All 50 states and seven territories announced their vote tallies that cemented Biden’s role as the party flagbearer
TLTP
WASHINGTON
The Democrats in the United States have formally nominated Joe Biden as their presidential candidate, designating the veteran leader as their challenger to President Donald Trump in the November election.
In a virtual roll call vote on Tuesday, due to the coronavirus pandemic, all 50 US states and seven territories announced their tallies endorsing Biden.
“Well, thank you very, very much, from the bottom of my heart,” a beaming Biden said in a live video link as he celebrated the nomination.
“It means the world to me and my family,” he added, reminding viewers he will deliver a formal acceptance speech on Thursday at the conclusion of the four-day Democratic National Convention.
Biden’s nomination was a formality as he had already won the majority of the more than 3,900 delegates back in June.
After Biden formally became a nominee, his wife, Jill Biden, addressed the nation for the first time as the prospective first lady.
Jill, who holds a doctorate in education, gave impassioned remarks about the closure of schools across the US and the loss of lives due to the pandemic.
She recounted her life with Joe in the aftermath of the death of his first wife and daughter in a car crash in 1972 and testified to his strength of character following his son Beau’s death from cancer in 2018.
“There are those who want to tell us that our country is hopelessly divided, that our differences are reconcilable but that is not what I see over these last few months,” Jill said.
“We just need leadership worthy of our nation and worthy of you, honest leadership to bring us back together to recover from this pandemic and prepared for whatever else is next.”
After her remarks, Joe called his wife: “The love of my life and the rock of our family.”
The convention included presentations by Democrats, including former Presidents Jimmy Carter, 95, and Bill Clinton, 74.
“At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command centre. Instead, it’s a storm centre. There’s only chaos,” Clinton said.
“Just one thing never changes – his determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame,” he said. “The buck never stops there.”
Barack Obama will speak on Wednesday along with 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris.
On the day the Senate Intelligence Committee released a 1,000-page report on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, Democrats John Kerry, the former US secretary of state, and Sally Yates, a former deputy attorney general, criticised Trump’s unwillingness to address the issue.
“Donald Trump pretends Russia didn’t attack our elections,” Kerry said. “And now, he does nothing about Russia putting a bounty on our troops. So he won’t defend our country… The only person he’s interested in defending is himself.”
The Republican-led Senate committee report found that the FBI had ample cause to open an investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign.
