Vice President Kamala Harris unexpectedly took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday to thank President Biden for his “lifetime of service to our nation.”

Jiang for The New York Times
Nicholas Nehamas
By Nicholas Nehamas
Reporting from Chicago

Published Aug. 19, 2024
Updated Aug. 20, 2024, 9:04 a.m. ET
In a city where he was supposed to claim the mantle of the Democratic Party for the final time, at a convention where he was supposed to cement his political legacy, President Biden instead passed the torch of leadership, wiping away tears as the crowd rose to its feet in a sustained ovation and chanted, “Thank you, Joe.”

The outpouring of gratitude for his decision to step aside and make way for Vice President Kamala Harris seemed to encourage Mr. Biden as he claimed credit for saving democracy, and for much more, in a nearly hourlong speech filled with optimism and a fighting spirit that capped the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Yet one of the last major moments of Mr. Biden’s political career was pushed well out of prime time on the East Coast after other speakers ran long.

“America, I gave my best to you,” Mr. Biden said. “For 50 years, like many of you, I’ve given my heart and soul to our nation and I’ve been blessed, a million times in return, with the support of the American people.”