9: (01:57)
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has officially endorsed.

Speaker 10: (02:00)
Two men who represent these two wings of the Democratic Party coming together.

Bernie Sanders: (02:04)
So today I am asking all Americans to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy which I endorse.

Speaker 11: (02:11)
Former President Barack Obama now officially off the 2020 sidelines.

Barack Obama: (02:16)
That’s why I’m so proud to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States. Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Speaker 12: (02:25)
Biden picked up another major Democratic endorsement, this one from Elizabeth Warren.

Elizabeth Warren: (02:29)
It’s up to all of us to help make Joe Biden the next President of the United States.

Speaker 13: (02:35)
It’s all coming together for Joe Biden.

Speaker 3: (02:37)
I’m doing everything that I can and thank you for being part of doing what you can.

So join me in supporting Joe and let’s get this done.

Elizabeth Warren: (02:45)
Let’s get to work. We’re all in this together.

Now is the time to fight for what we believe in. So join us.

Speaker 14: (03:00)
The Democratic Party has always risen to our country’s greatest challenges.

Franklin Roosevelt: (03:05)
I pledge myself to a New Deal for the American people.

Speaker 14: (03:11)
We’ve moved this country forward in a relentless push for progress. Progress for Americans of all walks of life, not just the privileged few.

John Kennedy: (03:20)
[inaudible 00:03:20] that we stand at this frontier at a turning point of history.

Speaker 15: (03:27)
We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now.

Speaker 14: (03:32)
We’ve brought together voices from every part of America.

Barbara Jordan: (03:35)
We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are attempting to fulfill our national purpose to create and sustain a society in which all of us are equal.

Speaker 14: (03:54)
And we’ve made history along the way.

There is not a liberal America and a conservative America, there is the United States of America.

We must pledge once more to march into the future.

Speaker 16: (04:09)
We are a different society than we were in 1961. Brothers and sisters, do you want to go back? Or do you want to keep America moving forward?

Speaker 17: (04:23)
For our motto is, “When they go low, we go high.”

Joe Biden: (04:30)
We never bow, we never bend, we never break, no, we endure and we always, always, always move forward.

Speaker 14: (04:41)
This election, we’ve engaged a historic number of Americans in the democratic process and now we have to overcome the odds once again to build back, better than before.

Joe Biden: (04:51)
We lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. We are America, second to none, and we own the finish line. Don’t forget it.

Speaker 14: (05:05)
We are Democrats and we’re ready to lead again. We’re coming together on August 17 all across America. Be there.

Speaker 18: (05:54)
And now, live from Milwaukee, Mayor Tom Barrett.

Tom Barrett: (06:02)
Hi everybody. I’m Tom Barrett, the proud mayor of Milwaukee. I would love to be welcoming you to my home city right now. The good people of Milwaukee and I were so excited when we learned that our resilient city was chosen to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. It was the first time a major political party chose Wisconsin to hold its convention, but these are not conventional times and as a result, as we all know, this is not a conventional convention, and as much as we would have loved to host you in person, I am proud that the Democratic Party and the City of Milwaukee have made the health of our residents our number one priority. Unlike the president, we’ve never called COVID-19 a hoax, unlike the president, we’ve never made fun of face masks and unlike the president, we’ve never belittled our public health experts. We understand why we can’t be together this week and I hope you do to, and as our party comes together virtually to nominate Joe Biden to be our next president, we’re showing the country that we’re nominating a leader who isn’t afraid to make tough choices or to work with health experts, not against them, to address this pandemic.

Tom Barrett: (07:32)
Milwaukee is a very special place on America’s Fresh Coast. I look forward to the day when you are all able to come experience our beautiful lakefront, our historic neighborhoods, and above all, our diverse, hardworking and friendly residents. But in the meantime, it is my honor to call the second session of the 48th Quadrennial National Convention of the Democratic Party to order.

Bennie Thompson: (08:08)
Delegates, we will now hear reports from our three convention standing committees. To start us off, I’m pleased to introduce Lorraine Miller and James Roosevelt, Jr., co-chairs of the Credentials Committee to present their committee’s report.

Jim Roosevelt: (08:25)
Hello delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. My name is Jim Roosevelt and it is an honor to have served as a co-chair of the Credentials Committee along with my good friend Lorraine Miller. Pursuant to the convention rules, the Credentials Committee met and took action to approve the credentials of the delegates and alternates that have been credentialed for the 2020 Democratic National Convention. I am proud to say that all credentials issues were resolved in accordance with the actions of the Credentials Committee. This year’s nominating process reflects the efforts of so many to make our process more open and more transparent. As a result, we know that our delegates reflect the best of our party and we are all united around our nominees, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Lorraine Miller: (09:14)
May I add my thanks for the opportunity to serve as a co-chair of the Credentials Committee with my friend Jim Roosevelt. Our state and territorial parties have worked diligently in these unprecedented times to make sure that their delegations reflect the great diversity of our party. We are proud that our party places a priority on making sure that participants of this convention highlight a core value of our party, that is ensuring that all Americans, regardless of sex, race, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic identity, or physical disability have a role in this important process. Mr. Chair, I am pleased to report that the Credentials Committee report was approved by committee members and all delegates have been fully credentialed.

Thank you Lorraine and Jim. We will now hear from the co-chairs of the Rules Committee, Maria Cardona and Congressman Barney Frank to present that committee’s report.

Maria Cardona: (10:41)
[Spanish 00:10:41]. My name is Maria Cardona and I am so honored to serve as co-chair of the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Convention along with my friend and colleague Congressman Barney Frank. The Rules Committee met the last week of July to adopt the convention rules of procedure, officers, and agenda. The committee approved the rules that will govern the convention. These rules are based on a longstanding process that has governed our conventions for many, many cycles. Given the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 health crisis, these rules that were approved focus on providing for a convention that will transform the convention experience for delegates and for participants and will allow for maximum participation by those delegates.

Maria Cardona: (11:35)
The Rules Committee also ratified a dynamic group of Democrats to serve as the officers of the convention. The convention officers truly represent the ideals and the principles of the Democratic Party. These actions of the Rules Committee will ensure that the 2020 Democratic National Convention can efficiently and effectively proceed with its important business. The Rules Committee also took action on a resolution that was recommended for approval by convention delegates. The resolution calls on the Democratic National Committee to continue the work from this cycle to improve our nominating process and to build on those reforms for the 2024 cycle. The resolution calls on the DNC Rules Committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the presidential nominating reforms that were made and to evaluate where even further reforms might by needed. This review and accounting will be complete by March 31, 2021. Chair, I am pleased to report that the unity resolution was approved by the delegates. Thank you to the delegates, thank you to the members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee, and thank you for continuing to do everything you can to ensure we are successful in November. [Spanish 00:13:01].

Barney Frank: (13:02)
Two things about the rules are very important to note. One, they continue and build on the trend towards making our nominating process as democratic as possible with a small d. We have asked that we go to primaries rather than caucuses, we have restricted and maintained those restrictions on unelected delegates. Secondly it’s important to note that everything in these rules is the product of a very free agreement between the Sanders and Biden people as it was last time between Clinton and Sanders, that is we have a very democratic set of rules agreed upon enthusiastically by both camps.

Thank you Maria and Barney. It’s my pleasure to call on Platform Committee co-chairs Julie Chavez Rodriguez and Denis McDonough to present their committee’s report.

Julie Chavez Rodriguez: (13:56)
Good evening. I’m Julie Chavez Rodriguez, and alongside my friend Denis McDonough, I was honored to co-chair this year’s Democratic Platform Committee. This spring, the process for drafting our 2020 Democratic platform began with the formation of the unity task forces. Appointed by Vice President Biden and Senator Sanders, the task forces focused their work on six major policy priorities. Continuing the work of the task forces, the Platform Drafting Committee engaged voters and encouraged them to share their stories so that their values were reflected. The Platform Drafting Committee chaired by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms engaged so many throughout our party to ensure that that feedback was incorporated, whether it was received online or through allied groups.

Denis McDonough: (14:54)
Thanks Julie. I’m Denis McDonough and I’m proud to have been Julie’s co-chair on the Platform Committee. Our committee has produced a platform that proposes solutions to the challenges that American families face in this unprecedented time. It’s informed by the values of our party and the priorities of our presidential nominee, Vice President Joe Biden. I strongly believe that this platform lays out an agenda, informed by the values that will defeat Donald Trump and heal the soul of our nation, the United States of America.

Thank you Julie and Denis. Thank you to all the members of all three standing committees for your important work to ensure we have a smooth and orderly convention, a platform that represents our party’s values and interests, and a plan for continuing to look at how we conduct our affairs in the best spirit of openness, fairness and inclusion.

Daniel Inouye: (16:14)
My fellow Americans, this is my country. Many of us have fought hard for the right to say that. Many are now struggling today from Harlem to Danang so that they may say this with conviction, this is our country.

Barbara Jordan: (16:42)
We are a people in a quandary about the president. We are a people in search of our future.

Mario Cuomo: (16:52)
We must make the American people hear our tale of two cities. We must convince them that we don’t have to settle for two cities, that we can have one city, indivisible, shining for all of its people.

Ann Richards: (17:11)
If you give us a chance, we can perform. After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.

There is not a liberal America and a conservative America, there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America. There is the United States of America.

Julian Castro: (17:50)
The American dream is not a sprint or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation, but each generation passes onto the next the fruits of their labor.

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes. All of us defending the United States of America.

Nikki Fried: (18:09)
Welcome.

Malcolm Kenyatta: (18:09)
Welcome.

Sam Park: (18:09)
Welcome.

Victoria Neave and Brendan Boyle: (18:09)
To the second night –

N. Fried, S. Park, M. Kenyatta, R. Akbari …: (18:09)
Of the Democratic National Convention.

Denny Ruprecht: (18:09)
This is a different kind of convention.

Marlon Kimpson: (18:09)
Look at the camera and smile.

Mari Manoogian: (18:28)
And this –

Conor Lamb: (18:28)
This is a different kind of keynote.

It’s a different kind of keynote.

Y. Cancela, V. Neave, R. Woodfin, C. Lamb: (18:31)
This year –

Y. Cancela, B. Boyle, M. Manoogian …: (18:32)
All of us are on stage –

K. Clyde, R. Garcia, R. Woodfin, R. Akbari …: (18:33)
And we’ve got a lot to say.

Jonathan Nez: (18:36)
Let’s get real. There’s a lot riding on this election.

Robert Garcia: (18:39)
When we’re facing the biggest economic and health crisis in generations because our president didn’t and still doesn’t have a plan.

When doctors, nurses and home healthcare aides in Philadelphia have to risk their own lives to protect others because there’s not enough protective equipment.

Kathleen Clyde: (18:57)
When factory workers in Ohio are faced with dangerous conditions because this administration hasn’t given clear guidance on how to protect our people.

Sam Park: (19:06)
When teachers in Gwinnett County, Georgia and across the country are being asked to return to the classroom without a plan to keep them safe and parents are exhausted juggling full-time work and full-time childcare.

And visiting our parents and grandparents through the window of a nursing home, worrying all the time that they’ll get sick.

When unemployment in North Charleston, South Carolina, a city I represent, has risen nearly fourfold and evictions are putting families out on the street in the middle of a pandemic.

Make no mistake, it didn’t have to be this bad. In the early days of the virus, Donald Trump didn’t listen to the experts, and then he said something that a president should never say.

Victoria Neave: (19:52)
He said, “I don’t take responsibility at all.”

Speaker 19: (19:56)
No responsibility.

Speaker 20: (19:57)
No leadership.

Speaker 21: (19:58)
no plan.

Speaker 22: (19:59)
He still doesn’t have a plan.

Yvanna Cancela: (20:01)
Donald Trump just doesn’t understand. We can’t fix our economy until we get ahold of the virus.

Conor Lamb: (20:08)
While working families are struggling, he’s looking out for the people who are already doing just fine. The wealthy, the big corporations, the donors to his campaign.

He’s looking out for himself.

Randall Woodfin: (20:20)
If there is one person who is looking out for us –

Speaker 23: (20:23)
All of us.

And that’s Joe Biden.

Joe called it. We are in a battle for the soul of our nation.

But Joe knows we can never let hard times turn us against each other.

Conor Lamb: (20:34)
And we can never stop doing the hard work to make things right.

Speaker 24: (20:38)
That’s why we ran for office.

Speaker 25: (20:41)
Even when people counted us out.

