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Reuters
Joe Biden has said US Donald Trump has “cloaked America in darkness for much too long” as he accepted the Democratic White House nomination.
The former US vice-president said his rival has unleashed “too much anger, too much fear, too much division”.
Mr Biden’s speech is the culmination of a political career spanning nearly half a century.
He heads into the general election campaign with a clear lead in opinion polls over Mr Trump, 74.
But with 75 days to go until the election the Republican president has plenty of time to narrow the gap.
Speaking from a mostly empty event centre in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, Mr Biden, 77, said: “Here and now, I give you my word, if you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst.
“I’ll be an ally of the light, not the darkness.
“It’s time for us, for we the people, to come together and make no mistake, united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America.
“We’ll chose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege.”
Mr Biden said “character is on the ballot” this November.
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“We can choose a path of becoming angrier, less hopeful, more divided, a path of shadow and suspicion,” he said.
“Or, or, we can choose a different path and together take this chance to heal, to reform, to unite. A path of hope and light.
“This is a life-changing election. This will determine what America going to look like for a long, long time.”
He continued: “What we know about this president is that if he’s given four more years, he’ll be what he’s been for the last four years.
“A president who takes no responsibility, refuses to lead, blames others, cosies up to dictators and fan the flames of hate and division.
“He’ll wake up every day believing the job is all about him, never about you.
“Is that the America you want for you, your family and your children?”
His live speech marked the grand finale of the four-night Democratic convention.
Speakers at the convention over the past three nights have depicted Mr Trump as incompetent, selfish and a danger to democracy, imploring Americans to vote him out of office – a tone which Mr Biden heavily echoed.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, there have been none of the cheering throngs, fanfare and razzamatazz of the typical American party conference.
Organisers opted instead for a largely virtual set piece of pre-recorded speeches crunched into two hours of highly produced programming each evening.
Thursday night’s climax was hosted by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the star of US political satire Veep and a vocal critic of Mr Trump.