CHICAGO — Former President Bill Clinton praised President Biden on Wednesday for his willingness to step down from the top of the ticket, saying that his actions will enhance his legacy.
“He healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work. The strength of our alliances for peace and security — he stood up for Ukraine, trying desperately to get a cease-fire in the Middle East.
“And then he did something that’s really hard for a politician to do. He voluntarily gave up political power. George Washington knew that and he did it and he set the standard for us, serving two terms before it was mandatory. It helped his legacy and it will enhance Joe Biden’s legacy and it’s a stark contrast to what goes on in the other party,” he said.
Clinton added that he wants to thank Biden for his “courage, compassion, his class,” while the crowd chanted, “Thank you, Joe.”
The former president also noted that he is younger than former President Trump, who is also 78. Clinton turned 78 on Monday while Trump’s birthday was June 14.
“The only personal vanity I want to assert is that I’m still younger than Donald Trump,” Clinton said.
He mocked Trump, saying that all the Republican candidate talks about is himself.
“What does (Kamala Harris’) opponent do with his voice? He mostly talks about himself. The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies, count the I’s,” Clinton said.
“His vendettas, his vengeances, his complaints, his conspiracies. He’s like one of those tenors opening up before he walks out on stage … trying to get his lungs opening by saying, ‘me, me, me, me,’” the former president added.
“When Kamala Harris is president, every day will begin with you, you, you, you,” he said.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, former first laughter Chelsea Clinton and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker were all seen in the audience during his remarks.
Clinton also issued a stark warning to Democrats on Tuesday: “Don’t underestimate your adversary.”
“We’ve seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn’t happen, when people got distracted by phony issues or overconfidence,” Clinton said. “This is a brutal, tough business.”
Clinton added that Republicans “are really good at distracting us, at triggering doubt and triggering buyers remorse.”
He drew on his history of growing up in Arkansas as he urged Democrats to speak to their neighbors and meet people where they are.
“I urge you not to demean them, but not to pretend you don’t disagree with them,” he said. “Treat them with respect just the way you’d like them to treat you. Ask for their help and then follow our leader Kamala.”
The last time the Democratic Party gathered for a convention at the United Center, Clinton accepted the nomination in 1996 for his reelection bid.
Nearly 30 years later, the former president, 78, took the stage in the same arena Wednesday night to make the case for Vice President Harris.
The former president was reportedly still making last-minute edits to his speech Tuesday — as he typically does in big moments.
One longtime Clinton aide said the speech provides Clinton with a unique ability to reach out to swing voters in the race who voted for both Biden and Trump in the past, and who remain undecided or could choose not to vote altogether.
“He can talk about the importance of the moment like few people can,” said Jamal Simmons, who has worked for both Clinton and Harris.
Clinton and Harris have spoken with each other a couple of times since the vice president became the Democratic presidential nominee, a source familiar with the conversations said.
They recently crossed paths at the funeral of former Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, of Texas. And Harris has spoken to Hillary Clinton about her own experiences as the Democratic nominee.
“They don’t have a long history, but I know they respect one another,” said one Democratic source who knows both principals.
One source pointed out that Bill and Hillary Clinton, the former first lady and secretary of state who spoke from the convention stage Monday, endorsed Harris 19 minutes after Biden threw his support behind his vice president.
Throughout the process, the Clintons were opposed to the idea of an open convention and wanted Democrats to be as decisive as they could be as a party, sources familiar said.