Even when there had never been a Latina in the Nevada State Senate.

Or a Democrat elected as Florida Commissioner of Agriculture in nearly three decades.

Sam Park: (20:53)
Or an openly gay man in the Georgia state legislature.

When Birmingham hadn’t had a mayor this young in 120 years.

Denny Ruprecht: (21:01)
We ran for office because we know the struggles American families are facing. Because we’ve lived them.

We’ve lived the insecurity and the indignity of an eviction notice.

I like many of you have lived the frustration of paying off student loans.

We have lived the grief of losing loved ones to gun violence and the criminal justice system that unfairly targets our communities.

Sam Park: (21:28)
We have lived that feeling of helplessness when someone you love is very sick and access to healthcare is a matter of life and death.

Colin Allred: (21:36)
By the way, Joe Biden has lived a lot of this too.

B. Boyle, C. Allred, M. Kenyatta, M. Kimpson …: (21:40)
He was raised in a middle class family in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Claymont, Delaware.

Speaker 26: (21:45)
He watched his dad look for work and learned that a job is about so much more than a paycheck. It’s about dignity and respect.

Speaker 27: (21:55)
He was sworn into office from the hospital room of his two young sons after a car crash killed his wife and infant daughter.

He knows what it’s like to thank God you have healthcare.

Brendan Boyle: (22:09)
He knows what it’s like to work hard for everything you’ve got.

Conor Lamb: (22:13)
He knows what it’s like to send a child off to war.

And he’ll never forget who he’s fighting for.

I look around my district in North Texas and I see the people who built this country. The educators, like the single mom who raised me, the men and women on the frontlines of our healthcare system. You built this country.

Small business owners like the ones whose shops and restaurants line the streets of Birmingham, Michigan.

Charleston, South Carolina.

Of tribal nations.

Line the streets of Philadelphia and bring our communities to life. You built this country.

Raumesh Akbari: (22:48)
The nurses in Memphis who came out of retirement to treat patients during this pandemic. You built this country.

And you know what? You deserve more than the constant chaos that Donald Trump delivers.

You deserve healthcare you can afford, a job that pays you fairly. You deserve child care and paid sick leave while you work and when you pay into Social Security and Medicare, you deserve to know it will be there when you retire.

S. Park, D. Ruprecht, R. Akbari, R. Woodfin: (23:17)
And that’s why we ran.

Thanks to the voters across the country in both red states and blue states –

N. Fried, M. Kimpson, J. Nez, R. Garcia: (23:21)
We won.

A new generation of leaders is rising up.

Conor Lamb: (23:26)
And with Joe Biden in the White House, there is no limit to what we can do.

In Nevada, we’re making drug prices more transparent so people with chronic illnesses won’t go broke while drug companies get rich.

Joe’s working to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act to make sure millions of people keep their coverage and no one can be denied for a pre-existing condition. To bring down the costs of healthcare and prescription drugs too, giving tax credits to working families and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

That’s a big effing deal.

M. Kenyatta, V. Neave, M. Kimpson, R. Woodfin: (24:00)
That’s a big effing deal.

Kathleen Clyde: (24:03)
Because Joe knows we can’t have a healthy economy if people can’t afford healthcare.

Let’s remember, Donald Trump is suing to take healthcare coverage away from more than 20 million Americans and eliminate protections for over 100 million with pre-existing conditions –

S. Park, Y. Cancela, M. Manoogian, C. Lamb: (24:22)
In thee middle of a pandemic.

In Texas, we’re standing up for fierce women like my mom and my [inaudible 00:24:29] who raised me to never back down from a tough fight. So we’re fighting to make sure that mothers have access to health screenings for safe pregnancies and childbirth and we’re bringing long overdue justice to survivors of sexual assault.

Raumesh Akbari: (24:46)
Joe Biden has been fighting for women his entire career. As senator, he authored the Violence Against Women Act, and as president, he’ll restore funding for Planned Parenthood, he will codify Roe v. Wade, and make reducing maternal mortality especially for women of color a top priority.

In Florida, on the frontlines of our climate crisis, we’re working to produce more renewable energy and shrink our carbon footprint.

Joe has a major plan to invest in clean energy jobs and infrastructure.

In the House of Representatives, we’re closing loopholes to ensure local infrastructure projects use American-made materials and local labor and support American manufacturing.

Unlike Donald Trump, Joe Biden will actually enforce buy American rules, investing in American-made clean energy, building materials, high tech equipment and R&D, all creating more good jobs.

In Michigan, we’re banning business practices that have exploited workers and cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in lost wages.

When unemployment is the highest rate since the Great Depression, when millions of people have seen their hours and pay slashed, Joe knows it’s not enough to rebuild the economy the way it was before. We’ve got to build it back better.

He’ll build an economy that rewards work, not wealth, and get rid of the Trump tax cuts that only benefit big corporations and the rich, and then he’ll invest in healthcare, education and infrastructure, and in getting small businesses up and running again.

Conor Lamb: (26:25)
Take it from me, when you’re in the trenches, you want Joe Biden right there next to you.

When I wanted to marry the man I loved, Joe Biden was the first national figure to support me and my family.

Matthew Miller: (26:37)
Appreciate you man.

When the auto industry was going under, Joe stuck his neck out to protect it and helped save one and a half million auto jobs.

Conor Lamb: (26:46)
When our economy was on the brink, Joe led the recovery effort that created millions of jobs, including here in Western Pennsylvania. Under his leadership, America bounced back with the longest economic expansion in history.

You know, the one Trump brags about creating –

That’s what happens when Joe Biden is in your corner. Working families get a fair shot.

He understands that leadership means fighting for the people who built this country. All of you.

B. Boyle, C. Allred, M. Kenyatta, M. Kimpson …: (27:12)
All of us.

Stacey Abrams: (27:14)
This nation belongs to all of us and in every election, we choose how we will create a more perfect union. Not by taking sides, but by taking stock of where we are and what we need. This year’s choice could not be more clear. America faces a triple threat, a public health catastrophe, an economic collapse, and a reckoning with racial justice and inequality. So our choice is clear. A steady, experienced public servant who can lead us out of this crisis just like he’s done before, or a man who only knows how to deny and distract. A leader who cares about our families or a president who only cares about himself. We know Joe Biden. America, we need Joe Biden. To make your voice heard, text VOTE to 30330.

Stacey Abrams: (28:12)
In a democracy, we do not elect saviors. We cast our ballots for those who see our struggles and pledge to serve, who hear our dreams and work to make them real. Who defend our way of life by protecting our right to vote. Faced with a president of cowardice, Joe Biden is a man of proven courage. He will restore our moral compass by confronting our challenges, not by hiding from them or undermining our elections to keep his job. In a time of voter suppression at home and authoritarians abroad, Joe Biden will be a champion for free and fair elections, for a public health system that keeps us safe, for an economy that we build back better than before and for accountability and integrity in our system of justice. We stand with Joe Biden because this isn’t just about defeating Donald Trump. We are in this to win for America, so let’s get it done.

Tracee Ellis Ross: (29:23)
Hello. I’m Tracee Ellis Ross and how exciting to hear from young elected leaders from across the country. A perfect way to begin Night Two of the Democratic National Convention, uniting America. Tonight is all about leadership. This unprecedented moment calls for leadership, steady, inclusive leadership, driven by people who understand that our democracy is based on the value of each and every one of us being treated with dignity and respect. Leaders who respond to the needs of hardworking Americans who right this minute are unable to pay rent, put food on the table and keep their loved ones safe. As a black woman, I find myself at a crucial intersection in American politics. For far too long, black female leadership in this country has been utilized without being acknowledged or valued, but we are turning the tide. Hello Kamala. Her nomination is historic for anyone who believes in we the people. Like Senator Harris and many we saw in the keynote, today’s leaders emerge from communities that have long been under-represented. They are charting new paths in the spirit of Shirley Chisholm, Charlotta Bass, Fannie Lou Hamer, and John Lewis. They get in good trouble, necessary trouble. They call things out otherwise ignored, elevating our nation –

… things out otherwise ignored, elevating our nation and changing the course of our lives for the better. With every vote we cast for forward-thinking, honest leaders, we chip away at ingrained systems of inequity and we bend the arc of justice.

True leaders make sure that policy is informed by all of us, bridging our burden past to a safe, equitable, and even joyful future. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are that bridge, heeding voices from within the movement for racial justice, listening to the people, and acting with empathy and compassion to reflect our shared humanity.

Tonight, we’ll hear from a number of American leaders, including former acting US Attorney General, Sally Yates, who refused to defend an unconstitutional travel ban and paid for it with her job.

Joe Biden: (32:01)
A threat to this nation, to our democracy is real. It’s clear and it’s present. We’ve watched the president now for three years. Look at what he’s doing, instilling fear. I mean, not joking. Instilling fear. Showing division, stroking racial division, undercutting every institution that was designed to check the abuse of power by the president or anyone else. All this for what reason? All this in order to solidify his base and expand his power.

Sally Yates: (32:45)
Good evening. I’m Sally Yates. Speaking at a political convention is something I never expected to be doing, but the future of our democracy is at stake. I’m here in my hometown of Atlanta, where as a young lawyer, I joined our nation’s justice department. For nearly 30 years through Democratic and Republican administrations, I worked alongside my DOJ colleagues to advance our nation’s promise of equal justice.

I served as deputy attorney general in the Obama-Biden administration, and stayed on as acting attorney general for the Trump transition. Then 10 days in, I was fired for refusing to defend President Trump’s shameful and unlawful Muslim travel ban. That was the start of his relentless attacks on our democratic institutions and countless dedicated public servants.

Like me, these officials didn’t swear an oath to a person or a party. Public servants promise to defend our Constitution, uphold our laws, and work on behalf of the American people. But from the moment President Trump took office, he’s used his position to benefit himself rather than our country. He’s trampled the rule of law, trying to weaponize our justice department to attack his enemies and protect his friends. Rather than standing up to Vladimir Putin, he fawns over a dictator who is still trying to interfere in our elections. He’s even trying to sabotage our postal service to keep people from being able to vote.

His constant attacks on the FBI, the free press, inspectors general, federal judges, they all have one purpose, to remove any check on his abuse of power. Put simply, he treats our country like it’s his family business. This time, bankrupting our nation’s moral authority at home and abroad.

But our country doesn’t belong to him. It belongs to all of us. Joe Biden embraces that. He has spent his entire life putting our country first. He has never backed down from a challenge or a bully. He summons the best in us, and lives by the values that define us as Americans, service, integrity, courage, compassion.

There are countless stories of Joe Biden reaching out to someone in their moment of need. Well, this is our country’s moment of need. We need a president who respects our laws and the privilege of public service. Who reflects our values and cares about our people. We need a president who will restore the soul of America. We need Joe Biden.

(singing)

Tony A.: (36:02)
Over the last four years, we have experienced failed leadership under Donald J. Trump.

Chris F.: (36:06)
We’ve had to deal with his insanity.

Donna-Marie W.: (36:09)
I’ve watched our country deteriorate.

Micah: (36:11)
The coverups, the lying, the favoritism.

Nancy G.: (36:15)
The disregard for the Constitution.

Joseph W.: (36:17)
Donald Trump has failed America.

Tony A.: (36:20)
It is time for us to reclaim our constitutional and democratic value.

Denise: (36:24)
We need to prove to the world, and most importantly, prove to ourselves that we are better than this.

Nick: (36:31)
We need an experienced leader.

Tony A.: (36:31)
A leader that has passion, integrity, and strategic leadership skills.

Chris F.: (36:36)
His name is Joe Biden.

Joseph W.: (36:37)
Joe Biden.

Nick: (36:38)
Joe Biden is that leader.

Donna-Marie W.: (36:39)
And he really wants the best for this country.

Georgia M.: (36:42)
He understands and respects our democracy, the rule of law, and the US Constitution.

Jacqueline A.: (36:47)
He will move toward creating a more perfect union.

Jacqueline A.: (36:55)
(singing)

Cameraman: (36:55)
Two, one.

Chuck Schumer: (37:01)
Hi.

Cameraman: (37:01)
Go.

Hi, this is Senator Chuck Schumer, Democratic leader, from my hometown, Brooklyn, New York. Behind me is a site I see out of my window every night, the Statue of Liberty. The same site that greeted hopeful immigrants, like my grandparents. A symbol of freedom and a beacon of hope to the world.

