Jill Biden’s Speech at the DNC Gets Personal

For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.Jill Biden got personal at the Democratic National Convention tonight, shortly after her husband accepted his party’s nomination for president.
Speaking from an empty classroom, Biden noted, “So many classrooms are quiet right now. The playgrounds are still. But if you listen closely, you can hear the sparks of change in the air.” She spoke about how she and Joe Biden met and recalled their grief after their son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46, and how she felt four days after the funeral, when she saw her husband stand in front of a mirror in a suit, putting his shoulders back and taking a deep breath before heading out to work at the White House. “There are times when I couldn’t imagine how he did it—how he put one foot in front of the other and kept going. But I’ve always understood why he did it,” she said.
Echoing a theme that other speakers had raised tonight, Biden emphasized her husband’s commitment to his family. “The burdens we carry are heavy, and we need someone with strong shoulders. I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours: bring us together and make us whole.” Watch the full video below: