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Watch: Bill Clinton's full speech at the 2024 DNC

By Jennifer Earl

Updated on: August 21, 2024 / 11:26 PM EDT / CBS News

Former President Bill Clinton delivered his 12th consecutive Democratic National Convention speech Wednesday night, taking the stage, this time, to show his support for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Day 3 . His wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, delivered an energetic speech  on the first night, saying, "The future is here."

In the nearly 30-minute speech, Clinton paused to thank President Biden for his courage and service, saying he "had an improbable turn that made him president."

"And then he did something that's really hard for a politician to do. He voluntarily gave up political power," said Clinton, adding that he believes the difficult decision will enhance Mr. Biden's presidential legacy. Mr. Biden withdrew from the 2024 race against former President Donald Trump in July and endorsed Harris to lead the Democratic ticket.

Clinton continued his speech, saying Americans have a "clear choice" to make in November. 

"Kamala Harris, for the people. And the other guy, who's proved, even more than the first go-around, that he's about me, myself and I," said Clinton about Trump.

Read a full transcript of Clinton's 2024 DNC remarks below.

Thank you. After the last two days, Aren't you proud to be a Democrat? And I am very grateful to the Republicans and independents that have joined us – have been up here on the stage, and I hope they feel better about it now because I've seen all these things that even I have to be reminded of from time to time when I get my spirits down. 

I love seeing the Obamas here. I love seeing President Biden. And I thought Hillary gave a great speech, too. 

But I love seeing all these young leaders. Much of them are coming up after me. They look better, they sound better, and they'll be exciting. 

I do want to say one word about President Biden. Remember, he had an improbable turn that made him president, and we were in the middle of a pandemic and an economic crash. He healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work. He strengthened our alliances for peace and security, stood up for Ukraine, trying desperately to get a cease-fire in the Middle East, and then he did something that's really hard for a politician to do. He voluntarily gave up political power. And George Washington knew that, and he did it, and he set the standard for us serving two terms before it was mandatory. It helped his legacy, and it will enhance Joe Biden's legacy. And you- and it's a stark contrast to what goes on in the other party. So I want to thank him for his courage, compassion, his class, his service, his sacrifice.

Joe Biden, thank you. And he kept the faith, and he's infected a lot of the rest of us. 

Now let's cut to this chase. I am too old to gild the lily. Two days ago, I turned 78. The oldest man in my family for four generations. And the only personal vanity I want to assert is I'm still younger than Donald Trump.

Last night, last night, in what I thought was a very moving series of episodes, we nominated Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. And just think about that –  two leaders with all-American but still improbable life stories; it can only happen here. Their careers, after all, started in community courtrooms and classrooms, two leaders who spent a lifetime getting a good job done. 

Now one of the things that I've noticed over my increasingly long life that is that the presidential election is unique in several ways. First of all, it's the greatest job interview for the greatest job in the world.  Secondly, the Constitution says we the people get to do the hiring. And the third thing is that every four years we get to change the requirements for the job. 

So here's what I'm thinking, because I try to apply this in every election. Will this president take us backward or forward? Will this president give our kids a brighter future? Depends. Will this president bring us together or tear us apart? Will the president increase the peace, security and stability and freedom that we enjoy and extend it to others as we can? We the people – we have to make a decision about these kind of questions. And every four years, it's a little different, because the people come at the candidates. Come at the candidates, and they say, as they're saying now, "Here are our problems. Solve them. Here are our opportunities. Seize them. Here are our fears. Ease them. Here are our dreams. Help them come true."

A president can answer that call by saying, "I'll do my part, but you have to help me. We have to work together." Or you can dodge what needs to be done by dividing, distracting and diverting us. 

So in 2024, we got a pretty clear choice, it seems to me. Kamala Harris for the people, and the other guy who's proved even more than the first go around that he's about me, myself and I.

I know which one I like better for our country. 

Kamala Harris will work to solve our problems, seize our opportunities, ease our fears, and make sure every single American, however they vote, has a chance to chase their dreams.

