Bill Clinton joked that he didn’t have many conventions left during his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, as many on social media said his voice and hands were shaking the entire time.
Clinton, 78, On Wednesday, he channeled some of the relief inside the Democratic National Convention hall when he said “a weight is lifted off our shoulders” as he praised Kamala Harris and saluted the president. Joe Biden for dropping out of school.
However, many on social media noted with one of their comments that Father Time may have finally caught up with the man from Hope, Arkansas.
“I have no idea how many more I’ll be able to attend,” he said. “I started in ’76 and I’ve attended every one since… no, since ’72! God, I’m getting old!”
Internet users seemed to agree, even those who thought the 42nd president spoke well on behalf of Kamala Harris and her party.
Bill Clinton joked that he didn’t have many conventions left during his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, as many on social media said his voice and hands were shaking the entire time.
“Where did they dig Clinton out of? My God, she barely has a voice!” wrote one user on X.
Another added: “Will Bill Clinton’s voice be on during the speech? It could turn this convention into a big media spotlight.”
“As a child of the 90s, I admit it’s a little shocking to see Bill Clinton so old now, with his voice weakened,” wrote another.
Leslie Hailes wrote: ‘There is not enough Throat Coat in the US to help Bill Clinton’s voice.’
Even those who thought she had brought down the building couldn’t help but notice Clinton’s age during the largely improvised speech.
Justin Sherin said: ‘Bill Clinton is hoarse and speaks slowly and his hands shake, but as a speaker he is unrivalled. If you look closely, you can see when he is reading from a script and when he is rewriting it on the fly. He speaks as if he were in your living room. He is a master.’
Clinton noted that he just turned 78, making him the oldest in his family of four.
“And the only personal vanity I want to claim is that I’m still younger than Donald Trump,” Clinton said. The joke underscored how Democrats can now use the age issue to their advantage after getting rid of the 81-year-old president who dominated the primaries.
“I have no idea how many more I’ll be able to attend,” he said. “I started in ’76 and I’ve been to every one since… no, ’72! God, I’m getting old!”
Like Barack Obama, the Clintons had issued a statement supporting President Biden after his debate disaster last month, but some of their former aides joined former Obama officials in calling for Biden to be replaced.
Clinton made the load-lifting comment in a 28-minute speech where she compared Biden to George Washington for caving to calls to end his campaign as he faces a potential crushing defeat in battleground states against Donald Trump.
The former president once mentioned Barack Obama, calling him “the explainer” after his 2012 convention speech was applauded for its persuasiveness. He also bored convention attendees with his 1988 speech.
This time, he peppered his speech in support of Kamala Harris with jokes about the candidate herself (he once mispronounced her name during his remarks).
Clinton referenced his past as a voracious fast-food consumer to defend Kamala Harris at the Democratic convention.
Harris, as her campaign has been reminding voters, spent part of her youth working at McDonald’s, the kind of blue-collar job that allows her to present a contrast to billionaire Donald Trump, the scion of a real estate empire.
Many delegates and even speakers were young when Clinton’s high cholesterol eating habits made a media splash. In her surprise victory in the 1992 campaign, she ate as much as she could, trying to burn off some calories from time to time.
That was long before his quadruple bypass surgery and slimming vegan diet.
Clinton praised Harris and took some digs at Trump, though they were often milder than the jibes leveled at Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
