-Time goes by so fast.
[ Cheering ]
-We did it, Joe.
-The people of this nation
have spoken.
-But on the other hand,
some times just don't seem
to go fast enough.
-We need to bend the curve.
-200,000 dead.
-This year has had millions
on the edge of their seats,
braced for impact,
seat belts fastened up.
No need for a script.
The facts are a mess.
Still, we've had to adjust
not only to
the consistent turmoil
on the news we all watched,
but to the collective anxiety
we've all got.
-200,000 Americans killed
by the coronavirus.
-A feeling we have now
and have had since the second
the ball dropped.
Rumor turned pandemic
in a matter of weeks.
Before we were in long lines
at the polls,
we were crowded in the streets,
forced to march for our peace.
And to say the least,
it's been a year.
And not unlike
the past 93 years,
Time has consistently
shown the world
what the word "influence" means.
Time's Person of the Year
is not an award.
It is a marker.
-Thank God Almighty.
-A prism through which
we watched
from our own individual sections
of the spectrum.
-These are the men of Apollo 8.
-It is reflection,
history as it's written,
whether good or bad.
And tonight will encapsulate
2020 for years to come,
highlighting individuals
that kept us in awe,
others that made us think.
-Divided we fall.
-Those whose vision impacted
the world with great success.
Those who we may not agree with
but history won't let us forget.
We'll take a look at an athlete,
an entertainer,
a business leader, and those
that are guardians of truth
at a moment
when we need them most.
Finally, we'll highlight
the not only influential
but also impactful
Person of the Year.
So in its first-ever
television broadcast,
this is
"Time Person of the Year."
-Hello, everyone.
McConaughey here.
And welcome to
"Time Person of the Year."
Over the next hour,
we are going to profile
a collection of individuals
who played an outsized role
in shaping the singular
experience that was 2020.
Tonight, we're not
handing out awards,
but we are
recognizing influence.
We're marking this moment
in living history.
You might say
it's a time capsule.
We begin by recognizing
the single athlete
who most profoundly
impacted 2020.
This year, many players
stepped outside the lines
of their profession
to advocate
for what they believed in.
For some, it was a first venture
into public discourse.
But for this towering figure,
it was simply the next step
in a long history
of speaking up.
On the court and off,
his influence proved
as immense as ever.
The Time Athlete of the Year...
[ Camera shutter clicks ]
-LeBron James.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
-I just hope that they accept me
for who I am
as a basketball player
and especially as a person.
You know,
I'm not coming into the team
right away
trying to be a leader.
But if they give that to me,
I know how to be a leader.
But I'm just gonna
accept my role
until I have to do something.
♪♪♪
-An athlete's true voice
is found
when their talents on the court
are rivaled
by their impact off of it...
a combination
of athletic dominance
and social impact
so powerful
the world has not witnessed
since the days of Muhammad Ali.
In the case of LeBron James,
in the year 2020,
he has found a king's voice.
-I know people get tired
of hearing me say it,
but we are scared
as black people in America.
Black men, black women,
black kids --
we are -- we are terrified.
♪♪♪
-Well, I've seen LeBron mature
and evolve
as a leader, as an athlete,
you know, as an individual.
He's taken every opportunity
he has been given
to do things for others.
-When you see someone
with the stature of LeBron
speaking out on these issues,
these are the sacrifices
that he's willing to make
time and time again.
And it's admirable to watch
and, you know,
inspiration to a whole culture.
-No justice!
-No peace!
-No justice!
-No peace!
-No justice!
-No peace!
-In 2020, as we witnessed
devastating acts
of police brutality,
a league-wide stoppage in play
occurred in the middle
of the NBA playoffs.
LeBron would simply
not shut up and dribble.
-LeBron was frustrated.
He was --
He was ready to walk away.
He realized, like,
"Hey, we -- Wait a second.
We have an opportunity.
We can ask the owners
to work with us.
Let's open up the arenas
to become polling places.
Help us back More Than A Vote."
-When you see what the voter
turnout was in Detroit,
when you see Atlanta
and what happened there,
it literally helped to change
the course of history.
♪♪♪
-What LeBron James has done
is gonna forever change
the athlete's role in society.
Athletes know they can step out,
they know they can speak up,
and we saw this
all over the world this year.
♪♪♪
-It's examples like that
that makes it possible
for the next generation, the
next athlete to take that risk.
-LeBron has ignited
the younger generation
to really share our voices
on the issues
that we feel passionate about.
-To really fight for something
and stand for something.
-It's time to look in the mirror
and ask ourselves,
"What are we doing
to create change?"
-♪ Let me be
your everlasting light ♪
-It's beautiful
to watch and witness
someone who hasn't forgotten
the circumstances and
the obstacles that he's overcome
and the place
from where he came.
-♪ I'm a shepherd for you ♪
♪ And I'll guide you through ♪
♪ Let me be
your everlasting light ♪
-He's just a kid from Akron.