You know, when she was young, she worked at McDonald's, and she greeted every person with that 1000-watt smile and said, "How can I help you?" Now she's at the pinnacle of power, and she's still asking," How can I help you?"

I'll be so happy when she actually enters the White House as president because she will break my record as the president who spent the most time at McDonald's. 

Now, but we got an election to win. And remember, we've got a guy that's pretty good at what he does. Donald Trump has been a paragon of consistency. He's still dividing; he's still blaming; he's still belittling other people. He creates chaos, and then he sort of curates it as if it were precious art. 

Let me say – not a single day goes by, even though I've been gone for well over 23 years from the White House, not a day goes by that I don't thank the Lord for the chance I had to serve and what it meant. 

And one of the reasons – one of the reasons, one of the reasons I love the job so much is that in the toughest times, even on the darkest days, if you tried hard enough, there was always something good you could do for somebody else. Now, some days, that's not easy to do. You've got to deal with all these emergencies, or there's something going on here, there, or yonder. But Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race who has the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will and, yes, the sheer joy to get something done. 

I mean, look, what does her opponent do with his voice. He mostly talks about himself, right? 

So the next time you hear him, don't count the lies. Count the I's –  his vendettas, his vengeance, his complaints, his conspiracies. He's like one of those tenors opening up before he walks out on stage like I did, trying to get his lungs open by singing, "Me, me, me, me, me." When Kamala Harris is president, every day will begin with "you, you, you, you."

So, we got to ask ourselves the questions that we're going to hire a president. Do you want to build a strong economy from the bottom up and the middle out, or do you want to spend the next four years talking about crowd size?

You're going to have a hard time believing this, but so help me. I triple-checked it. Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. I swear, I checked this three times. Even I couldn't believe it. What's the score? Democrats 50, Republicans one.

I'm glad that we've got a championship-winning coach on our team. But even the most limited of us and what we know about football or any other sport knows that if you're not 50 and the other side's got one, you're ahead. 

What about affordable housing? It's a terrible problem in America now we need more. And affordable health care. That's why the Democrats put a limit on monthly payments for insulin and a $2,000 a year out-of-pocket limit, and are trying to cover more drugs by bargaining for prices. We need more financing for small businesses. We need still to strengthen our alliances. 

I almost croaked in the first debate of this election season when President Trump said nobody respected America anymore like they did when he was president. Wait, wait, and with a straight face. Look, you got to give it. He's a good actor with a– with a straight face. He cited as evidence of the respect that existed for us when he was there the presidents of North Korea and Russia. I'd rather have the people who respect us now. 

And one of the things, one of the things is when you send a signal to the other countries, you want them to know – whether they agree with you or not –  at least that you're on the level. Here's where you are, what you believe. What are they supposed to make to these endless tributes to the late, great Hannibal Lecter? 

I mean, President Obama once gave me the great honor of saying I was the explainer in chief. Folks. I thought and thought about it, and I don't know what to say. 

Like Hakeem Jeffries, I too, want an American that's more joyful, more inclusive, more future-focused. Just think what a burden it's been on us to get up day after day after day after day, buried in meaningless hot rhetoric when there's so many opportunities out there so many problems that need to be solved. I want that. And that's the America Kamala Harris will lead. 

She's already made her first presidential decision, and she knocked it out of the park when she asked Governor Tim Walz to be her nominee for vice president.

As they used to say when I was a young man growing up in Arkansas, you do not have to be all broke out with brilliance. You just look at Tim Walz. Listen to him. Follow his record as a teacher, as a coach, and the National Guard, as a congressman, where he was the only Democrat – saved one elected in that district in more than 100 years. 

And he stayed a long time, and then he became a great governor. And by all accounts, he was a crack shot who had the courage among his rural constituents to say, we do not need these assault weapons available to people who can kill our kids in school. 

So, armed with her first decision, Kamala Harris confronts an interesting dilemma. We're going to walk out of here feeling pretty good. I think we've got energy. We are happy. We felt like a loads off our shoulders, and we know we're just being asked to fight the same fight that the forces of progress have had to fight for 250 years. In the face of stiff and often violent opposition, we have to find a way to go forward together, where we the people, make our union more perfect. So that's a good thing. How could we possibly lose? 