Today, Donald Trump has divided our country, diminished our greatness, and demeaned everything that this statue represents. He even hid in a bunker as Americans were teargassed and beaten. Millions are jobless, 170,000 Americans have died from COVID, and Donald Trump says, “It is what it is.”

A president should never say, “It is what it is.” President Lincoln, honoring the great sacrifice at Gettysburg, didn’t say, “It is what it is.” President Roosevelt seeing a third of the nation ill-housed, ill-clad, and ill-nourished didn’t say, “It is what it is.”

America, Donald Trump has quit on you. We need a president with dignity, integrity, and the experience to lead us out of this crisis. A man with a steady hand and a big heart who will never, ever quit on America. That man is my friend, Joe Biden.

He will be a great president. But if we’re going to win this battle for the soul of our nation, Joe can’t do it alone. Democrats must take back the Senate. We will stay united from Sanders and Warren to Manchin and Warner. And with our unity, we will bring bold and dramatic change to our country.

Let me tell you some of the things we’d do. With President Biden, Vice President Harris, and a Democratic majority, we will make healthcare affordable for all. We’ll undo the vicious inequality of income and wealth that has plagued America for far too long, and we’ll take strong, decisive action to combat climate change and save the planet. We will protect voting rights, fight systemic racism in the criminal justice system and in our economy, and restore a Supreme Court that looks out for people, not corporations. We’ll rebuild our infrastructure and make sure every home, from inner city to rural America, has broadband. We will save the post office. And once and for all, defeat COVID-19, this evil disease.

And beckoned by the lady behind us, we will reform our immigration system so that immigrants yearning to breathe free, will at last become American citizens. Together, we can reignite the hope once felt by millions of men and women, huddled masses on creaking ships, who glimpsed this mighty woman with her torch, knowing they could build a better life here in America. And out of this long, national nightmare, America will finally awaken to a brighter future and a new day.

Senator Chuck Schumer reminding us that leadership requires integrity and accountability. Real leaders don’t ask what we can do for them, they ask what they can do for us. In a minute, we will hear from two former presidents, and they are going to speak to that. But first, here are Caroline Kennedy and her son, Jack Schlossberg.

Caroline Kennedy: (40:40)
Sixty years ago in a crowded LA stadium, my father accepted the Democratic nomination for president. He challenged Americans to look to the future and join him on a journey toward a new frontier.

Jack Schlossberg: (40:53)
It was a call to the young at heart, regardless of age or party. Times have changed, but the themes of my grandfather’s speech, courage, unity, and patriotism, are as important today as they were in 1960. And once again, we need a leader who believes America’s best days are yet to come. We need Joe Biden.

I’ve admired Joe Biden since I was a Senate intern in 1974. He shared my Uncle Teddy’s commitment to civil rights, women’s rights, and working families. He was a senator who cared, who led, who inspired. That’s why I helped choose him to be Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008.

When I was US ambassador to Japan, I got to see Vice President Biden in action. He stepped off Air Force Two wearing his aviator glasses and a big smile, radiating American optimism and generosity. I saw a leader who was tough but fair, who commanded the trust and respect of other nations, and who always put America’s interests first. Joe Biden’s lifetime of public service reflects his unwavering commitment to our highest ideals.

In this election, our future is on the ballot. For my generation, it will define the rest of our lives. We need to tackle climate change, we need to end systemic racial injustice, we need to make healthcare available for everybody, and we need to rebuild an economy that helps working families.

We can do this. We can reach these new frontiers, but only with a president who asks what he can do for our country and what together we can do to build a better world. It’s up to us. Let’s get it done. Let’s elect Joe Biden the next president of the United States.

Let’s elect Joe Biden the next president of the United States.

Rosalynn Carter: (42:38)
It’s a great pleasure for Jimmy and me to join you in celebrating our next president of the United States, Joe Biden. We’ve known and admired Joe and Jill for many years. Most recently, I’ve worked with him on tackling the demands faced by the more than 53 million unpaid caregivers in our country who are juggling work and other family responsibilities, and putting their own physical, and mental health, and well-being at risk.

Rosalynn Carter: (43:10)
Joe knows well, too well, the sorrows and struggles of being a family caregiver. From Joe’s time as a young widower thrust into single parenthood with a demanding job, to he and Jill caring for their own parents and their son Beau at the end of their lives, he knows caregiving is hard, even on the good days. Joe and I also know the challenges of caregiving for those who served in the military and returned with visible and invisible wounds. And we know those caregivers need a leader in the White House. Jimmy and I are voting for Joe because he recognizes the challenges facing our families, and has the heart and the talent to make life better for all Americans.

Jimmy Carter: (43:54)
When I ran for president in 1976, Joe Biden was my first and most effective supporter in the Senate. For decades, he has been my loyal and dedicated friend. Joe has the experience, character, and decency to bring us together and restore America’s greatness. We deserve a person with integrity and judgment, someone who is honest and fair, someone who is committed to what is best for the American people.

Joe is that kind of leader, and he is the right person for this moment in our nation’s history. He understands that honesty and dignity are essential traits that determine not only our vision, but our actions. More than ever, that’s what we need.

During these uncertain times, Joe Biden realizes that many American lives can be saved each day with the use of masks and testing, as recommended by our medical experts. Joe Biden must be our next president.

Bill Clinton: (45:00)
Good evening. A presidential election is the world’s most important job interview. At the end, we hire a leader to help us solve problems,, create opportunities and give our kids better tomorrows. That’s a tall order this year, with the COVID-19 outbreak on a path to killing 200,000 people and destroying millions of jobs and small businesses.

How did Donald Trump respond? At first, he said the virus was under control and would soon disappear. When it didn’t, he was on TV every day bragging on what a great job he was doing, while our scientists waited to give us vital information. When he didn’t like the expert advice he was given, he ignored it.

Only when COVID exploded in even more states did he encourage people to wear masks. By then, many more were dying. When asked about the surge in deaths, he shrugged and said, “It is what it is.”

But did it have to be this way? No. COVID hit us much harder than it had to. We have just 4% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s COVID cases. Our unemployment rate is more than twice as high as South Korea’s, 2.5 times the United Kingdom’s, more than three times Japan’s. Donald Trump says we’re leading the world. Well, we are the only major industrial economy to have its unemployment rate tripled.

At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it’s a storm center. There’s only chaos. Just one thing never changes, his determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame. The buck never stops there.

Now you have to decide whether to renew his contract or hire someone else. If you want a president who defines the job as spending hours a day watching TV and zapping people on social media, he’s your man. Denying, distracting, and demeaning works great if you’re trying to entertain or inflame. But in a real crisis, it collapses like a house of cards.

COVID just doesn’t respond to any of that. To beat it, you’ve got to actually go to work and deal with the facts.

Our party is united in offering you a very different choice, a go-to-work president. A down-to-earth, get-the-job-done guy. A man with a mission to take responsibility, not shift the blame; concentrate, not distract; unite, not divide. Our choice is Joe Biden.

Joe helped bring us back from a recession before, and he can do it again. In 2009, Barack Obama and Joe Biden started with the worst economy since the Great Depression. When they were done, they delivered more than six straight years of job growth.

What did Joe do? He accepted responsibility for implementing the Recovery Act. His work created a lot of new jobs and started many new companies in communities across our country. Now Joe is committed to building America back again.

How? He’s given us smart, detailed plans to invest in areas vital to our future. Innovative financing for modern factories and small businesses, good jobs in green energy and conservation to combat climate change, a modern infrastructure that brings small town and rural America the connectivity and investment others take for granted, and a plan to ensure that Black Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, women, immigrants, and other communities left behind are full participants in our economy and our society.

Joe Biden wants to build an economy far better suited to our changing world. Better for young people. Better for families working and raising their kids. Better for people who lost jobs and need new ones. Better for farmers tired of being collateral damage in trade wars. Better for workers caring for the sick, elderly, and people with disabilities. Better because of a living wage and access to affordable higher education and healthcare, including prescription drugs, and to childcare, a secure retirement, and for the first time, paid family and medical leave.

Joe won’t just put a signature on a check and try to fool you into thinking it came from him. He’ll work to make sure that your paycheck reflects your contribution to and your stake in a growing economy.

In this job interview, the difference is stark. You know what Donald Trump will do with four more years, blame, bully, and belittle. And you know what Joe Biden will do, build back better. It’s Trump’s “us vs. them” America against Joe Biden’s America, where we all live and work together. It’s a clear choice. The future of our country is riding on it. Thank you.

It’s time to call the roll and officially nominate the Democratic candidate for president of the United States. But this year for the first time, the roll call is heading out to all 57 states and territories. Places that showcase our nation’s natural beauty, places where people are working together to secure a better future for our country, and places that are working to rebuild and recover. Like Iowa, where thousands have been left homeless and hundreds of thousands have been left without power in the wake of last week’s terrible storm. Our hearts are with you, Iowa.

There’s so much going on right now. Tonight, we come together to nominate a candidate who will fight for all of us. The convention delegates will do the official nominating, but you can join them in supporting Joe Biden. Text “join” to 30330 to get involved. Now, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Tom Perez.

Tom Perez: (51:02)
It’s great to be here in Milwaukee, a proud union town whose has grit and character reflect the resilience of our party and our country. There’s no doubt these last few months have been tough, but good leadership means being able to adapt to any situation. I want to thank the people of Milwaukee for being such gracious and flexible hosts.

Tom Perez: (51:23)
It’s also great to be back in Wisconsin, where I was lucky enough to marry my wife Ann Marie a little more than three decades ago. The progressive movement has deep roots here. Since today is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification, we should point out that Wisconsin was the first state to ratify it.

Tom Perez: (51:41)
What’s more, in its one word motto, “Forward,” Wisconsin captures something so important about America. The way that no matter what challenges today brings, we always believe a better future is possible.

Tom Perez: (51:58)
That’s what my parents believed when they immigrated to this country nearly a century ago, fleeing the iron fist of a brutal dictator in the Dominican Republic. This nation welcomed them with compassion. They quickly learned that their hope of building a better life through hard work was shared by generations of Americans.

Tom Perez: (52:18)
Indeed, every American story is a story about that hope, that sense of possibility. It’s what unites us, defines us, and it’s what sustains us now. We will work to meet our extraordinary challenges, because progress is made by the hopeful, not the cynical. We will do that work together because movements are built by the many, not the few.

Tom Perez: (52:43)
As you watch tonight’s decidedly unconventional roll call and reflect on the diversity of our nation, remember you too are part of the American story. No matter where you come from or where you’re watching from tonight, you have a place in Joe Biden’s Democratic Party.

Delegates and distinguished guests, under our procedural rules, two Democratic candidates submitted nominating documents to our convention secretary for the office of president of the United States, Senator Bernie Sanders and Vice President Joe Biden. As such, each candidate has provided names of individuals who will make nominating and seconding speeches on their behalf. We will begin with nominating and seconding speeches for Senator Sanders. Speaking on his behalf will be two progressive champions, Bob King and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Bob King: (53:51)
I’m Bob King. As a proud union member and former president of a great American union, the UAW, I am honored to nominate Bernie Sanders for president. For decades, Bernie has led the fight for working families, fighting for workers’ rights to organize unions and collectively bargain. In a time of enormous inequality, he understands that we must confront large corporations, which have far too much control over our economy and our politics.

Bob King: (54:18)
Bernie believes healthcare is a human right, and should not be contingent on a job. He knows we can rebuild our crumbling infrastructure by creating millions of good-paying union jobs while combating climate change. Bernie’s moral clarity has emboldened the Democratic Party’s fight for justice. The grassroots energy of his supporters has amended important advances in our platform. Bernie will continue to lead a movement that helps defeat Trump and delivers transformational change. I’m excited to place into nomination the name of a great champion of the working class, Senator Bernie Sanders.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (55:00)
Good evening, [Spanish 00:00:55:02], and thank you to everyone here today, endeavoring towards a better, more just future for our country and our world. Infidelity and gratitude to a mass people’s movement, working to establish 21st century social, economic, and human rights, including guaranteed healthcare, higher education, living wages, and labor rights for all people in the United States.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: (55:29)
A movement striving to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice, colonization, misogyny, and homophobia, and to propose and build re-imagined systems of immigration and foreign policy that turn away from the violence and xenophobia of our past. A movement that realizes the unsustainable brutality of an economy that rewards explosive inequalities of wealth for the few, at the expense of long-term stability for the many. And who organized a historic grassroots campaign to reclaim our democracy. In a time when millions of people in the United States are looking for deep, systemic solutions to our crises of mass evictions, unemployment, and lack of healthcare, and [Spanish 00:25:25], and out of a love for all people, I hereby second the nomination of Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont for president of the United States of America.