This past season,
he once again
reached great heights
on the basketball court,
but off of it,
he emerged as something
so much more meaningful.
-You know,
I'm not coming into the team
right away
trying to be a leader.
But if they give that to me,
I know how to be a leader.
-And that, even more
than the titles and the MVPs
is LeBron James'
greatest legacy.
♪♪♪
-The Time Guardian of the Year
recognizes those
who protect what we hold sacred.
And there is little more sacred
than the truth.
That's why Time is recognizing
courageous individuals
who have defended facts against
the seductive power of fiction.
The grim toll
of the COVID-19 pandemic
is challenging
for any of us to confront,
but those on the front lines
must do it every day.
Tonight, we recognize
their tremendous sacrifice
on our behalf.
Time's first
Guardian of the Year --
frontline healthcare workers.
-[ Speaking native language ]
-Is this all really worth it
for me to potentially get sick,
potentially
bring it home to my wife?
-You know that there is a risk.
You're confident you can handle
the concept of death and dying.
-[ Speaking native language ]
-The first confirmed U.S. case
now in Washington State.
-The state reporting
another 6,000 COVID cases.
-The coronavirus has surged
past 9 million cases.
-This is too much.
-One, two, three.
-As the deaths escalate,
so does the fear.
-I thought, "Maybe I need
to work on my will."
-The public is writing us
thank-you notes
and sending pizza.
What we need is for you
to stop exposing us.
-I'm sad that I got sick.
I really didn't expect to.
To get back in the front line,
that will be something
I'm looking forward to.
-This is the first time
that a pulmonologist
has ever been the most
important person in the world.
-Doctors, nurses, housekeeping,
the clerks,
we are the closest
to your family right now,
and we're gonna
take care of them.
-Tonight, icons and artists
from all over the world
join us in recognizing the
most influential people of 2020.
Powerful stories,
exclusive performances.
And later, we'll find out
who will be
Time's Person of the Year.
.
-"Time's Person of the Year"
is proudly produced
in partnership with P&G.
-This is not new.
This has happened before.
-In every downturn...
-And disaster in history...
-Gender equality
has been set back...
-As women have stepped forward.
-Women always bear a heavy cost.
-More of the frontline care.
-More of the pay cuts.
-More of the jobs lost.
-More of the responsibilities
at home.
-Keeping them from going back
to paid work.
-These times...
-Are not unprecedented.
-But they give us another chance
for equality.
-If we all choose
to step forward as equals.
-Care equal.
-Hire equal.
-Pay equal.
-Model equal.
-Do equal.
-Choose equal.
-At home.
-At work.
-Right now.
-For an equal future.
♪♪♪
-You're watching
"Person of the Year."
In a moment, Vanessa Bryant
pays tribute
to the lives lost in 2020.
But first, Rosario Dawson.
-Our next Guardian of the Year
followed her truth,
even when it led her
off the page.
When Joe Biden met with
the community of Jacob Blake,
one Kenosha woman set aside
the prepared remarks
of her local organization
to instead speak from the heart.
The next Guardian of the Year,
Porche Bennett-Bey.
[ Gunshots ]
-Tonight, passionate pleas
demanding justice.
-Police shooting of Jacob Blake
in the back multiple times.
-They started calling us
a war zone.
Every night, it was ugly.
We were cleaning up,
and the officer literally
held his gun to my head
when I bent over
to pick up a water bottle.
This is my backyard, you know.
That could have been my brother.
I'm a woman
and I do not fear you.
Just gonna be honest, Mr. Biden.
You need the truth.
I speak for the people
in this city
because I live in this city,
and the truth of the matter is,
we are heavily angry.
And it didn't just
start with Jacob.
I needed him to see anger.
I needed him to see death.
I needed him to see
what they try to shield
themselves from seeing.
Why are there
more police officers
in the black neighborhoods
than in other neighborhoods?
Why are we more targeted
than anybody else?
-Black lives matter!
-For so many decades, we've been
shown we don't matter.
And right now,
we just want someone
who's going to
put the action in.
-No more racist...
-Police.
-My purpose is the future,
making sure that our children
and their children
and their children never
have to keep going through
these generational curses.
You want to break those chains.
So I thank you
for coming to hear me.
-Words cannot do justice
to the grief we felt this year.
At every level
of human connection,
from across the world
to across the table,
we experienced profound loss.
We said goodbye to husbands,
daughters, wives,
sons, grandparents, friends,
and national heroes.
And we continue
to count the lives
surrendered
to this cruel pandemic,
which has claimed well over
a million souls worldwide.
Tonight, we mourn
the people we all knew
and the many we never will.
May our collective grief
unite us on the path forward.
Joining us now, Yo-Yo Ma,
accompanied by Kathryn Stott.
[ "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
plays ]
♪♪♪
-Everything's a Game 7 when
you approach every practice
and every game
with that kind of mentality.
You know, it bleeds into
the rest of the guys.
