Former President Bill Clinton expressed relief on Wednesday in the hall of the Democratic National Convention when he said “a weight has been lifted off our shoulders.” He also praised Kamala Harris and thanked President Joe Biden for stepping down.
He made the candid comment while praising Harris for her choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Clinton, a former Arkansas governor, spoke of Walz’s time as a coach and a “crack shot” who supported a ban on assault weapons.
“So armed with her first decision, Kamala Harris is in an interesting dilemma,” he said. Then he continued: “We’re leaving here feeling good, I think. We’re energized, we’re happy. We feel like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders. And we know that we are simply being asked to fight the same fight that the forces of progress have been fighting for 250 years. And in the face of stiff and often violent opposition, we must “We move forward together,” Clinton said.
He made the remarks on a night when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has been praised for her public and private actions in helping to get rid of Biden, received a warm welcome of her own from the crowd, which now faces an election with a nominee rising in the polls.
Like Barack Obama, the Clintons had issued a statement supporting President Biden after his disastrous debate last month. But some of their ex-aides joined former Obama officials in calling for Biden’s replacement.
Clinton made the comment about the burden being lifted from him in a 28-minute speech in which he compared Biden to George Washington for giving in to calls to end his campaign while facing potential defeat in swing states to Donald Trump.
“And then he did something that’s really hard to do: He voluntarily gave up his political power,” Clinton said. “George Washington knew that and he did it. And he set the standard for us to serve two terms before it became mandatory. It helped his legacy and it will help Joe Biden’s legacy.”
“We’re energized, we’re excited. We feel a weight lifted off our shoulders,” President Bill Clinton said Wednesday during his speech at the convention, where delegates turned out for Kamala Harris and where polls show her far outperforming President Biden.
“And it’s a stark contrast to what’s happening in the other party. So I want to thank him for his courage, his compassion, his class, his service, his sacrifice,” Clinton said, drawing applause for Biden, his political contemporary who had wrapped up his own convention speech after midnight and was headed to California for vacation.
Clinton once cited Barack Obama, calling him “explainer in chief” after his 2012 speech at the convention drew praise for his persuasiveness. He also bored convention-goers with his 1988 speech.
This time, he peppered his case for Kamala Harris with stories about the candidate herself. (He once mispronounced her name during his speech.)
Clinton referenced his past as a gluttonous fast-food eater to defend Kamala Harris at the Democratic convention.
Harris has told voters through her campaign that she spent part of her youth working at McDonald’s, a contrast to billionaire Donald Trump, the scion of a real estate empire.
Clinton said Harris would break his record for the president who has spent the most time at McDonald’s
Clinton has repeatedly criticized Trump, who is 78 years older than him, after the Obamas torched him on Tuesday night
Members of the audience laughed at some of his flat jokes
“When she was young, she worked at McDonald’s. And she would treat everyone with that smile and say, ‘How can I help you?’” Clinton told fellow Democrats in Chicago, where his own convention was held in 1996.
“Now that she is at the height of power, she still asks, ‘How can I help you?’”
“She’ll break my record as the president who’s spent the most time at McDonald’s,” Clinton joked, prompting loud laughter from the audience.
Many of the delegates and even speakers were young when Clinton’s own high-cholesterol habits became a media sensation. He chewed his way through his surprise 1992 campaign victory, occasionally trying to jog off the calories.
That was long before he had quadruple bypass surgery and adopted a vegan diet, which helped him lose weight.
“I’m excited to see all these young leaders,” Clinton said in his familiar Arkansas accent, his voice husky with age. “They look better, they sound better, and they’re going to be exciting,” he said.
Clinton noted that he just turned 78, making him the oldest in his family of four.
“And the only personal vanity I will claim is that I’m still younger than Donald Trump,” Clinton said. The quip underscored how Democrats can now use the age issue to their advantage after unseating the 81-year-old president who dominated the primaries.
Clinton praised Harris and took a few jabs at Trump — though they were often milder than the jibes of Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
“So in 2024, I think we have a pretty clear choice. Kamala Harris for the people. And the other guy who has proven even more than the first round that he cares about me, myself, and I. I know which one I think is best for our country,” Clinton said.
“What’s her opponent doing with his voice? He’s mostly talking about himself. So next time you see him, don’t count the lies, dot the I’s,” he joked.
“One of the reasons President-to-be Harris is doing so well is because we’re all so happy,” Clinton said. “But you can never underestimate her opponent. And these people are very good at distracting us.”