Thank you, Mr. King and Representative Ocasio-Cortez. We now turn to nominating and seconding speeches for Vice President Biden. In a moment, we’ll hear from Senator Chris Coons, who holds the Delaware Senate seat once held by the Vice President, and representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, my colleague in the House. But first, we’ll hear from Jacquelyn Asbie, a working American who met Joe Biden in a most unexpected place, the elevator where she worked.

Jacquelyn Asbie: (57:14)
I take powerful people up on my elevator all the time. When they get off, they go to their important meetings. Me, I just head back to the lobby. But in the short time I spent with Joe Biden, I could tell he really saw me, that he actually cared, that my life meant something to him. I knew even when he went into his important meeting, he’d take my story in there with him. That’s because Joe Biden has room in his heart for more than just himself.

Jacquelyn Asbie: (57:44)
We’ve been through a lot and we have tough days ahead, but nominating someone like that to be in the White House is a good place to start. That’s why I nominate my friend, Joe Biden, as the next president of the United States.

Chris Coons: (58:05)
I’m Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, a small state where people expect to see their senators and even sometimes their vice president at the supermarket, at a church festival, out in their community. Joe fights for us because he knows our struggles and hopes. He knows the pain of loss and the worries of working parents. And he’s always brought that same personal concern he showed for Jacquelyn to getting things done as our Senator and then as President Obama’s vice president.

Joe’s tackled gun violence and climate change. He stood up to dictators and supported our troops. He led the recovery effort after the last recession, and delivered on a promise to make our healthcare system fairer and stronger.

Through it all, Joe Biden’s never forgotten where he’s from. He’s been sustained by his faith and his family through the toughest of times. And he has the heart and the compassion for this moment. For all of these reasons and more, it’s my honor to second the nomination of my good friend, Joe Biden, to be the next president of these United States.

Lisa Blunt Rochester: (59:11)
I’m Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. In some history class in the future, children are learning about this moment. They’re learning about our pain, our grief, our worry. But they’re also learning about a man named Joe Biden, about how he restored decency to our government and integrity to our democracy.

Lisa Blunt Rochester: (59:34)
They’re learning about how we conquered a pandemic, stood united for racial justice, and built our economy back better than before. They’re learning about how his leadership gave their generation a fighting chance. They’re learning about us too, about the resolve and the unity we showed against the forces of hatred and division, about the work we will do over the next 11 weeks. And about the night when despite our distance, we came together to nominate Joe Biden for president of the United States. A nomination I’m honored to second.

Bennie Thompson: (01:00:13)
Thank you all. Pursuant to our convention rules, we’ll now proceed to a roll call by states on the selection of our party’s candidate for the president of the United States. Secretary Rae?

Jason Rae: (01:00:35)
Mr. Chairman, coming to you live from the Wisconsin Center, it’s time to begin our virtual trip around America. Our journey begins at the site of a major step forward in our national journey towards justice. Let’s go to Alabama.

Terri Sewell: (01:00:57)
John Lewis marched across this bridge in 1965 to demand the right to vote. A lifetime later, civil rights and voting rights remain America’s great unfinished business.

Terri Sewell: (01:01:11)
But those who walked this path before us showed us the way forward. If we want to honor John Lewis’s incredible life, let’s restore the Voting Rights Act and ensure that our democracy belongs to all Americans. Alabama casts eight votes for Bernie Sanders, and the great state of Alabama casts 52 votes for our next president of these United States, Joe Biden.

Jason Rae: (01:01:41)
Alaska.

Chuck Degnan: (01:01:42)
The waters we rely on to feed our families and make a living are threatened by climate change. When Joe Biden was vice president, he and President Obama made sure Alaska’s tribes had a say on how these waters were managed. Donald Trump took it away. We must elect the president who will respect our voices, protect our waters, and address climate change. Alaska casts seven votes for Bernie-

Chuck Degnan: (01:02:03)
…for waters and address climate change. Alaska casts 7 votes for Bernie Sanders and 12 votes for the next President, Joe Biden.

Announcer: (01:02:09)
American Samoa.

Petti Matila: (01:02:10)
Joe Biden honors our service and we trust him to support our community. As Vice President, he helped expand rural infrastructure to communities like ours, broadening our economic capacity. As President, he will continue to strengthen rural America from New England to the Pacific.

Aliitama Sotoa: (01:02:28)
On behalf of the Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga and the American Samoa Democratic Party, we proudly cast 11 votes for our next President of the United States of America, Joe Biden.

Arizona.

Marisol Garcia: (01:02:45)
As a middle school teacher, I know that public educators are doing everything they can to make sure our students have quality learning experiences this fall. As a mother of a high school freshman, I know that it’s far from perfect. As an NEA union organizer, I’ll fight to make sure that it’s scientists, parents, and educators that decide when it’s safe to go back to school, not politicians. As an Arizona Latina, I proudly cast our votes, 29 for Bernie Sanders and 51 for our next President, Joe Biden.

Arkansas.

Gilbert Alaquinez: (01:03:16)
Feeding people is an act of love, and I think we all can use a little extra love these days, so we took our food trucks out into the community to deliver meals made right here at the Clinton Presidential Center for our neighbors in need. Even when our leaders let us down, Americans kept looking out for each other. Arkansas casts 9 votes for Bernie Sanders and 27 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

California.

Hilda Solis: (01:03:40)
Climate change is not a hoax. It’s real, and communities of color have been bearing the brunt of this reality for generations.

Barbara Lee: (01:03:47)
Joe Biden’s plan to crack down on polluters to protect our air and water is about environmental justice and economic justice.

He’ll prioritize equity and bring new clean energy jobs to black and brown neighborhoods, because that is how we build back better.

Barbara Lee: (01:04:03)
California, home to our next Vice President Kamala Harris, casts 231 votes for Bernie Sanders and 263 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

…and 263 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Colorado.

Howard Chou: (01:04:17)
Han and I grew up in poverty as immigrants, but we’ve been able to make a decent living. We’re extremely lucky, but now we have three family members that tested positive for COVID and it just doesn’t feel safe to put Evan and Emma back to school. This [inaudible 01:04:31] is going to be hard on them and on us, but millions of working families will have it much harder. I know Joe Biden cares about these struggles and that’s why I trust him to fight for us. With one abstention, Colorado will cast 36 votes for Bernie Sanders and 42 for our next President, Joe Biden.

Connecticut.

Peter Carozza: (01:04:51)
Firefighters are proud to put our lives on the line every day to protect our neighbors. It’s a badge of courage. But while we are protecting your family, we need a President who is committed to protecting ours, and that’s Joe Biden. He has the courage we respect and the commitment to working Americans we need now. On behalf of our Governor Ned Lamont, I am honored to cast Connecticut’s 75 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Delaware.

Tom Carper: (01:05:23)
Delaware passes.

Delaware passes. Democrats abroad.

Julia Bryan: (01:05:31)
We represent the millions of Americans who live outside the United States and vote back home. Americans abroad can make a difference in the states that will decide this year’s elections. We need your help to elect a President who will restore our standing around the world. Go to votefromabroad.org to learn more. Democrats Abroad is proud to cast 10 votes for Bernie Sanders and 7 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

District of Columbia.

Muriel Bowser: (01:05:57)
Welcome to my hometown and the best city in the world. Washington, D.C., is 706,000 residents strong. We raise families, pay taxes, and serve the United States military just like every American in the 50 states. The House of Representatives just passed an historic piece of legislation to make Washington, D.C., the 51st state. On Black Lives Matter Plaza, the District of Columbia proudly cast one vote for Bernie Sanders and 43 votes for the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.

Florida.

Fred Guttenberg: (01:06:37)
When my daughter was murdered in Parkland, Joe Biden called to share in our family’s grief. I quickly learned about his decency and his civility, but I also learned about his toughness and how he’s beaten the NRA. Together with the other victims of gun violence and our nation’s youth, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will take on the NRA again and win. Let’s win back our freedom to live without fear. Florida cast 57 votes for Bernie Sanders and 192 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Georgia.

Nikema Williams: (01:07:09)
My mentor Congressman John Lewis knew that the right to vote is sacred. Georgians know that our ability to vote is under attack. Long lines, voter suppression. Donald Trump is even trying to slow down the mail and force us to risk our lives to cast a ballot. We will not be silenced. Take out your phone and text VOTE to 30330, and make sure your voice is heard in this election. From the cradle of the civil rights movement and in the spirit of good trouble, Georgia cast our 117 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Guam.

Sarah Thomas-Nededog: (01:07:43)
70 years ago this summer, Chamorros became US citizens. We are proud of our resilience, proud of our indigenous heritage, and proud to be part of this historic moment for our party and our nation. From the land where America’s stay begins, Guam casts 2 votes for Bernie Sanders and 11 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Hawaii.

Amy Agbayani: (01:08:07)
I came from the Philippines to Hawaii, the land of indigenous native Hawaiians. Today, I want to speak to my fellow immigrants, to the essential workers on the front line, to the service members who wear our flag, to the parents with big dreams for their children. No matter where we came from, immigrants belong in our country’s long fight for justice. We belong in the America we are building together. Hawaii, birthplace of President Obama, casts 9 votes for Bernie Sanders and 23 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Idaho.

Lauren McLean: (01:08:40)
We’re not waiting for Washington to act on climate change. Here in Boise, we know that clean energy doesn’t just mean a healthier planet. It means good-paying jobs. Imagine what we could do with a President that listens to science and leads with courage. Idaho casts 9 votes for Bernie Sanders and 16 for our next President, Joe Biden.

Illinois.

Carol Moseley Braun: (01:09:05)
Discrimination has denied too many black Americans the chance to own a home and build wealth. Joe Biden has a plan to end racist lending practices and help more people of color achieve the American dream of owning a home. This isn’t just about racial justice. It’s about strong communities and more economic security for working families. Illinois casts 59 votes for Bernie Sanders and 122 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Indiana.

Pete Buttigieg: (01:09:36)
Here in South Bend, we once feared that our best days were behind us, but then we reimagined our economy with new jobs and even new industries. The Hoosier State is ready to lead America’s recovery with our diverse communities, our talented workers, and our best in the world agriculture. Joe Biden’s plan gives us a blueprint to revitalize industrial cities and rural areas alike. Indiana casts 2 votes for my friend Bernie Sanders, and 86 votes for the next President, Joe Biden.

Iowa.

Tom Vilsack: (01:10:08)
We were going to talk to you tonight about biofuels, but the powerful storm that swept through Iowa last week has taken a terrible toll on our farmers, our small businesses, and our families who are still without power.

Christie Bell: (01:10:19)
So while we have the honor of casting Iowa’s votes, 11 for Bernie Sanders and 38 for Joe Biden, we also want to ask for you to keep Iowans in your thoughts during this difficult time.

Kansas.

Mark Pringle: (01:10:31)
I’m a fourth-generation family farmer, but I worry about the next generation. Many of our young folks end up moving from a rural community to find jobs. Joe Biden has a plan to help new farmers get a good start, and by funding schools and healthcare, you’ll make sure that rural communities remain great places to live, work, raise a family for generations to come. Kansas, the Sapphire State, proudly casts 10 votes for Bernie Sanders and 35 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Kentucky.

Colmon Elridge: (01:11:14)
One day when I was 14, my mom wouldn’t wake up. Calling 911, I was scared not only because she was sick, but because I knew we couldn’t afford the bill. Thank God she survived. When I told Joe Biden that story in 2008, he promised to continue to fight for folks like us and got busy passing Obamacare. Two years ago, when mom had a heart attack, we only had to worry about her getting better because Joe kept his promise. The Commonwealth of Kentucky cast all 60 votes for the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.

Louisiana.

Cedric Richmond: (01:11:48)
This used to be an abandoned building. Now it’s a thriving art studio, a community hub, a place where independent artists can make their name and parents can bring their kids during these difficult days of remote learning.

LaToya Cantrell: (01:12:00)
Our cities are strong because our people make them strong, and our economy will come back because our small businesses will bring it back. Louisiana cast all 60 of our votes for my friend and the next President, Joe Biden.

Maine.

