Former United States Vice President Joe Biden formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination on Friday, allowing him to contest against President Donald Trump in the November election. In April, his main rival Bernie Sanders had announced he was ending his campaign to secure the nomination.
“Folks, tonight we secured the 1,991 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination,” Biden tweeted. “I’m going to spend every day fighting to earn your vote so that, together, we can win the battle for the soul of this nation.”
He won the delegates after seven states and the District of Columbia held presidential primaries on Tuesday, AP reported. “It was an honor to compete alongside one of the most talented groups of candidates the Democratic party has ever fielded – and I am proud to say that we are going into this general election a united party,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden served for eight years as vice president under former US President Barack Obama. He formally launched his White House bid in Philadelphia last year, which is where his campaign headquarters is located. This is the 77-year-old’s third run for the presidency.
Biden has been increasingly under pressure from African-Americans and other progressives to tackle the racial and economic inequities in the country.
“This is a difficult time in America’s history,” Biden said in his statement. “And Donald Trump’s angry, divisive politics is no answer. The country is crying out for leadership. Leadership that can unite us. Leadership that can bring us together.”
The former vice president also attacked Trump’s response to a wave of protests over racism and police brutality in US. He was referring to the killing of George Floyd, the African-American man who was killed on May 25 after a former white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.
“We need an economy that works for everyone – now,” Biden added. “We need jobs that bring dignity –now. We need equal justice – and equal opportunities – for every American now. We need a president who cares about helping us heal – now. Today, I’m once again asking every American who feels knocked down, counted out, and left behind, to join our campaign. Because we aren’t just building the movement that will defeat Donald Trump, we are building the movement that will transform our nation.”
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