Kamala Harris has fought for kids her whole life that were left out and left behind. She's taken on gangs trafficking across the border. She's fought to protect the rights of homeowners. She's been our leader in the fight for reproductive freedoms, and we know a majority of the American people are with us on that. And she's gained an invaluable amount of experience as vice president advancing our values and interests around the world. 

She's already said she's going to work really hard to make sure that no American working full-time lives in poverty or has to worry about their children living in poverty. She said that we got to make homeownership an achievable dream for everyone – not just the privileged. She said that it, and this meant a lot to me, that she would protect everybody's right to vote, whether or not they voted for her. They are a citizen then they deserve the right to vote. 

The other day, her opponent implied that if his people voted one more time, they'd be able to rig it from now on, and they wouldn't have to vote again. You think they're kidding, but I know a lot of these folks. Most of them are really good people, but some of them think that they are bound to dominate America politically, economically and socially, and they have to use politics to do it, and they should rig the system. I don't believe that. 

And so, here's what I want to tell you. We've seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn't happen, when people got distracted by phony issues or overconfident. This is a brutal, tough business. I want you to be happy. One of the reasons that president-to-be Harris is doing so well is it we're all so happy. But you should never underestimate your adversary. And these people are really good at distracting us, at triggering doubt, at triggering buyer's remorse. As the Obamas said so eloquently last night, they are human. You know, they're bound to make a mistake now and then.

We got to be tough. And so, as somebody who spends a lot of time in small towns and rural areas – in New York and Arkansas and other places – I urge you to talk to all your neighbors. I urge you to meet people where they are. I urge you not to demean them, but not to pretend you don't disagree with them if you do. Treat them with respect –  just the way you'd like them to treat you. Ask for their help and then follow our leader, Kamala, and ask them, "How can I help you?" 

We Democrats right now have a lot of hay in the barn. We've got massive achievements, massive advances, but there's still a lot of slips between today and Election Day that we have to navigate.

And so, I want to say this from the bottom of my heart. I have no idea how many or more of these I'll be able to come to. I started in '76 and I've been everyone since, but no, '72. Lord, I'm getting old. 

But here's what I want you to know, if you vote for this team, if you can get them elected and let them bring in this breath of fresh air, you will be proud of it for the rest of your life. Your children will be proud of it. Your grandchildren will be proud of it. 

Take it from a man who once had the honor to be called in this convention, the man from hope.  We need, we need Kamala Harris, the president of joy, to lead us. So, I'll be going my part. You do yours. I'll see you when we're making a real joyful noise when the votes are counted. 

God bless you, and God bless America.

• Bill Clinton
• Democratic National Convention

Jennifer Earl is the Vice President of Growth & Engagement at CBS News and Stations. Jennifer has previously written for outlets including The Daily Herald, The Gazette, NBC News, Newsday, Fox News and more.

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William J. Clinton

Farewell address to the nation.

My fellow citizens, tonight is my last opportunity to speak to you from the Oval Office as your President. I am profoundly grateful to you for twice giving me the honor to serve, to work for you and with you to prepare our Nation for the 21st century.

And I'm grateful to Vice President Gore, to my Cabinet Secretaries, and to all those who have served with me for the last 8 years.

This has been a time of dramatic transformation, and you have risen to every new challenge. You have made our social fabric stronger, our families healthier and safer, our people more prosperous. You, the American people, have made our passage into the global information age an era of great American renewal.

In all the work I have done as President— every decision I have made, every executive action I have taken, every bill I have proposed and signed—I've tried to give all Americans the tools and conditions to build the future of our dreams in a good society with a strong economy, a cleaner environment, and a freer, safer, more prosperous world.

I have steered my course by our enduring values: opportunity for all, responsibility from all, a community of all Americans. I have sought to give America a new kind of Government, smaller, more modern, more effective, full of ideas and policies appropriate to this new time, always putting people first, always focusing on the future.

