Remarks at the 2020 Democratic National Convention - Aug. 17, 2020

Hello America. Like my friend Catherine, I believe that the right to vote is fundamental and the post office is essential. You know, the president may hate the post office but he's still going to have to send them a change of address card come January. Donald Trump just happens to be in my state today trying to divide people instead of responding to the pandemic and the significant needs of our economy, but democrats, independents and yes, many republicans have had enough of his divisiveness. Tonight, my friends, in contrast we've heard a lot about how we can unite as Americans about our shared values, our shared dreams, how we've come together in the face of crisis. But I want to be clear, unity isn't about settling, it's about striving for something more. It isn't the end, it's the means. It's how we get stuff done. Unity is about reaching up toward a higher purpose, a better future for all of us.

E pluribus unum: out of many, one. It is more than a motto. It is the north star for our democracy. Now more than ever we need a president who will unite this country, we need a president who, in George Floyd's memory — instead of using the bible as a prop — will heed its words to act justly. We need a president for the workers who've lost their jobs because this administration is selling American workers out when we need to buy American. For the farmers and manufacturers and the people of rural America who are sick and tired of reaping what he's sown. We need a president who will look out for the seniors, like my dad, whose families now visit them through glass windows, never knowing if it will be the last time they see them. We need a president for all of America. I come from the middle of this country where we believe in people joining together to solve problems, we seek common ground to reach higher ground. That's been Joe Biden's life's work, he's a man of scrappy working-class roots, a man whose own hardships have only made him more determined to lift up those who have been left out. He understands redemption and he knows resilience. Joe Biden's a man of deep experience. Barack Obama — better known tonight as Michelle's husband — he leaned on Joe for his strength and decency and you can too.

You know, most candidates, when they end their campaign that day is a hard one, for me it was a moment filled with great joy because the day I ended my presidential campaign was also the day I endorsed Joe Biden. Joe ran for the same reasons I did when I announced my campaign in the middle of that blizzard on the banks of the Mississippi River. To cross the river of our divides to, bring this nation together, to be a president for all of America. As I said the day I endorsed him, “If you feel stuck in the middle of the extremes in our politics, if you are tired of the noise and the nonsense you have a home with me and you have a home with Joe Biden.” That's why I was so proud to stand with him then and across this great country, that's why we are all now standing united behind Joe and my friend Kamala. Our nation's motto is, “Out of many, one.” And as you're about to see it's also the story of the Democratic primary. Thank you, America.

Klobuchar, A.J. [NBC News]. (2020, August 17). Watch Sen. Amy Klobuchar's Full Speech At The 2020 DNC | NBC News [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz7OMKJflgM]. Retrieved on August 25, 2020 from https://www.youtube.com/user/NBCNews.