Joe Biden Is Hopeful America Will "Find the Light Once More" After Challenging Times

Joe Biden formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday night with a passionate speech asking Americans to choose a "path of hope and light" instead of one rooted in anger and division, in order to become the united America he believes the nation is ready for. The presidential candidate, who was lovingly introduced by his three children, began his speech on the last night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention asking America to trust him in restoring the possibilities the country holds, as he is ready to represent all Americans and not just those of a particular base or party.

"If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst," Biden said. "I will be an ally of the light, not of the darkness." The former vice president promised to first take control of coronavirus and implement a national strategy from day one if he were to be elected, in the way it should've been handled from the very beginning. He criticized Donald Trump for mishandling the virus, saying that he had "failed in his most basic duty to the nation. . . to protect us." Biden, instead, vowed to protect America and defend the country from every attack "always, without exception, every time."

He assured viewers that while Trump's presidency has certainly been challenging, Biden is hopeful that America can make "great progress" again and "find the light once more" to make the coming years brighter. "May history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here, tonight, as love and hope and light joined in the battle for the soul of the nation," he said in a powerful moment at the end of his speech. Watch Biden's full speech above.