Working together, America has done well. Our economy is breaking records with more than 22 million new jobs, the lowest unemployment in 30 years, the highest homeownership ever, the longest expansion in history. Our families and communities are stronger. Thirty-five million Americans have used the family leave law; 8 million have moved off welfare. Crime is at a 25-year low. Over 10 million Americans receive more college aid, and more people than ever are going to college. Our schools are better. Higher standards, greater accountability, and larger investments have brought higher test scores and higher graduation rates. More than 3 million children have health insurance now, and more than 7 million Americans have been lifted out of poverty. Incomes are rising across the board. Our air and water are cleaner. Our food and drinking water are safer. And more of our precious land has been preserved in the continental United States than at any time in a 100 years.

America has been a force for peace and prosperity in every corner of the globe. I'm very grateful to be able to turn over the reins of leadership to a new President with America in such a strong position to meet the challenges of the future.

Tonight I want to leave you with three thoughts about our future.

First, America must maintain our record of fiscal responsibility. Through our last four budgets we've turned record deficits to record surpluses, and we've been able to pay down $600 billion of our national debt—on track to be debt-free by the end of the decade for the first time since 1835. Staying on that course will bring lower interest rates, greater prosperity, and the opportunity to meet our big challenges. If we choose wisely, we can pay down the debt, deal with the retirement of the baby boomers, invest more in our future, and provide tax relief.

Second, because the world is more connected every day, in every way, America's security and prosperity require us to continue to lead in the world. At this remarkable moment in history, more people live in freedom than ever before. Our alliances are stronger than ever. People all around the world look to America to be a force for peace and prosperity, freedom and security. The global economy is giving more of our own people and billions around the world the chance to work and live and raise their families with dignity. But the forces of integration that have created these good opportunities also make us more subject to global forces of destruction, to terrorism, organized crime and narcotrafficking, the spread of deadly weapons and disease, the degradation of the global environment.

The expansion of trade hasn't fully closed the gap between those of us who live on the cutting edge of the global economy and the billions around the world who live on the knife's edge of survival. This global gap requires more than compassion; it requires action. Global poverty is a powder keg that could be ignited by our indifference.

In his first Inaugural Address, Thomas Jefferson warned of entangling alliances. But in our times, America cannot and must not disentangle itself from the world. If we want the world to embody our shared values, then we must assume a shared responsibility.

If the wars of the 20th century, especially the recent ones in Kosovo and Bosnia, have taught us anything, it is that we achieve our aims by defending our values and leading the forces of freedom and peace. We must embrace boldly and resolutely that duty to lead—to stand with our allies in word and deed and to put a human face on the global economy, so that expanded trade benefits all peoples in all nations, lifting lives and hopes all across the world.

Third, we must remember that America cannot lead in the world unless here at home we weave the threads of our coat of many colors into the fabric of one America. As we become ever more diverse, we must work harder to unite around our common values and our common humanity. We must work harder to overcome our differences, in our hearts and in our laws. We must treat all our people with fairness and dignity, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of when they arrived in our country—always moving toward the more perfect Union of our Founders' dreams.

Hillary, Chelsea, and I join all Americans in wishing our very best to the next President, George W. Bush, to his family and his administration, in meeting these challenges, and in leading freedom's march in this new century.

As for me, I'll leave the Presidency more idealistic, more full of hope than the day I arrived, and more confident than ever that America's best days lie ahead.

My days in this office are nearly through, but my days of service, I hope, are not. In the years ahead, I will never hold a position higher or a covenant more sacred than that of President of the United States. But there is no title I will wear more proudly than that of citizen.

Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.

NOTE: The President spoke at 8 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House.

William J. Clinton, Farewell Address to the Nation Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/227701

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Nbc news now, bill clinton says we need 'the president of joy' kamala harris.

Former President Bill Clinton delivered remarks at the Democratic National Convention where he thanked President Joe Biden for his courage, invoking a "thank you Joe" chant. He took aim at former President Donald Trump’s age, touted the nation's job numbers and says American needs Vice President Kamala Harris, "the president of joy." Aug. 22, 2024

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