Biden thanks Obama; says he was a great president who children look up to

Taking a dig at Donald Trump, Joe Biden took out a moment to thank Barack Obama for being a great president who children could and did look up to but said the same cannot be said about the current one

Barack Obama, joe biden
Press Trust of India Washington
3 min read Last Updated : Aug 21 2020 | 4:19 PM IST

Taking a dig at Donald Trump, Democratic Party's presidential nominee Joe Biden took out a moment to thank Barack Obama for being a great president who the children could and did look up to but said the same cannot be said about the current occupant of the White House.

Biden made the remarks as he formally accepted the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party on the final day of the four-day virtual Democratic National Convention on Thursday night.

In his nomination acceptance speech, Biden said, "speaking of president Obama, a man I was honoured to serve alongside for eight years as vice president, let me take this moment to say something we don't say nearly enough."

"Thank you, Mr. President (Obama). You were a great president, a president our children could and did look up to. No one's going to say that about the current occupant of the White House," Biden said.

"What we know about this president is if he's given four more years, he'll be what he's been for the last four years: a president who takes no responsibility, refuses to lead, blames others, cozies up to dictators and fans the flames of hate and division," Biden said, attacking Trump, a Republican.

Biden said that President Trump will wake up every day believing the job is all about him, never about you.

"Is that the America you want for you, your family, your children? " he asked.

Earlier, putting his weight behind Biden and his Indian-American running mate Kamala Harris at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Obama tore into Trump's presidency and warned American voters that his administration would "tear our democracy down" to get re-elected.

He urged Americans to vote in the November elections, saying President Trump was hoping to make it as hard as possible for them to vote.

He said that both Biden and Harris have the experience needed to get things done and they have concrete policies that will turn their vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into reality.

Obama accused his successor of treating the presidency like a "reality show" and said the top Republican leader hasn't grown into the job because he can't.

I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies," Obama said.

Obama said that he had hoped that Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously But he never did".

"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, Obama said in an unusually strong criticism of Trump.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :US Presidential elections 2020Joe BidenBarack Obama

First Published: Aug 21 2020 | 4:16 PM IST

Next Story