All eyes will be on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday night as he delivers a live acceptance speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
Biden will speak at a mostly empty venue in Wilmington, Del., after 10 p.m., with a handful of well-spaced reporters expected in a bare-bones audience due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The former vice president would be the oldest-ever president — 78 years old if he takes office — and his speech offers an opportunity to dispel, or confirm, President Trump’s persistent taunt that Biden is “shot” and in mental decline.
Biden is expected to capitalize on prior nights that featured a diverse set of supporters, including Republicans such as former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and self-declared socialists such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
But the final night carries political risks beyond his own delivery.
The candidate’s son Hunter Biden also will speak at the mostly virtual convention finale.
Trump was impeached in December for asking Ukraine to look into a lucrative position Hunter Biden held on the board of a Ukrainian energy firm while his father led the Obama administration’s Ukraine policy.
Trump often asks “Where’s Biden?” and accuses him of other shady dealings linked to his father’s official position, including accepting investment from China after flying there aboard Air Force Two.
Prominent speakers ahead of the Bidens include former three-term New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who spent $188 million on his failed bid for the Democratic nomination. Democrats grumble that Bloomberg hasn’t ponied up big bucks for Biden, and many are enraged that he stiffed his staff and reneged on a promise to pay them even if he lost.
Other speakers on the final night include Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms, “Veep” and “Seinfeld” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and universal basic income proponent Andrew Yang — both of whom vied against Biden in the primaries — will endorse him.
“I have gotten to know both Joe and Kamala on the trail over the past year —the way you really get to know a person when the cameras are off, the crowds are gone, and it’s just you and them. They understand the problems we face. They are parents and patriots who want the best for our country,” Yang will say, according to an excerpt.