Biden accepts Democratic nomination

On the final day of the Democratic National Convention, former Vice President Joe Biden pledged to unite the nation and “overcome this season of darkness.” After his acceptance speech Thursday night inside the empty Chase Center in Wilmington, Del., the celebration moved outside, as fireworks lit up the night sky and supporters in cars honked their horns, flashed their lights, and waved flags. Biden becomes his party’s nominee for president after unsuccessful bids in 1988 and 2008, when he later joined Barack Obama on the Democratic ticket as his running mate.

What were the highlights of Biden’s speech? He said the upcoming campaign would be a “battle for the soul of the nation” and called for unity in a divided country. Biden said President Donald Trump had failed in his most basic duty by mishandling the coronavirus pandemic: “We will choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege.” The Republican National Convention is scheduled for next week.

Dig deeper: Read Jamie Dean’s WORLD Magazine report on Biden’s shifting political trajectories.