Craig Hickman: (01:12:16)
My American dream? I’m living it. A 25-acre organic farm on a lake, a roadside farm stand, and a bed and breakfast. My husband and I aren’t corporate tycoons. We just want to make an honest living and feed our community. Small businesses like ours are the backbone of rural economies across America. Joe Biden has a plan to help more Americans, especially people of color, start their own businesses. Maine casts 9 votes for Bernie Sanders and 22 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Maryland.

Brandon Scott: (01:12:48)
Black lives matter, and when it comes to racial justice, black opportunity matters.

Bianca Shah: (01:12:52)
When Joe Biden rebuilds our middle class, he won’t leave anyone behind. His plan? More capital for black entrepreneurs.

More funding for public schools and HBCUs.

Banning racial discrimination in the housing market.

And paying every worker a fair wage.

That’s building back better.

Maryland…

The home of Frederick Douglass…

…cast 1 vote for Bernie Sanders and 119 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Massachusetts.

Claire Cronin: (01:13:16)
We need a plan to get the economy going again. Joe Biden will get the pandemic under control, create new jobs in manufacturing and clean energy, help small businesses and our restaurants recover, and build back better so that our economy is stronger and fairer than it was before. Massachusetts cast 30 votes for Bernie Sanders and 83 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Michigan.

Gary Peters: (01:13:45)
Michigan auto workers are the best in the world, but we’d be nowhere without Joe Biden, and a lot of folks wanted to let Detroit go bankrupt, but Joe Biden believed in us, and together, we fought to save our auto industry.

Ray Curry: (01:13:58)
Now he’s got a plan to create a million new auto jobs by investing in clean energy. Joe Biden believes in American workers. He’s got our back and we’ve got his.

Gary Peters: (01:14:08)
Michigan cast 53 votes for Bernie Sanders and 92 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Minnesota.

Amy Klobuchar: (01:14:18)
I’m here in Minnesota, the home of the headwaters of the Mississippi River. We know that a bridge shouldn’t fall down in the middle of America, but it did, and we came together to rebuild it. That’s what we do in America. That’s what Joe Biden will do as President. He’ll build back better. He’ll cross the river of our divides and unite this country, from our cities to our suburbs to our rural areas. And now, we will virtually cross the great Mississippi to St. Paul to hear from my friend, Mayor Melvin Carter.

Melvin Carter: (01:14:50)
Thank you, Senator. As the 46th mayor of a city that’s more than ready for our 46th President, I’m proud to cast Minnesota’s 31 votes for Bernie Sanders and 60 votes for our next US President, Joe Biden.

Mississippi.

Carmen Walters: (01:15:07)
Tougaloo College reflects the progression of a people, from slavery to citizenship to scholarship and leadership, contributing to Mississippi and the world. Our alumni are leaders like Convention Chairman Congressman Bennie Thompson. Joe Biden wants to invest 70 billion in HBCUs like Tougaloo. Imagine what impact that can have on HBCUs. Imagine what impact HBCUs could have on America. Mississippi cast 2 votes for Bernie Sanders and 38 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Missouri.

Reuben Gill: (01:15:40)
As a member of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1 St. Louis, I love walking around the city and seeing the contributions that my brothers and sisters have made. We stand ready to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, and with Joe Biden’s leadership, we’ll create millions of new jobs building back better. Missouri casts 28 votes for Bernie Sanders and 50 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Montana.

Rachel Prevost: (01:16:08)
When COVID shut down my college, I came home to my parents’ ranch to finish senior year online. But some days, I can’t even get a video to load or an email attachment to send. Without reliable internet, there’s no remote learning, no virtual doctor’s appointments, and just try starting a small business. Rural broadband can be a game changer for rural communities like mine, and Joe Biden has a plan to make it happen. Montana cast 1 vote for Bernie Sanders and 18 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Nebraska.

Geraldine Waller: (01:16:36)
I work at a meatpacking plant, making sure grocery store shelves stay full. They call us essential workers, but we get treated like we’re expendable. Workers are dying from COVID and a lot of us don’t have paid sick leave or even quality protective equipment. We are human beings, not robots, not disposable. We want to keep helping you feed your family, but we need a President who will have our backs. Nebraska cast 33 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Nevada.

Dina Titus: (01:17:03)
Working people are the backbone of our economy and the key to our recovery. Joe Biden knows it’s not enough to praise them. We have to reward them, so let’s raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, empower workers to negotiate for better benefits and safer workplaces, and make it easier to pay for things like healthcare and higher education. I am proud to cast 24 votes for Bernie Sanders and 25 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

New Hampshire.

John Lynch: (01:17:33)
Hello from the Granite State. We trust Joe Biden. Joe will provide the leadership necessary to bring us back from this awful pandemic, Joe has a plan to attack global climate change once and for all, and Joe will restore honesty, decency, and trust to the White House, reunite all Americans, and build a better future for all. The great state of New Hampshire awards 9 delegates to our friend and neighbor Bernie Sanders, and 24 delegates to the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.

New Jersey.

Denis McDonough: (01:18:05)
We’ve been hit hard by COVID, but we’re coming back. But we have to be smart. We have to listen to the experts and we have to have a President who has a plan. That’s why in memory of all those we’ve lost, in solidarity with those who are sick or struggling, and in eternal gratitude for our heroic frontline workers, New Jersey cast 5 votes for Senator Bernie Sanders and 139 votes for the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.

New Mexico.

Derrick Lente: (01:18:35)
[foreign language 00:16:35]. Greetings and good evening. My name is Derrick Lente, State Representative, coming to you from the homeland of my ancestors here at the beautiful Pueblo of Sandia. New Mexico is a diverse state, home to 23 indigenous sovereign nations with a rich multicultural history. We are all united by the love of this beautiful place that we call home, and we believe that we owe it to the next generation to protect the natural and cultural resources that are their inheritance, and to that end, also respect tribal sovereignty. New Mexico proudly casts 4 votes for Bernie Sanders and 42 votes for the next President of the United States of America, Joe Biden.

New York.

Scheena Iyande Tannis: (01:19:21)
As an immigrant from St. Vincent and the Grenadines and an 1199SEIU registered nurse, I am proud to be part of America’s fight against COVID-19, but many healthcare workers don’t get paid sick leave or have enough protective equipment. I have two children with asthma and a mother who’s high risk. I worry every day about bringing this virus home to them. Joe Biden’s plan will help us take better care of your loved ones as well as our own. Along with Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, I cast New York’s votes, 44 votes for Bernie Sanders and 277 for our next President, Joe Biden. It’s Joe time.

North Carolina.

Cozzie Watkins: (01:20:13)
I’ve been doing this for a long time, so let me just be plain. Black people, especially black women, are the backbone of this party, and if we don’t show up, Democrats don’t get elected. I’m putting on my mask and we’re going to every corner in North Carolina to help organize, because we need to make sure everyone shows up for Joe Biden. He would show up for us. North Carolina cast 39 votes for Bernie Sanders and 83 votes for the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.

North Dakota.

Cesar Alvarez: (01:20:48)
[foreign language 00:18:47]. Welcome to the homelands of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people. I graduated from a class of just 44 students and I had to drive three hours just to take the SATs, but growing up, I knew that college was a ladder that could take you anywhere. Joe Biden knows that everyone deserves a chance to climb that ladder, so as a proud tribal member, as a Mexican American, as a Harvard graduate, I am proud to cast North Dakota’s votes, 10 for Bernie Sanders and 8 for our next President, Joe Biden.

Northern Mariana Islands.

Nola Kileleman Hix: (01:21:22)
[foreign language 01:21:22] and hello from paradise, the Northern Mariana Islands. We may be far away, but we’re American citizens, and this year for the first time in decades, we finally have a Democratic slate because Democrats organize everywhere. While we don’t get to vote for President, so please don’t waste yours, the Northern Mariana Islands is proud to cast 2 votes for Senator Bernie Sanders and 9 votes for our next President, Joseph Biden. [foreign language 00:19:49] and thank you.

Ohio.

Josh Abernathy: (01:21:56)
It seems like every time working people believe in a Donald Trump promise, they wind up getting screwed. Well, Joe Biden has more than just a promise. He actually has a plan to bring jobs back to America…

Tim Ryan: (01:22:10)
…like electric vehicles or a national network of vehicle-charging infrastructure that’ll create good-paying jobs for skilled union workers like Josh, and the future will be made in America. Ohio cast 20 votes for Senator Bernie Sanders and 134 votes for the next President, Joe Biden. O-H!

Josh Abernathy: (01:22:31)
I-O!

Oklahoma.

Alicia Andrews: (01:22:35)
99 years ago, racial violence devastated a thriving black community here in Tulsa. Today, hatred still lives in our nation, but so does resolve. Oklahoma refused to let ourselves be defined by division then, and our nation must turn back the tide of violence again, now. Oklahoma cast 13 votes for Bernie Sanders and 24 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Speaker 28: (01:22:58)
Go Joe!

Oregon.

Rosa Colquitt: (01:23:01)
As black Americans standing on native land, we probably represent Oregon. The dual viruses COVID-19 and racism laid bare on equal healthcare access and deaths in communities of color.

Travis Nelson: (01:23:15)
The Democrats are working to bridge divides and make sure everyone has equal access to low- or no-cost quality care. Today, Oregon cast 16 votes for Bernie Sanders…

Rosa Colquitt: (01:23:28)
…and with Senators Wyden and Merkley’s support, cast 57 votes for Joe Biden.

Pennsylvania.

Bob Casey: (01:23:35)
When Joe Biden was young, his father came to this house in Scranton, sat down on Joe’s bed, and told him he lost his job. It’s a moment that stayed with Joe his entire life. Right now, all across America, working families are experiencing that same fear and uncertainty, but Joe Biden has a plan to help them and to help our country build back better, creating millions of good-paying jobs so more parents will be able to tell their kids what Joe’s dad said to him all those years ago. “It’s going to be okay.” Pennsylvania cast 34 votes for Senator Bernie Sanders and 175 votes for the next President of the United States, Scranton’s own Joe Biden.

Puerto Rico.

Carmelo Rios-Santiago: (01:24:24)
[Spanish 00:22: 23].

Rhode Island.

Joseph McNamara: (01:24:53)
Rhode Island, the Ocean State, where our restaurant and fishing industry have been decimated by this pandemic, are lucky to have a Governor, Gina Raimondo, whose program lets our fishermen sell their catches directly to the public, and our state appetizer, calamari, is available in all 50 states. The calamari comeback state of Rhode Island casts 1 vote for Bernie Sanders and 34 votes for the next President, Joe Biden.

South Carolina.

Jaime Harrison: (01:25:27)
Mr. Chairman, I am Jaime Harrison, candidate for the United States Senate, speaking from the campus of South Carolina State University, the alma mater of Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and the late Dr. Emily England Clyburn, for whom its honors college is named. This proud HBCU has contributed 22 general officers to our armed services, and tonight I proudly cast South Carolina’s 64 votes as follows: 15 for Bernie Sanders and 49 for our next President of the United States, Joe Biden.

South Dakota.

Kellen Returns From Scout: (01:26:07)
[foreign language 00:24:07]. Relatives. As a First American and citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, I welcome you to the Paha Sapa, the Black Hills, the site of my creation story and home to the Oceti Sakowin, the great Sioux nation. We often say [foreign language 00:24:22]. We are all related. Our next president must lead by this philosophy for the betterment of our next seven generations. We cast 3 votes for Senator Bernie Sanders and 17 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Tennessee.

Keely Sage: (01:26:40)
100 years ago tonight, suffragists based here at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville cheered as Tennessee became the 36th and deciding state to ratify the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. This year, I’m casting my very first presidential vote for Joe Biden. Women will decide this election and will replace Donald Trump with a president who respects us. Tennessee cast 23 votes for Bernie Sanders and 50 votes for our next President of the United States, Mr. Joseph R. Biden.

Texas.

Veronica Escobar: (01:27:20)
A year ago, my safe community of El Paso was targeted by a domestic terrorist who murdered 23 innocent people, injured 23 more, and devastated all of us. His motive was racism and xenophobia. In the face of hate, we choose love. [Spanish 00:25:35]. And in the face of continued gun violence in America, we demand change. The time has come to act. With one abstention, the great state of Texas casts 98 votes for Bernie Sanders and 161 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Utah.

Jenny Wilson: (01:27:56)
Here in Utah, we’ve had mail-in voting for years. If you’re registered to vote, you automatically get sent a ballot. It’s fast, it’s reliable, and it’s easy for everyone to participate. In 2016, we had turnout well over 80%, and this year we’re expecting even higher. That’s why Democrats and Republicans here in Utah agree. Mail-in voting strengthens our democracy. Utah cast 17 votes for Bernie Sanders and 16 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Vermont.

