Clinton denounces Trump as selfish in Democratic convention speech
22 August 2024, 03:24
The former president said the Republican nominee uses his voice to ‘talk about himself’.
Former president Bill Clinton returned to the Democratic National Convention stage to denounce Donald Trump as selfish and praise Kamala Harris.
Giving another of his emblematic, off-the-cuff addresses ahead of a speech by vice presidential nominee Tim Walz in Chicago, Mr Clinton delivered homespun lines about the election and urged Democrats to back Ms Harris.
“What does her opponent do with his voice? He mostly talks about himself,” he said. “So the next time you hear him, don’t count the lies, count the I’s.
“He’s like one of those tenors opening up before he walks out on stage trying to get his lungs open by saying: me, me, me, me. When Kamala Harris is president, every day will begin with you, you, you.
“In 2024, we have a clear choice: ‘We The People’ versus ‘Me, Myself and I’.”
Clinton, who left office more than 23 years ago, cracked jokes about former President Donald Trump’s age — and his own.
“I actually turned 78 two days ago,” Clinton said. “The only personal vanity I want to assert is that I’m still younger than Donald Trump.”
He said President Joe Biden has, like George Washington, enhanced his legacy by deciding to leave office, saying he “healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work.”
Organisers dubbed Wednesday night “a fight for our freedoms” with the focus on abortion access and other rights key to their campaign against the Republican nominee.
Speaker after speaker argued their party wants to defend freedoms – especially abortion access and voting rights — while Republicans want to take them away.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Mr Biden would go down as one of the “most consequential presidents of all time” while describing Ms Harris as a “courageous leader, a compassionate leader and common-sense leader.”
He said former president Trump is like “an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won’t go away”.
“He has spent the last four years spinning around the block, trying to get back into a relationship with the American people,” the New York Democrat said. “Bro, we broke up with you for a reason.”
Stevie Wonder implored the crowd to “choose courage over complacency” and vote before performing Higher Ground, while other celebrities on stage included comedian Kenen Thompson and actress Mindy Kaling.
Representative Pete Aguilar, the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, labelled Mr Trump a threat to the values his immigrant family grew up with in Southern California.
“Only Kamala Harris and Tim Walls will protect the American dream so that every family can earn a living, own a home, and reach their full potential,” Mr Aguilar said.
“This is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand. All he knows is chaos and division.”
Mr Trump bashed the convention on Wednesday as a “charade” and noted the fact that he has been a frequent topic of conversation.
He singled out his predecessor Barack Obama for a highly critical speech on Tuesday night, saying he had been “nasty.”
While much of the focus was on the presidential race, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairwoman Representative Suzan DelBene told the party faithful it was not enough to win the White House.
“A Democratic Congress is how we turn promises into progress,” she said.
Democrats only need to pick up a handful of seats to retake the majority in the House from Republicans.
