On Monday night, Biden took the opportunity to perform a proper swan song at the Democratic National Convention, where he delivered a poignant address. “Democracy has prevailed,” he said at the podium, after wiping tears from his eyes while taking the stage. “And now democracy must be preserved”.

The President had stepped aside a month ago to pave the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party’s presumptive nominee. Biden warned of “clear and very present threats to our democracy”.

He criticized Trump’s handling of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, arguing that the far right was “emboldened” by the Republican politician’s presidency.

“There is no place in America for political violence. You cannot say you only love your country when you win”, - Biden said, pointing to Trump’s claims that the 2020 election in which he was defeated by Biden was fraudulent.

He called for an America where “hate has no safe harbor”. The incumbent president highlighted what he considered to be his achievements during his term in office.

“We’ve had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress ever”, Biden said. He hailed his administration’s handling of the economy, saying that wages had risen and inflation was continuing to fall.

“We finally beat Big Pharma”, he declared, adding that Medicare is now able to negotiate lower drug prices. Biden praised his administration’s infrastructure projects and accused Trump of never building “a damn thing”.