MILWAUKEE _ Joe Biden will make his case Thursday night for a major course correction in America, forcefully laying out his vision for a return to calm and stability as he accepts the Democratic presidential nomination.
The address, the capstone of the party's four-day coronavirus-shadowed national convention, is aimed at assuring voters that the 77-year-old former vice president is prepared to guide the nation out of the throes of a pandemic and an economic calamity.
Biden will get a full hour on prime-time television to deliver the most consequential speech of his half-century in politics. It will offer him an opportunity to show he has the endurance, inspiration and innovative ideas to beat President Donald Trump in November and lift the country from its morass.
There is considerable risk for a candidate with a penchant for gaffes and a windy speaking style. And given Trump's recent attacks, he will be watched closely to ensure he has the physical stamina and mental acuity to lead the nation.
If elected, Biden would be the oldest president in U.S. history. At 74, Trump is three years younger.
Bouyant Democrats hope Biden's acceptance speech, from a stage in his home state of Delaware, will provide a strong closing for the party's first mostly online convention, one that saw delegates and speakers appear virtually from every state and territory.
Many saw the online confab as a more persuasive and effective presentation than the traditional arena-sized gathering originally planned for here in Milwaukee, but then deemed unsafe in the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This convention, which started kind of feeling like a public-access cable show from the 1980s, suddenly has become must-watch TV," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, a co-chairman of Biden's campaign and, obviously, not the most objective observer.
After a parade of speakers spent the first three nights pounding away at Trump _ with former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, landing some of the harshest blows _ the way was cleared for Biden to offer an affirmative case for his White House bid.
Polls have consistently shown Biden leading the race, but apparently not from a flood of enthusiasm for his candidacy. In a recent Pew poll, more than half the registered voters who supported Biden or leaned his way said their motivation was simply the fact he was not Trump.
Although Biden entered national politics in 1972, when he was first elected to the U.S. Senate, and spent eight years as vice president under Obama, Biden is familiar to Americans but not particularly well known, surveys show.
Much of the week's programming _ glowing testimonials, family photos, archival footage _ was intended to fill in those gaps, painting Biden as a caring and competent alternative to the truculent incumbent.
That left Biden, in the convention's finale, to complete the portrait, detail how he would lead the country back to safety and prosperity, and fortify himself against the onslaught sure to come when Republicans hold their own nominating convention next week.
Before Biden takes the stage, another lineup of Democratic celebrities _ including several rivals from this year's primaries _ was mustered to vouch for his principles and experience.
A day after making history by installing California Sen. Kamala Harris as Biden's vice presidential running mate _ a first for women of color on a major-party ticket _ Democrats continued to place their diversity at center stage.
Speakers include New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a Black lawmaker who built his career on the streets of Newark; Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Thai-born combat veteran who lost both legs after her helicopter was shot down in Iraq; and Pete Buttiegieg, the 38-year-old openly gay former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
Buttigieg, Booker and another speaker, New York businessman Andrew Yang, vied against Biden for the nomination before they dropped out of the race and threw their support his way.
"Just over 10 years ago, I joined a military where firing me because of who I am wasn't just possible _ it was policy," Buttigieg, a Navy veteran, said in prepared remarks. "Now in 2020, it is unlawful in America to fire anyone because of who they are or who they love."
As Biden prepared to take the stage, Trump continued trolling him from afar. He traveled to Pennsylvania to appear outside Scranton, where Biden grew up, accusing his rival of betraying its people by moving away from the hardscrabble city.
Biden was only 10 at the time.
The Biden campaign welcomed the outbursts, suggesting they reinforced the Democrats' case that Trump is too erratic and insufficiently attentive to pandemic's rising death toll _ now more than 174,000 Americans _ and brutal job losses to deserve another four years in office..
"We actually appreciate President Trump going out there because the American people will get to see a tale of two presidents," said Symone Sanders, a Biden campaign adviser.
She contrasted Trump "lobbing attacks" while Biden intended to talk to Americans about his "hopeful and upbeat" vision for the future.