David Zuckerman: (01:28:28)
The state of Vermont, strongly believing in economic justice, social justice, racial justice, and environmental justice, proudly supporting democracy and the Constitution of the United States, and vehemently opposed to the authoritarianism and racism of the Trump administration, is proud to cast 15 votes for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and 9 votes for the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.

The US Virgin Islands.

Cecil Benjamin: (01:28:56)
In recognition of our Governor Albert Bryan Jr, our delegate to congress Stacey Plaskett, we bring you greetings from the Virgin Islands of the United States, where a young Alexander Hamilton was raised, the vacation home of our nominee, with turquoise waters, white sand beaches, and friendly people. We cast our 13 votes for Joseph R. Biden.

Virginia.

Khizr Khan: (01:29:20)
Three years ago, my beloved city Charlottesville, Virginia, was attacked by white supremacists, and a young woman was killed. We were attacked again when Donald Trump praised those racists, turning his back on a community that just wanted peace. That was the day Joe Biden decided to join this battle for the soul of America. Over time, my wife Ghazala and I have come to know his soul. He’s a decent, compassionate man. He will bring this nation together. Virginia cast 32 votes for Bernie Sanders and 91 votes for our President, Joe Biden.

Washington.

My-Linh Thai: (01:30:08)
[foreign language 00:28:07]. As a 15-year-old refugee from Vietnam, I knew that education was the key to finding opportunities in my new home. When having children of my own, I became an advocate to improve the public education system that gave me a chance to contribute to our America. Democrat invest in educations because we are committed to fighting for all kids. Washington cast 43 votes to Senator Bernie Sanders and 66 votes to our next President, Joe Biden.

West Virginia.

Fred Albert: (01:30:42)
West Virginians have changed the narrative about public education. Parents, teachers, and service personnel have worked together to fight for safe and welcoming schools, sufficient funding for classroom equipment, and fair wages for teachers and school service personnel. Elections matter, but so does activism, so let’s keep fighting to guarantee a quality education for all our children, and let’s elect a President who will fight alongside us. West Virginia cast 34 votes for our next President, Joe Biden.

Wyoming.

Dennis Shepherd: (01:31:16)
After our son Matthew’s death in Wyoming, Joe Biden helped pass legislation to protect LGBTQ Americans from hate crimes. Joe understands more than most our grief over Matt’s death, but we see in Joe so much of what made Matt’s life special: his commitment to equality, his passion for social justice, and his boundless compassion for others.

Judy Shepherd: (01:31:39)
With three abstentions, Wyoming cast 4 votes for Bernie Sanders and 11 votes for the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.

Wisconsin.

Mandela Barnes: (01:31:50)
Welcome back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a great city on native land on a Great Lake. It’s the place where I was born and raised right in the heart of 53206 zip code. This is a community that’s been faced with some significant challenges due to historical injustice, but what many don’t see is the joy, the resilience, and opportunity that lies within this community and so many others across America just like it, where hardworking people are fighting to provide for their families and to build a better future. We know that we build a better future for our nation by channeling Wisconsin’s legacy as the birthplace of the labor and the progressive movement, and uniting around a bold inclusive agenda that uplifts every community and the pursuit of a more just future, one that recognizes healthcare as a human right, one that tackles the climate crisis and takes on racial and economic justice. Wisconsin cast 30 votes for Bernie Sanders and 67 for the next President of the United States of America, Joseph R. Biden.

Delaware.

John Carney: (01:32:51)
Long before this train station bore his name, you’d see Joe Biden up here on the platform with the rest of the crowd on his way to work or going home to his family. That’s always been his north star, delivering for f-

His family. That’s always been his North star, delivering for families like his own, working people who struggle and sacrifice to build a better life. Nobody has ever had to wonder who Joe Biden’s in it for.

Speaker 29: (01:33:13)
Our nation faces daunting challenges, but I’ve known Joe Biden for 40 years. And there’s nobody I trust more to lead our party, unite our country and restore our standing in the world. What’s more, he’s humble, he tells the truth, he treats everybody he encounters with respect and builds bridges, not walls. He is a leader made for this moment, and the finest public servant I’ve ever known.

Delaware is proud to cast its 32 votes for our favorite son, and our next president.

Speaker 29: (01:33:41)
Our friend, Delaware’s Joe Biden.

Joe Biden: (01:33:43)
All right. Hey guys. How are you?

Speaker 30: (01:34:45)
Thank you to all our delegations. 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. Vice President Biden is hereby invited to deliver an acceptance speech.

Joe Biden: (01:35:09)
Thank you very, very much from the bottom of my heart. Thank you all. It means the world to me and my family. And I’ll see you on Thursday. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Tracee Ellis Ross: (01:35:21)
That was so sweet with the grandkids. Yay. And now we have an official nominee. Onto the next step. Electing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in November. Make sure you have a plan to vote. Text vote to 30330 to find out how. Now we’re going to talk about a topic that touches all of our lives. Healthcare. The Affordable Care Act was game-changing. This pandemic has revealed just how important it is to protect and improve it. Increasing access to healthcare and bringing down its cost have always been a priority for Joe Biden, because for Joe, and for all of us, healthcare is personal.

Speaker 31: (01:36:50)
It’s the toughest battles that called for the steadiest leadership. Again and again, they were told to give up on affordable healthcare. They knew it would cost them politically.

Speaker 32: (01:37:00)
The Republicans say this will prove to be unpopular.

Speaker 33: (01:37:03)
Bill is a legislative train wreck.

Speaker 31: (01:37:05)
But not nearly as much as it would cost the American people if they did nothing.

Joe Biden: (01:37:09)
We are not going to slow up on providing affordable healthcare for Americans. Health care is a natural American right.

Speaker 31: (01:37:17)
Giving up on the Affordable Care Act would have meant leaving 20 million without coverage out in the cold. But Joe Biden wasn’t about to give up, because he knew what it was like to stand in their shoes. He was sworn into the Senate next to a hospital bed. His wife and daughter had been killed in a car crash. And lying in that bed were his two sons. 40 years later, one of those little boys, his son, Beau was diagnosed with cancer, and given only months to live. It’s hard to imagine a greater grief than losing your child. But Joe always knew that his family was one of the lucky ones. After that accident, his son got 40 more years of life, all because he had healthcare.

Speaker 32: (01:38:17)
Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

Speaker 31: (01:38:23)
Now, it’s unthinkable that Donald Trump is trying to take that healthcare away. In the middle of a pandemic, he’s still trying to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. This fight is personal for Joe, as personal as it gets. So when Joe says he has a plan to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, protect those with preexisting conditions, and expand access to every American, he’s thinking about how having healthcare saved his boys. When his plan talks about lowering drug prices and making care more affordable, he’s thinking about Beau, who spent his final days in comfort because he was insured. Joe Biden knows what affordable healthcare means to American families, because of what it’s meant to his.

Joe Biden: (01:39:17)
This is my promise to you. When I’m president, I will take care of your healthcare coverage and your family the same way I would my own. For that’s what the presidency is, the duty to care. To care for all of us, not just those who vote for us, but all of us. This job is not about me. It’s about you. It’s about us.

Speaker 33: (01:39:43)
[inaudible 01:39:48].

Joe Biden: (01:39:49)
How are you? You handsome boy.

Steve Gomez: (01:39:53)
He was born in ’15, and with a heart condition known as transposition of the greater arteries, and ended up requiring a transplant. And thankfully, the ACA had already taken effect. But now, that’s something that we think about all the time, especially with his coverage, and the potential of coverage maxes, and his initial hospital stay was over $3 million, that was billed back to the insurance.

Joe Biden: (01:40:17)
I remember thinking as Beau lay dying in bed, and we lie in bed with him, his brother and I, and his sister. And thinking to myself, what in God’s name would I do, if the doctor walked in and said, “I’m sorry, you have outrun your insurance. You’ve reached your cap, suffer the last few months of your life on your own.”

Jeff Jeans: (01:40:40)
I came from a near part of the country where rural Missouri, where basically everybody was Republican, and I was a Republican, and I lost my voice. And we put off going to the doctor, because we didn’t have health insurance. When we finally got into somebody that could take a look in my throat, they said, “Wow, you’ve got cancer.” It was stage four, the worst kind of cancer you can have. My wife applied for insurance through the Affordable Care Act. And my coverage began on April 1st in 2012. And that same day they started my chemo and radiation. And it saved my life. I’m here today.

Dr. Angie Taylor: (01:41:28)
Generally speaking as a church, you’re concerned about people spiritually, but you’re also concerned about other areas of their life. And that includes their physical or physiological wellbeing, because the Bible talks about all of us. But there are people in our country, and in fact, people in my church that can’t take advantage of it, because they don’t have good healthcare. That’s definitely discouraging to me and that’s pretty discouraging to them.

Julie Buckholt: (01:41:55)
Because of the Myasthenia gravis, and the fact that it’s a very rare disease, a lot of our medications we have to fight for. And before the ACA, we worried about our medications. We worried about the preexisting conditions for our children. We worried about age, and the cap, because having that cost of the medications, we would have reached that million dollar cap in no time. But once the ACA passed, we no longer had that cap of the million dollars.

Joe Biden: (01:42:31)
The fear that you all live in, understandably, if somehow, tomorrow they said, “No insurance, you’re not covered,” is just devastating. Hey Laura, how are you doing?

Laura Packard: (01:42:48)
[crosstalk 01:42:48] again.

Joe Biden: (01:42:48)
How are you doing?

Doing well.

Joe Biden: (01:42:50)
Well, you beat Hodgkin’s lymphoma. God love you. But during it all, Trump was trying to rip away your coverage. The day you got your first chemo, Republicans voted to gut the ACA. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like going to sleep at night, wondering what to do.

Ever since I was diagnosed, every night, I’d go to bed concerned about what news I would get in the morning. And even still, even today, they’re still trying to take away our healthcare. Even during a pandemic.

Joe Biden: (01:43:22)
Look, we’re going to make sure we don’t lose that ACA, we’re going to provide a Medicare-like option as a public option, and any state if you qualify for Medicaid, and the state hasn’t provided it, you’d automatically be enrolled. I’m going to protect you like I tried to protect my own family, my own family. And I promise you that.

Eugene F.: (01:43:43)
I met Joe last year at a campaign event to thank him for all being so involved in the battle to cure cancer. Indeed I have what’s been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The inspiration and the empathy and the human love that he shared with me has kept me going.

Lisa P.: (01:44:03)
I made an appointment for my wellness checkup provided for by the Affordable Care Act. I was told that I had ovarian cancer. I finished my course of treatment. And since then, I’ve been cancer-free. And I am very grateful for that.

Jacqueline A.: (01:44:19)
I chose to become a Joe Biden delegate as I watch with our nation as President Donald Trump sought to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

Eugene F.: (01:44:29)
My purpose in life right now is to devote all my energy to getting Joe elected.

Jacqueline A.: (01:44:35)
I anxiously jumped at the chance to become a Biden delegate.

Lisa P.: (01:44:39)
He will continue to strengthen the Affordable Care Act so that diseases like cancer don’t go undetected.

Ady Barkan: (01:44:45)
Hey Carl, it’s me, dad. By the time you’re watching this, you will have grown up to be strong and courageous, but I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around for you. I was diagnosed with ALS today, which is a deadly debilitating disease. After I was diagnosed, the president passed a tax bill that put my healthcare at risk. So I went to Washington, DC.

Speaker 34: (01:45:33)
My next guest made headlines when he confronted a Republican Senator on an airplane.

You can be an American hero. I wanted to help create a better country for you to live in.

Democracy is beautiful.

Crowd: (01:45:43)
Democracy is beautiful.

All that matters to me is to make you proud, because I’m already so proud of you. Hello America. My name is Ady Barkan, and I am speaking to you through this computer voice because I have been paralyzed by a mysterious illness called ALS. Like so many of you, I have experienced the ways our healthcare system is fundamentally broken. Enormous costs, denied claims, dehumanizing treatment when we are most in need. Since my shocking diagnosis, I have traveled the country meeting countless patients like me demanding more of our representatives and our democracy. Today, we are witnessing the tragic consequences of our failing healthcare system. In the midst of a pandemic, nearly a hundred million Americans do not have sufficient health insurance. And even good insurance does not cover essential needs like long-term care.

