CHICAGO — Former President Bill Clinton spoke hoarsely to delegates Wednesday night, saying he might not be able to attend the upcoming Democratic National Convention. Viewers were surprised to see Clinton’s hands shaking during the speech.
Clinton, 78, opened for vice presidential candidate Tim Walz along with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and mused repeatedly about her own mortality.
“I want to say from the bottom of my heart, I don’t know how many more events like this I can attend. I started in 1976 and have been doing this ever since – no, since 1972. Oh, I’m getting old,” he said during a 27-minute, sometimes improvised speech.
“Frankly, I’m too old for that luxury. I turned 78 two days ago. I’m the oldest man in my family, spanning four generations,” he said.
To thunderous applause, he added, “The only personal vanity I would like to claim is that I am still younger than Donald Trump, who turned 78 in June.”
Voters watching the Democratic National Convention expressed shock online at Clinton’s stark appearance and lack of energy.
“Clinton looks much younger than her age, she speaks slowly and raspy… she’s old in every way.” One commentator said of X:.
“Clinton’s hands shake when she talks. She should go to a nursing home with Joe.” Add another one.
a third viewer commented.“Bill Clinton has lost his fastball and is sapping the energy of the United Center.”
The 42nd commander in chief praised outgoing President Biden, who is vacationing at a donor’s $37 million California ranch, saying “he voluntarily relinquished political power,” but made no mention that the choice was forced by a Democratic rebellion over his declining cognitive abilities.
“I want to thank him for his courage, his compassion, his integrity, his service and his sacrifice,” the former president said. “He stood for what he believed in and inspired so many of us.”
At another point, he implicitly acknowledged Democrats’ relief at being free from the slumping approval ratings for Biden and Trump, saying party members were “happy” because “it feels like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders.”
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, whose first name Clinton repeatedly mispronounced, and Minnesota Governor Waltz, “are two leaders who have lived American yet unlikely lives that could only happen here. After all, their careers began in communities, courtrooms and classrooms.”
The notorious fast-food fanatic noted Harris’ previous work at McDonald’s, an issue that has been brought up multiple times by speakers at the convention this week, and Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, said Tuesday that he, too, once worked for the Golden Arches.
“I’m going to be so happy when she actually walks into the White House as president, because she’s going to break my record for the president who spent the most time at McDonald’s,” Clinton joked about the vice president.
Harris and Walz are “two leaders who have lived quintessentially American, yet unlikely, lives that could only happen here. After all, their careers began in communities, courtrooms and classrooms.”
Clinton also slammed Trump as vain and a “good actor” and warned that any Democratic blunder could lead to a Republican victory, alluding to his wife Hillary Clinton’s defeat in 2016.
“He’s like a tenor who, like me, tries to lift his voice before going on stage to sing, ‘Me, me, me, me,'” Clinton said of Trump.
“I thought elections were impossible, but I’ve seen them slip away too many times because people got distracted by false issues or became overconfident.”
Meanwhile, Shapiro also called Trump a “man with no guardrails” during his speech and urged his audience to “protect our democracy” by electing Harris.
Pelosi, who is widely credited with helping to get Biden to abandon his nomination, spoke relatively briefly about Biden in a four-minute speech, referencing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, while also praising him as “one of the most successful presidents of our time,” adding, “Thank you, Joe.”
