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Democratic Party formally nominate Joe Biden for president

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Daily US Times: Joe Biden has been officially become the Democratic presidential candidate at the party’s convention on Thursday night, helped over the line with some glowing testimonials from elder statesmen.

Two Democratic former US presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, endorsed Mr Biden.

Mr Clinton said President Donald Trump had brought “chaos” to the Oval Office.

Mr Trump lags behind Mr Biden in opinion polls ahead of November’s election.

 Jill Biden speaks during the second night of the virtual Democratic national convention. Source: AP

The former vice-president under President Barack Obama became his party’s nominee as a pre-recorded roll call vote from delegates in all 50 states aired at the largely virtual convention.

This is Mr Biden’s third White House bid. He previously ran in 1988 and 2008. His campaign appeared to be in danger of collapse back in February this year.

Mr Clinton delivered the key address on the second night of the party convention on Tuesday, with the theme “leadership matters,”

In his five-minute message pre-recorded from his home in Chappaqua, New York, Mr Clinton said: “Donald Trump says we’re leading the world. Well, we are the only major industrial economy to have its unemployment rate triple.”

“At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command centre. Instead, it’s a storm centre. There’s only chaos,” the former President said.

 Delaware’s governor, John Carney, and Senator Tom Carper speak during the roll call. Source: AP

Following addresses from Senator Bernie Sanders and former First Lady Michelle Obama and on Monday, Tuesday’s speeches aimed to show voters how the Democratic party is the best suited to repair problems at home and abroad.

Joe Biden and Mr Powell share “the values I learned growing up in the South Bronx and serving in uniform”.

The decorated four-star general, who served under President George W Bush, said he supports him for president because “we need to restore those values to the White House”.

In June, Mr Powell – who has appeared at multiple Republican conventions in previous years – called President Trump a liar and endorsed Mr Biden.

He joins several Republicans who have endorsed the Democratic candidate, including former Ohio Governor John Kasich during the first night of the convention.

The widow of Republican Senator John McCain, Cindy McCain, also spoke about the friendship between her late husband and Mr Biden, though she stopped short of a formal endorsement.

John Kerry, former Secretary of State, addressed the convention virtually to assail Mr Trump’s leadership.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez didn’t even mention Biden in her remarks. Source: Reuters

He said: “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,” Mr kerry added.

Jo Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, potentially the next US first lady, delivered the night’s headline address, standing in an empty classroom at the Delaware high school where she taught English in the 1990s.

Urging everyone to vote for her husband, saying: “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,” she added.

Meanwhile, younger Democrats often billed as rising stars within the party, such as former Georgia lawmaker Stacey Abrams, were given just a few moments in the spotlight on Tuesday.

New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used her 90 seconds to endorse Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, her fellow left-winger, for president and did not even mention Mr Biden.

President Trump was quick to tweet criticisms of the disaffected Republicans, and he has continued to paint Mr Biden as a puppet of left-wing radicals.

The president was in Arizona earlier on Tuesday, his latest stop on a week-long campaign tour of key battleground states.

Most polls show Joe Biden in the lead thus far, though in recent weeks, Mr Trump has tightened the margin and the election is still months away.

The Democratic convention will continue on Wednesday and Thursday, with keynotes from vice-presidential pick Senator Kamala Harris, the party’s 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama. The four nights will end with an acceptance speech from Mr Biden.

This year’s Democratic convention, originally planned for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been conducted remotely, with pre-recorded and live segments from across the nation, due to coronavirus pandemic.

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