Biden brought to tears during the Democratic National Convention (PHOTOS)

• Biden received a 5-minute standing ovation before handing over to Harris.
• He warned of Trump’s threat and praised Harris as a leader.
• The night included tributes, such as Hillary Clinton’s to Harris.

President Joe Biden received a standing ovation lasting nearly five minutes at the Democratic National Convention on Monday.

This was before he gave a speech in which he warned of the threat posed by Republican candidate Donald Trump.

At the ceremony, he passed the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris.

«I love my job, but I love my country more,» Biden said during a speech that capped a half-century political career.

Biden receives 5-minute standing ovation

This was accompanied by a final stage marked by requests from within his own party to end his re-election campaign.

All of those calls began after doubts arose about his ability to beat Trump in November.

The first day of the convention, however, became a tribute to Biden’s career and his sacrifice for the American people.

When he arrived on stage, the excitement of the audience was such that the president had to wait five minutes to begin his speech.

«I love you!» a visibly moved Biden responded as thousands of people stood up and chanted «We love you Joe.»

At the same time they waved blue banners decorated with red hearts bearing the same message.

As he walked onto the stage, surrounded by the fervor of the crowd, he had to wipe away a few tears as he hugged his daughter Ashley.

Ashley was the one who introduced him, describing him as “one of the most transcendental leaders in history.”

Biden devoted much of his speech to attacking Trump and warning of the threat he poses to US democracy.

He recalled the 2021 assault on the Capitol and stated that during his presidency, Nazis, white supremacists and even the KKK «became emboldened» because they saw him as an «ally.»

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«There is no place in America for political violence, you cannot love your country only when you win,» Biden said at the beginning of his speech.

With that serious tone, Biden passed the baton to Harris, stating that «democracy must be preserved» and urging Americans to go to the polls to defend U.S. values.

To a roar from the crowd, Biden called Harris’s choice as vice president «the best decision» of his career.

He also said that over the past four years they have become friends and that he has come to see that the vice president is a «tough» and «intelligent» leader.

Harris followed Biden’s speech closely from the United Center, the venue for the convention.

When the president finished, he took the stage with his husband Douglas Emhoff and first lady Jill Biden to congratulate the president.

Biden then took the moment to take Harris’s hand and raise their hands together to the applause of the audience.

This, however, was not Harris’ first appearance at the convention.

Hours earlier, the vice president had made an unexpected appearance on stage to pay tribute to the president’s «historic leadership.»

Then, Harris’ arrival, to the rhythm of Beyoncé’s song ‘Freedom’, made the audience stand up and burst into shouts and applause, making the stadium rumble.

«When we fight, we win!» Harris said, repeating words that have become the central theme of her banner, with many Democratic delegates waving signs with that slogan.

Another of the most exciting moments of the night came with Hilary Clinton’s intervention, who encouraged Harris to break the glass ceiling.

This was in an emotional speech where she included the current campaign in the history of the feminist struggle in the United States.

«When a barrier falls for one of us, it falls for all of us,» Clinton said.

Hillary Clinton reappears to support Harris

In 2016, she made history by becoming the first woman to win the presidential nomination of one of the two major US political parties.

She wore a white suit, the same color she wore in the first presidential debate against Trump in 2016 and which pays homage to the suffragette movement.

Clinton said progress is not “guaranteed,” and urged Democrats to go to the polls and vote en masse for Harris.

The night was filled with symbols, with a tribute to the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who ran for president in 1984 and 1988.

He is the man many Democrats credit with paving the way for Barack Obama to win the White House in 2008.

There were also moving speeches, such as that of Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock.

He referred to «the poor children of Israel and the poor children of Gaza.»

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a standard-bearer for the progressive wing, was the first politician to mention the war in Gaza from the stage of the Democratic Convention.

Ocasio-Cortez offered Harris a challenge, saying she is working «tirelessly to achieve a ceasefire» in the Middle East and «to free the hostages.»

Throughout Monday afternoon, outside the stadium where the convention is being held, thousands of protesters took to the streets to pressure Harris to withdraw her support for Israel.

They thus echoed the discontent felt by the Democratic base and, in particular, by young people.

*With information from Agencia Efe.

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