Our loved ones are dying in unsafe nursing homes. Our nurses are overwhelmed and unprotected, and our essential workers are treated as dispensable. We live in the richest country in history, and yet we do not guarantee this most basic human right. Everyone living in America should get the healthcare they need, regardless of their employment status or ability to pay. Even during this terrible crisis, Donald Trump and Republican politicians are trying to take away millions of people’s health insurance. With the existential threat of another four years of this president, we all have a profound obligation to act. Not only to vote, but to make sure that our friends, family, and neighbors vote as well. We must elect Joe Biden. Each of us must be a hero for our communities, for our country, and then with a compassionate and intelligent president, we must act together and put on his desk a bill that guarantees us all the healthcare we deserve. Text vote to 30330 to learn how to vote safely, because our lives depend on it.

Tracee Ellis Ross: (01:48:07)
Politics and elections can seem like these far away things that one person doesn’t have the power to change. But what’s happening in our country right now makes it clear how personal politics are. I’ve discovered that when I get informed and participate, my fear gets smaller. Voting is a big part of that. So knowing the change you want, vote for the leaders you think will make it happen. And if you’re able, if you can, help fund this campaign. Please go to JoeBiden.com, and chip in whatever you can. With leaders like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we can build back better here at home, and once again strengthen our nation’s security and standing in the world.

Demarcus G.: (01:48:59)
My name is DeMarcus Gilliard. I’m 34 years old, and I currently live in Los Angeles, California. I’m a 2009 graduate of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, and I served on active duty in the Marine Corps as an officer for six years. I took an oath to support, uphold and defend the constitution of the United States of America. And I know that Joe Biden in his years of public service took a similar oath, and he understands the sacrifice of the men and women in uniform who are overseas right now fighting for the ideals of this nation. That liberty and justice can be extended to all people. I know that Joe Biden understands that at his core, I trust him to lead us on day one into a greater future. There’s nothing more important for me right now in making sure that we restore the soul of our nation. And I think that Joe Biden is the best person to do that. Thanks, Joe.

John Kerry: (01:49:56)
Hi, I’m John Kerry. For the eight years of the Obama/Biden administration, we led by example. We eliminated the threat of Iran with a nuclear weapon. We built a 68 nation coalition to destroy ISIS. We forged 195 nation agreement to attack climate change. We stopped Ebola before it became a pandemic. Donald Trump inherited a growing economy and a more peaceful world. And like everything else he inherited, he bankrupted it. When this president goes overseas, it isn’t a goodwill mission, it’s a blooper reel. He breaks up with our allies and writes love letters to dictators. America deserves a president who is looked up to, not laughed at. Donald Trump pretends Russia didn’t attack our elections. And now he does nothing about Russia putting a bounty on our troops. So he won’t defend our country, he doesn’t know how to defend our troops, the only person he’s interested in defending is himself.

This is the bottom line, our interests, our ideals, and our brave men and women in uniform can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump. Our troops can’t get out of harm’s way by hiding in the White House bunker. They need a president who will stand up for them. And President Biden will. Joe’s moral compass has always pointed in the right direction, from the fight to break the back of Apartheid, to the struggle to wake up the world to genocide in the Balkans. Joe understands that none of the issues of this world, not nuclear weapons, not the challenge of building back better after COVID, not terrorism, and certainly not the climate crisis. None can be resolved without bringing nations together with strength, and humility. Joe understands our values don’t limit our power, they magnify it. He knows you can’t spread democracy around the world if you don’t practice it at home.

And he knows that even the United States of America needs friends on this planet. Before Donald Trump, we used to talk about American exceptionalism. The only thing exceptional about the incoherent Trump foreign policy is that it has made our nation more isolated than ever before. Joe Biden knows we aren’t exceptional because we bluster that we are, we are exceptional because we do exceptional things. On June 6th, 1944, young Americans gave their lives and the beaches of Normandy to liberate the world from tyranny. Out of the ashes of that war we made peace and rebuilt the world. That was, and remains exceptional. It is the opposite of everything Donald Trump stands for. This moment is a fight for the security of America, and the world. Only Joe Biden can make America lead like America again. If you agree, text join to 30330. Thank you.

Brett Mcgurk: (01:53:23)
In the Situation Room, presidents make decisions of war and peace. So when Joe Biden walks into the Situation Room, first and foremost in his mind is how will my decision impact the lives of the American people.

Marie Y.: (01:53:36)
He is experienced. He has made the tough calls.

Chuck Hagel: (01:53:39)
He’s got courage. He’s got tremendous courage, character, judgment, and he can be tough. I witnessed it, close up.

Linda Greenfield: (01:53:45)
Joe Biden is decisive and well prepared for any issue.

There is no one more qualified than Joe Biden to be sitting at the head of the table in the Situation Room making decisions for this country.

Having sent his son to war, I don’t think anyone can be more ready than vice president Biden.

Jack Weinstein: (01:54:05)
He knows exactly what’s at stake when he sends our troops overseas.

Rose G.: (01:54:08)
Biden understands how important it is to have allies standing together with us. They are force multipliers.

Joe Biden has the unique ability to connect with people. He knows the leaders, and he’s dealt with them for years, he knows what makes them tick.

Marie Y.: (01:54:22)
They trust him, they trust his judgment, and they know that his word is good.

Tom C.: (01:54:25)
I know that Biden’s personal diplomacy will save American lives.

To build these relationships takes decades, and to tear them down, all it takes is a Tweet.

Tom C.: (01:54:36)
Thanks to Donald Trump, our adversaries are stronger, and bolder.

Rose G.: (01:54:41)
Donald Trump has had a love fest with dictators, including China and Russia. He hasn’t been standing up to them at all.

I served in the United States Air Force for 36 years. I’ve led space squadrons, nuclear missile squadrons, and I never thought I would have a president who is a danger to national security.

President Trump has degraded and debased the presidency and our country in the eyes of the world.

The Russians offered bounties on US soldiers. I was shocked when I read that. But the president didn’t even asked Vladimir Putin about it. That’s un-American.

There’s something wrong with that. I mean, that’s a dereliction of duty. You’re failing the troops. You’re failing this country.

The first thing a president needs to do is find out what the facts are. This president doesn’t care about facts.

Tom C.: (01:55:23)
Biden cares about the safety and welfare of American servicemen and women.

Our military had a policy to maintain our presence in Syria, we actually came to the aid of the Kurds against ISIS and we help stop the advance. President Trump told us to simply abandon the Kurds. It’s shameful.

Rose G.: (01:55:41)
Joe Biden will be strong against dictators.

I’ve heard him on the phone with some pretty tough characters. You talk about Joe Biden’s empathy, his decency, but Joe Biden is tough as nails, and everybody knows it.

Marie Y.: (01:55:53)
He will do the right thing, no matter the political cost.

I’ve served for two Republican presidents, and one Democratic president. I have seen the Trump administration make decisions without any thought, without any preparation that have massive life and death consequences.

At one of the most defining times in the history of the world, Joe Biden is uniquely qualified to be president of the United States.

If you want a strong America, you want Joe Biden.

Colin Powell: (01:56:21)
Hi, I’m former Secretary of State Colin Powell. 100 years ago, a young immigrant left a dirt farm in Jamaica and set out for America. Three years later, a ship pulled into New York Harbor, and a young Jamaican woman gazed up at the Statue of Liberty for the first time. They became my parents, and they inspired me to finish college and join the army. This began a journey of service that would take me from basic training to combat in Vietnam, up the ranks to serve as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and secretary of state.

The values I learned growing up in the South Bronx, and serving in uniform were the same values that Joe Biden’s parents instilled in him in Scranton, Pennsylvania. I support Joe Biden for the presidency of the United States, because those values still define him. And we need to restore those values to the White House. Our country needs a commander in chief who takes care of our troops in the same way he would his own family. For Joe Biden, that doesn’t need teaching, it comes from the experience he shares with millions of military families, sending his beloved son off to war, and praying to God he would come home safe. Joe Biden will be a president we will all be proud to salute. With Joe Biden in the White House, you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends, and stand up to our adversaries, never the other way around. He will trust our diplomats and our intelligence community, not the flattery of dictators and despots.

He will make it his job to know when anyone dares to threaten us, he will stand up to our adversaries with strength and experience. They will know he means business. I support Joe Biden because beginning on day one, he will restore Americans leadership, and our moral authority. He’ll be a president who knows that America is strongest when, as he has said, we lead both by the power of our example, and the example of our power. He will restore America’s leadership in the world and restore the alliances we need to address the dangers that threaten our nation, from climate change to nuclear proliferation. Today, we are a country divided, and we have a president doing everything in his power to make it that way, and keep us that way. What a difference it will make to have a president who unites us, who restores our strength, and our soul. I still believe that in our hearts, we are the same America that brought my parents to our shores, an America that inspires freedom around the world. That’s the America Joe Biden will lead is our next president. Thank you very much.

Speaker 35: (01:58:56)
It was a friendship that shouldn’t have worked. John, a former Navy pilot just released from a North Vietnamese prison, Joe, a young Senator from Delaware. But in the 1970s, Joe was assigned a military aid for a trip overseas.

John McCain: (01:59:20)
I was a Navy Senate liaison, and used to carry your bags on overseas trips.

Joe Biden: (01:59:25)
This son of a gun never carried my bags. He was supposed to carry my bags dammit, but he never carried my bags.

Speaker 35: (01:59:36)
John and Joe traveled thousands of miles together. Their families got to know each other, gathering for picnics in the Biden’s backyard.

Cindy McCain: (01:59:46)
They would just sit and joke. It was like a comedy show sometimes to watch the two of them.

Speaker 35: (01:59:53)
But when John was elected to the Senate as a Republican from Arizona, they found themselves on opposing sides.

We’re in different parties. We hold different views on many issues.

Ted Kaufman: (02:00:06)
They’d be going at it on the floor, and you’d think, oh, these guys must really, really, really dislike each other. And they’d be having dinner that night together.

Cecillia Munoz: (02:00:16)
Senator Biden had great respect for the institution of the Senate. He built relationships that were cordial, that were personal.

Joe Biden: (02:00:25)
We’ve always been willing when we thought the other guy was right to cross the aisle and lock arms. It’s good for the country.

Ron Klain: (02:00:36)
It takes trust to get things done in a divided government. And I think with Joe Biden, his colleagues knew that your points were equally valid to him.

Speaker 35: (02:00:47)
Even if a deal seemed out of reach, it was always Joe who tried to cross the aisle.

Ted Kaufman: (02:00:53)
He was like a natural for that. He just had an ability to find the common ground, but never give up your principles.

Speaker 35: (02:00:59)
For three decades, Joe was able to move his colleagues and find a way forward. On violence against women, banning chemical weapons, assault weapons, and controlling nuclear arms.

Cindy McCain: (02:01:13)
It was a style of legislating and leadership that you don’t find much anymore.

Speaker 35: (02:01:21)
And when millions of Americans were faced with losing their health insurance, it was Joe’s friend who saved Obamacare by crossing the aisle.

Speaker 36: (02:01:29)
McCain passed his vote with a thumbs down.

Joe Biden: (02:01:33)
John and I have been given several awards about bipartisanship. We don’t understand why you should get an award for bipartisanship.

Thank you for your example of how to remain the same good guy that you were when you first got here. Most of all, for your friendship, my life and the lives of many have been enriched by it.

Jill Biden: (02:02:01)
Love you.

Joe Biden: (02:02:01)
Love you.

I have a rule that I never think of anything negative when I’m running. When I set my mind to something, I find a way to get it done.

Joe Biden: (02:02:23)
She is so damn tough and loyal. When I met Jill, I knew, my brother said, “There’s this this woman, you’ll really like her Joe.” So I gave her a call, and she had a date that night.

You said, “Do you think you could break your date?”

Joe Biden: (02:02:40)
Oh, that’s right. And what’d you do?

Well, I called and told the guy that I had a friend in from out of town, and went out with Joe.

Joe Biden: (02:02:50)
I was 30, and I was a Senator, and I was a widower. Several years earlier, a tractor trailer broadsided my wife and three children. My wife was killed. My daughter was killed. I wasn’t big on the whole date scene thing. But when I met Jill, I fell in love with her when I saw her.

He said, “I’d really like to see you again.” So he’s looking at his calendar, and he’s, “Oh Thursday, no, no, I’m really busy. No, I’m busy Friday. How about tomorrow?” And I thought, “Buddy, you just blew your cover.”

