Joe Biden Frames Election As Battle Of Light And Dark As He Accepts Democratic Nomination

TOPLINE

Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden accepted the Democratic nomination for President Thursday, framing the 2020 election in dramatic terms as a once-in-a-generation struggle for the soul of America, laying out his vision for a unified country and pitching a slate of progressive policies while telling Americans to judge President Trump “by the facts” of his failures.

KEY FACTS

Crucial Quote

“History will be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight,” Biden concluded. “When love and hope and light joined in the battle for the soul of our nation. This is a battle we will win and we’ll do it together. I promise you.”

Big Number

8%. Biden holds a wide and consistent lead against President Trump. He leads by 8 points in the RealClearPolitics average and 9 points in the FiveThirtyEight average. That’s up from considerably narrower 4 and 3 point leads in May respectively, but largely unchanged from June and July. Trump has been damaged by his low approval ratings on his handling of the coronavirus.

Chief Critic

“In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks,” Trump tweeted shortly after Biden’s speech. “He will never change, just words!”

What To Watch For

Running from behind, expect Trump to ramp up what’s been an already extremely hostile campaign against Biden. Shortly before the speech, Trump made one of his crudest attacks on Biden yet just outside his hometown of Scranton. “He wasn’t born here,” Trump said of Biden in Old Forge, Penn., claiming that the Scranton-native “abandoned” the community by moving away with his family when he was 10 years old. Since Biden picked Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, Trump’s campaign has also begun pushing a narrative of “Mega Donors” and “liberal elites” versus average voters, a strategy he found much success with in 2016. But with Biden’s relative popularity among working class voters, Trump may find difficulty making those attacks stick.