Clinton rebukes Trump, implores Democrats to vote

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, rebuked President Trump and implored voters to cast ballots for Joe Biden and deny the incumbent president a second term during a prime-time address to the Democratic National Convention.

“I wish Donald Trump knew how to be a president because America needs a president right now,” Clinton said in remarks from her home in Chappaqua, N.Y. “We need leaders equal to this moment of sacrifice and service.”

Clinton offered a full-throated endorsement of Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who is due to speak later Wednesday night after she is formally nominated.

Clinton praised Biden’s character, describing him as thoughtful and empathetic, and commended Harris, a former prosecutor, for being both “relentless in the pursuit of justice” and “uncommonly kind.”

“I know a thing or two about the slings and arrows coming her way. Kamala can handle them all,” she said of Harris.

Clinton, who lost to Trump in 2016, warned would-be Democratic voters that 2020 could not be “another woulda coulda shoulda election.” Echoing prior addresses from former first lady Michelle Obama and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Clinton asserted that conditions would worsen if Trump is afforded a second term as president.

“If you vote by mail, request your ballot now, and send it back right away. If you vote in person, do it early. Bring a friend and wear a mask. Become a poll worker. Most of all, no matter what, vote. Vote like our lives and livelihoods are on the line, because they are,” Clinton said.

Clinton delivered the speech, which lasted a little longer than five minutes, at the conclusion of a segment focused on the impact of women in American politics.

Four years ago, Clinton became the first woman ever nominated to run for president by a major political party. Clinton lost the electoral vote to Trump in 2016 by losing key battleground states, but won the popular vote by almost 3 million votes.

Harris makes history of her own as Biden’s running mate, as the first African American woman and first Asian American woman to be nominated to run for vice president by a major political party.