CHICAGO – There was a lot of support for President Joe Biden as he took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night.

Thousands upon thousands of people greeted him with signs that said, “We love Joe!” He had to wait several minutes before he could even begin to speak because people wouldn’t stop cheering him on. He flashed his trademark grin. He waved to a few people in the crowd. When he finally got to speak, he gave a fairly typical campaign speech, listing his accomplishments as president and warning of the great dangers that would come with a return of Donald Trump to the White House.

“Think of the message he sends around the world when he talks about America being a ‘failing nation,'” Biden said. smoked at one point“He says we are losing. He is the loser! He is completely wrong.”

But at other times, the president also seemed a little sad. And so did the people in the crowd.

Under normal circumstances, Biden would have spoken at the convention on Thursday night and accepted his party’s nomination for a second term. Instead, he opened the convention on the first day by expressing his support for the party’s nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Choosing Kamala was the very first decision I made before being nominated, and it was the best decision of my entire career,” Biden said. “She’s tough, she’s experienced, and she has tremendous integrity… She will be a president we can all be proud of.”

“Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe!” the crowd chanted in unison.

“Thank you, Kamala,” Biden replied.

It was the bittersweet moment of the convention that everyone had been preparing for: Biden reviewed his accomplishments as president before passing the baton to Harris.

It hasn’t even been a month since he dropped his re-election bid. And after his disastrous performance in the debate against Trump in late June, he was initially reluctant to step down. But he never recovered from that debate. And as his poll numbers plummeted, fundraising dried up and voter enthusiasm waned, Biden finally gave in to the Democrats’ pressure campaign aimed at ousting him and clearing the way for Harris.

If the president does harbor any grudges against those Democrats, it was not evident at all Monday night. He enthusiastically endorsed Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and said he would build on the work he has done and remain focused on the things he wants to do as president.

“Folks, I have five months left as president and there is a lot to do,” he said to applause. “It has been the honor of my life to serve you as president. I love my job, but I love my country even more.”

“All this talk about how angry I am at the people who told me to resign is not true,” he added.

House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is widely seen as a driving force behind the effort to push Biden out of the race. She has repeatedly denied that she was conducting any kind of pressure campaign and insisted that he made his own decision.

But there is clearly tension between the two. They have not spoken since Biden withdrew from the race a week and a half ago. And in an interview with reporters earlier this month, Pelosi seemed to struggle with her role in Biden’s decision.

“At some point I will come to terms with my own role in this,” Pelosi said said in an interviewShe also said she “loves” Biden and is praying for him.

As Biden listed his accomplishments as president on Monday night, cameras at one point in the crowd focused on Pelosi, waving a “We love Joe” sign and looking teary-eyed.

But despite the heated atmosphere, Biden made it clear that he is focused on the same goal that Pelosi has said is her priority: defeating Trump.

“We saved democracy in 2020, and now let’s save it again in 2024,” the president told the crowd, some of whom openly wept at the end of his remarks.

“I promise I will be the best volunteer Harris and Walz have ever seen,” he said.

When he finished his speech, Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff came on stage and hugged him. Biden’s family soon joined them on stage. Everyone was smiling, but there were also a few tears.