Joe Biden: (02:03:36)
She’s owned me since then. The boys fell in love with Jill too. I’m brushing my teeth one morning, and they came running in, and Beau and Hunt said, “Dad, we think it’s time we married Jill.” Swear to God. I asked her to marry me five times.

It wasn’t just my heart that was on the line. And I loved the boys so much. I had to be sure that it had to be forever.

Dr. Jill Biden: (02:04:03)
There’s so much. I had to be sure that it had to be forever.

Joe Biden: (02:04:03)
“Now I’m going to ask you one more time, will you marry me?” And she goes like this, “Okay.” She put us back together. She gave me back my life. She gave us back a family. We are raised with the same values.

I grew up in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, right outside of Philly. My mom was English-Scottish and my dad was Italian. My grandmother made the homemade noodles that would hang and she’d be drying her noodles.

Joe Biden: (02:04:49)
They’re very close family. She’s the oldest of five girls.

Speaker 37: (02:04:53)
She’s like the godmother of all of us.

Speaker 38: (02:04:57)
I think we’ve all seen the feistiness in her.

Speaker 39: (02:05:00)
There was a bully in my school. She marched up the street and knocked on his door.

And I punched him right in the face. My father fought in World War II. He was a signalman in the Navy and he was very patriotic. He would take us to watch the Blue Angels and he was so proud. We worshiped our mother. I can picture her so well reading for hours. She just loved to read. And that had a great influence on me. I went to college at the University of Delaware. Then I taught in the high schools. I mean, I got up every single day so excited to go teach. When I married Joe, I took off time to establish myself as the boy’s mom. We don’t use the term stepmother.

Joe Biden: (02:05:54)
Beau and Hunter said, “No, we have a mom and a mommy. My mommy died. This is our mom.” And then along came Ashley and-

A family was complete.

Joe Biden: (02:06:05)
Yeah.

Ashley Biden: (02:06:05)
When I was growing up, mom was fun. The [inaudible 02:06:16] started when I was a teenager. There was some conflicts, she dealt with it by taking a parenting. She started to basically run marathons.

Joe Biden: (02:06:31)
I never ever doubted anything she set her mind that she could do. I got to hand her, her doctorate degree in education at the University of Delaware.

Come on, let’s turn it positive. So you will pass it.

Naomi Biden: (02:06:48)
I would say, she’s not your average grandmother. She’s the grandmother who wakes you up at like, what was it? Like 5:00 AM on Christmas Eve to go soul cycling.

Natalie Biden: (02:06:58)
Yeah. We have a lot of stories.

Naomi Biden: (02:07:02)
Yeah. She’s a praying star. She’s very mischievous. When she goes on a run, sometimes she’ll find a dead snake and she’ll pick it up and put it in a bag and she’ll use it to scare someone.

Amb. Cathy Russell: (02:07:16)
That’s a classic Jill. She wasn’t really a Washington person and I don’t think ever imagined herself being part of that.

When Joe was elected to vice president, I just thought, Hey, I got to step it up here because there are things that I really care about. Having had a father in the military, having a son deployed in Iraq, I saw the need to support military families.

Ashley Williams: (02:07:47)
Dr. Biden could draw anyone in and they felt like they were talking to an old friend. That is one of her super powers.

When she was second lady, Jill told me that she would like to continue teaching at community college. And I said, “That’s insane. You cannot possibly do that.”

And I said, “I know I can do both jobs.”

I never saw her on any day of the week where she wasn’t carrying a huge stack of papers to grade.

Joe Biden: (02:08:15)
As second lady, she was teaching full time for eight years, 15 credits a semester.

These were students who wanted to be in your classroom. And I saw their tenacity and they were taking care of children, just like I had done.

Yvette Lewis: (02:08:32)
She gave 100% from her energy to the students. She’s a great teacher.

Joe Biden: (02:08:39)
Teaching is not what Jill does, it’s who she is. Jill just simply cares. She cares about other people.

When Beau was diagnosed with brain cancer, nobody knew what we were going through. The secret service, they’re not supposed to react to your life or what you’re doing. They would whisper, “I’m praying for you.”

Hunter Biden: (02:09:10)
It’s your strength that holds this family together. And I know that you will make us whole again.

You never stop grieving, ever, but you do have to find purpose. Please welcome my husband, Joe Biden. Running for president is too tough to not be together.

Speaker 39: (02:09:39)
The future first lady of the United States.

Speaker 38: (02:09:40)
That’s right?

There you go.

Ashley Williams: (02:09:43)
If Dr. Biden is our first lady, the country will be getting one of the best humans that we have.

She has been through some really tough things in her own life. And she knows how hard it can be.

Joe Biden: (02:09:58)
American people are in her heart. I know that she fight like [inaudible 02:10:00].

We all need community. We needed to depend on others for our strength. All American families, we all need each other.

Speaker 40: (02:10:22)
And now please welcome Dr. Jill Biden.

I have always loved the sounds of a classroom. The quiet that sparks with possibility just before students shuffle in, the murmur of ideas bouncing back and forth as we explore the world together. The laughter and tiny moments of surprise you find in materials you’ve taught a million times. When I taught English here at Brandywine high school, I would spend my summer preparing for the school year about to start filled with anticipation. But this quiet is heavy. You can hear the anxiety that echoes down empty hallways. There’s no scent of new notebooks or freshly waxed floors. The rooms are dark as the bright young faces that should fill them are now confined to boxes on a computer screen. I hear it from so many of you, the frustration of parents juggling work while they support their children’s learning are afraid that their kids might get sick from school. The concern of every person working without enough protection, the despair in the lines that stretch out before food banks, and the indescribable sorrow that follows every lonely last breath when the ventilators turn off.

As a mother and a grandmother, as an American, I am heartbroken by the magnitude of this loss, by the failure to protect our communities by every precious and irreplaceable life gone. Like so many of you, I’m left asking, How do I keep my family safe? Motherhood came to me in a way I never expected. I fell in love with a man and two little boys standing in the wreckage of unthinkable loss, mourning a wife, and mother, a daughter, and sister. I never imagined at the age of 26, I would be asking myself, how do you make a broken family whole? Still Joe always told the boys, mommy sent Jill to us. And how could I argue with her?

And so we figured it out together in those big moments that we’d go by too fast, Thanksgivings, and state championships, birthdays, and weddings in the mundane ones, that we didn’t even know were shaping our lives. Reading stories, pile on the couch, rowdy Sunday dinners and silly arguments, listening to the fate sounds of laughter that would float downstairs as Joe put the kids to bed every night, while I studied for grad school or graded papers under the pale yellow kitchen lamp, the dinner dishes waiting in the sink.

We found that love holds a family together. Love makes us flexible and resilient. It allows us to become more than ourselves together. And though it can’t protect us from the sorrows of life, it gives us refuge, a home. How do you make a broken family whole? The same way you make a nation hole, with love and understanding, and with small acts of kindness, with bravery, with unwavering faith. You show up for each other in big ways and small ones again and again. It’s what so many of you are doing right now for your loved ones, for complete strangers, for your communities. There are those who want to tell us that our country is hopelessly divided, that our differences are irreconcilable, but that’s not what I’ve seen over these last few months. We’re coming together and holding onto each other. We’re finding mercy and grace in the moments we might have once taken for granted. We’re seeing that our differences are precious and our similarities, infinite. We have shown that the heart of this nation still beats with kindness and courage. That’s the soul of America Joe Biden is fighting for now.

After our son, Beau, died of cancer, I wondered if I would ever smile or feel joy again. It was summer, but there was no warmth left for me. Four days after Beau’s funeral, I watched Joe shave and put on his suit. I saw him still himself in the mirror, take a breath, put his shoulders back, and walk out into a world empty of our son. He went back to work. That’s just who he is.

There are times when I couldn’t even imagine how he did it, how he put one foot in front of the other and kept going. But I’ve always understood why he did it, for the daughter who convinces her mom to finally get a breast cancer screening and misses work to drive her to the clinic, for the community college student who has faced homelessness and survived abuse, but binds the grit to finish her degree and make a good life for her kids. For the little boy whose mom is serving as a Marine in Iraq, who puts on a brave face in his video call and doesn’t complain when the only thing he wants for his birthday is to be with her. For all those people, Joe gives his personal phone number to, at rope lines and events. The ones he talks to for hours after dinner, helping them smile through their loss, letting them know that they aren’t alone. He does it for you.

Joe’s purpose has always driven him forward. His strength of will is unstoppable and his faith is unshakable. Because it’s not in politicians or political parties or even in himself, it’s in the Providence of God. His faith is in you, in us. Yes, so many classrooms are quiet right now, the playgrounds are still. But if you listen closely, you can hear the sparks of change in the air across this country. Educators, parents, first responders, Americans of all walks of life are putting their shoulders back, fighting for each other. We haven’t given up. We just need leadership worthy of our nation, worthy of you, honest 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. He and Kamala will work as hard as you do every day to make this nation better. And if I have the honor of serving as your first lady, I will too. And with Joe, as president, these classrooms will ring out with laughter and possibility once again. The burdens we carry are heavy and we need someone with strong shoulders. I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours, bring us together and make us whole, carry us forward in our time of need, keep the promise of America for all of us.

Joe Biden: (02:19:41)
Great. God, I love you. Hey everyone, I’m Jill Biden’s husband. As you heard tonight, excuse me. You can see why she’s the love of my life and the rock of our family. She never gives herself much credit, but the truth is she’s the strongest person I know. She’s a backbone like a ramrod. She loves fiercely, cares deeply. Nothing stops her when she sets her mind to getting something right. And for all of you out there across the country, just think of your favorite educator who gave you the confidence to believe in yourself. That’s the kind of first lady this Jill Biden will be. God, I love you.

So joebiden.com to join our campaign.

Joe Biden: (02:20:27)
Thank you all for watching. I’ll see you soon. Thank you.

Speaker 41: (02:20:47)
Thank you so much for being a part of this night. As Dr. Biden just reminded us, Joe is a steady and experienced leader who can bring us together and help us heal. He will support us in getting better. Remember we bend the arc of justice. If we participate, if we vote, this moment isn’t beyond you. It’s up to you. Tomorrow night, we’ll meet Joe Biden’s choice for vice president, Kamala Harris and learn more about their vision for the future of our country. And we’ll also hear from Senator Elizabeth Warren and President Barack Obama, plus performances from Billie Eilish and Jennifer Hudson. And now with his song Never Break, here’s John Legend.

John Legend: (02:21:47)
(Singing).

Speaker 41: (02:24:57)
Tonight is all about leadership.

Speaker 42: (02:25:00)
We’ll work to meet our extraordinary challenges because progress is made by the hopeful, not the cynical. And we will do that work together because movements are built by the many, not the few.

Speaker 43: (02:25:12)
Faced with a president of cowardice, Joe Biden is a man of proven courage. He will restore our moral compass by confronting our challenges, not by hiding from them or undermining our elections to keep his job.

Speaker 44: (02:25:26)
We need a president who respects our laws and the privilege of public service, who reflects our values and cares about our people.

Speaker 45: (02:25:35)
In this job interview the difference is start. You know what Donald Trump will do with four more years, blame, blame, and belittle. And you know what Joe Biden will do, build back better.

Speaker 46: (02:25:48)
Joe understands our values don’t limit our power, they magnify them. He knows you can’t spread democracy around the world if you don’t practice it at home.

Speaker 47: (02:25:57)
Joe Biden will be a president we will all be proud to salute.

I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours, bring us together and make us whole, carry us forward in our time of need. Keep the promise of America for all of us.

Mariann Budde: (02:26:27)
I’m Mariann Budde, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC. And I’m honored to offer the benediction tonight. Hear these words from pastor, civil rights leader, and peace activist, William Sloane Coffin, “May God give you the grace never to sell yourself short, grace to do something big for something good. Grace to remember that the world is too dangerous now for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.” And now may the blessing of God, the source of all goodness, truth, and love inspire you, inspire us all to realize Dr. King’s dream of the beloved community, congressman Lewis’s dream of a just society, president Lincoln’s dream of a more perfect union in this country in our time. Amen.

Bennie Thompson: (02:27:31)
Delegates and distinguished guests, having concluded this evening’s convention program, we will stand in recess until tomorrow evening.

Democratic National Convention (DNC) 2020 Night 2 Transcript: Speeches by Bill Clinton, AOC, Jill Biden & More

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