Joe Biden will accept the Democratic nomination tonight and try to offer hope in his speech after Barack Obama’s indictment of Donald Trump as corrupt, lazy and narcissistic threat to American democracy
- Joe Biden will formally accept the Democratic nomination in a speech closing out the final night of the Democratic Convention on Thursday
- The remarks, however, are expected to largely steer clear of mention President Donald Trump and instead will focus on the future and offer a message of hope
- Biden’s team is letting the past speakers’ statements about the president stand as an argument he should not be reelected
- This includes former President Barack Obama’s Wednesday remarks where he claimed Trump ‘will tear our democracy down’
- The president will run counter-programming by holding a mini rally near Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania in the afternoon
- He will also appear in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity at 9:00 p.m. – the same time the last night of the Democratic National Convention kicks off
Joe Biden will formally accept the nomination Thursday night to be the Democratic candidate who will take on Donald Trump in November – but he will mostly steer clear of criticizing the president and instead offer a message of hope.
The fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention will close out with a speech from the nominee that CNN reports will be a change of tone from other headliner remarks in the three nights prior where speakers excoriated Trump.
Former President Barack Obama took several hits at his successor in his nearly 20-minute speech on Wednesday, a rare harsh condemnation without historical precedent.
‘This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that’s what it takes to win,’ Obama said from his speech location in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In his harshest indictment yet of the man who succeeded him in the Oval Office, Obama called Trump lazy, dangerous, and corrupt, accusing him of abusing the military as props, of gassing peaceful protesters and of being willing to do anything for a second term.
Biden is expected to take the night off from his public sparring with the president, who has dubbed the Democratic candidate as ‘Sleepy’ and ‘Slow Joe.’
Joe Biden will formally accept the Democratic nomination to take on Donald Trump in November, but his speech is expected to largely steer clear of mention the current president and instead offer a message of hope
Instead, Biden’s team is letting the past speakers’ statements about the president stand as an argument he should not be reelected – including former President Barack Obama’s Wednesday remarks where he claimed Trump ‘will tear our democracy down’
Obama made a personal connection to the two candidates running for his old job in his remarks Wednesday: ”I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president.’
‘I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care,’ he continued.
But he added: ‘Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t.’
Trump lashed out at his predecessor on Twitter, claiming Obama only endorsed his vice president at the last minute.
‘WHY DID HE REFUSE TO ENDORSE SLOW JOE UNTIL IT WAS ALL OVER, AND EVEN THEN WAS VERY LATE? WHY DID HE TRY TO GET HIM NOT TO RUN?’ the president tweeted in all capital letters.
Obama was meant to close out the third night of the convention, but in a last-minute switch up that he requested, the former president spoke just before vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris delivered her speech accepting the nomination to be Biden’s running mate.
The last night of the first-ever fully virtual convention will bring out all the stops as several former 2020 Democratic candidates have dedicated speaking slots.
The night will kick off with remarks from previous Biden competitors Cory Booker, who represents New Jersey in the U.S. Senate, and former South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang and former Mayor of New York City Mike Bloomberg will speak before Biden takes the stage.
Also appearing at the unconventional convention Thursday night will be California Gov. Gavin Newsom; Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin; Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Army veteran who lost both of her legs in Iraq; and Delaware Sen. Chris Coons.
The night will feature musical performances from singer John Legend, who is very vocal in U.S. politics and endorsed Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic primary; rapper Common; and The Chicks, who recently dropped the word ‘Dixie’ from their group’s name in the throes of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests.
Biden will end the night with a message of hope for the nation, instead letting other speakers issue criticism of Trump.
The president has an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity at 9:00 p.m. Thursday, which is the starting time for the final night of the Democratic Convention.