♪♪♪
-I want everyone
to see me alone.
I want them to hear me live.
♪♪♪
-They watch it, they say,
because it makes them
feel better,
and it can't get better
than that.
♪♪♪
-Sometimes you need to feel
the pain and sting of defeat
to activate the real passion
inside of you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪♪
-And thank you for tuning us in.
I know you enjoyed it.
Let's do it again tomorrow.
♪♪♪
-I got in trouble.
It was good trouble.
It was necessary trouble.
♪♪♪
-Think about how you would like
the world to be
for your daughters
and granddaughters.
-We deserve to live
in a multiracial democracy
that works for all of us.
So this is not in vain.
Keep on.
-We'll forever mourn the passing
of over a million and a half
souls...
...and a world changed forever.
♪♪♪
.
♪♪♪
-Welcome back to
"Time Person of the Year."
Up next, an exclusive
performance from BTS.
But first, a look back
on the year that was.
-In a year defined
by lives cut short...
...we've too often lost sight
of the joy still among us
and the millions
of journeys just beginning.
So, good morning,
sweet child-to-be.
You are being born
at a very challenging time.
2020 has not been a kind year.
It's been a year that preyed
on the weak and the sick,
a year that claimed lives
and tested trust.
As you arrive, you'll see
the world is suffering,
but it is also the beginning
of a new day.
It may be easy to think
you were born into a year
filled only with division,
that you arrived in a moment
shrouded in chaos.
[ Bang ]
But if you look closely,
you'll see that you're living
in a world
filled with courage, compassion,
and heart.
-Pandemics occur.
They have always occurred
and they will occur.
And it would be really shameful
if we don't learn
from what we've been through.
-In this time of peril,
you will learn
one of the great truths
of the human family --
that we know how to put others
before ourselves.
This is a world of resilience,
a world propelled by the belief
that overcoming the impossible
is, in fact, possible.
With the inspiration
of innovation,
we were once again reminded
that nothing is out of reach
and that we should shoot
for the stars.
Faced with an invisible enemy
the world hasn't known
for generations,
we witness every day
the true meaning
of what it is to be a hero.
This is a moment not to hide
from our challenges,
but to confront them
with the strength and clarity
needed to find
a better tomorrow.
-Let's stop thinking that
our voice don't matter and vote!
-V-O-T-E!
-Take heart that the world
you have entered
is far from perfect,
but it is better
and more just than the ones
that came before it.
You can be who you are
and be loved as you are.
We imagine a tomorrow
filled with unity, not division,
a tomorrow that delivers
equality long overdue,
a tomorrow galvanized to tackle
the world's great challenges.
Heroes have walked among us,
and they will again.
-While I may be the first woman
in this office,
I will not be the last.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-So welcome, child.
You will need your rest, because
a new beginning is upon us
and it is yours to shape.
-We're up.
This is it.
I'm here tonight to announce
the 2020
Entertainer of the Year,
which means
it's probably not me.
Damn, what a way to find out.
Anyway, in this isolating year,
we needed entertainers
more than ever.
They didn't just help us
stave off boredom,
they kept us connected
and reminded us
that we weren't going through
these challenges alone.
And in 2020, nobody brought us
together like these guys.
They're without a doubt
the biggest act on the planet.
They released a huge album,
put on record-breaking
virtual concerts,
dropped a historic single.
People all over the world
gravitated towards their music
and their message,
because both are just exploding
with positivity and joy.
Their army of fans
pay that goodwill forward.
In June, when the group
contributed a million dollars
to Black Lives Matter,
their fans quickly organized
to match that donation.
That's next-level standom.
As a proud member
of this global fanbase,
trust me,
if you're not a fan now,
you will be in a few minutes.
The Time Entertainers
of the Year, BTS.
-We love you, too...
-John Cena!
-I guess 2020, of course,
we had the best news
and the worst news.
The worst news is the pandemic
and the tour cancelation.
But the best news was was we had
the number one on Billboard.
-We grow up, teamwork.
-Yep, and we grew up.
Our teamwork has grown up.
But now we can talk about
what music means to us,
but we'd rather show you.
Here's an exclusive
performance of...
-"Dynamite."
-Boom!
-♪ 'Cause I-I-I'm
in the stars tonight ♪
♪ So watch me bring the fire
and set the night alight ♪
♪ Shoes on,
get up in the morn' ♪
♪ Cup of milk,
let's rock and roll ♪
-Uh-huh.
-♪ King Kong, kick the drum ♪
♪ Rolling on
like a Rolling Stone ♪
♪ Sing song
when I'm walkin' home ♪
♪ Jump up to the top, LeBron ♪
-Hey.
-♪ Ding-dong,
call me on my phone ♪
♪ Iced tea
and a game of Ping-Pong ♪
-♪ This is gettin' heavy,
can you hear the bass boom?
♪ I'm ready ♪
-♪ Whoo-hoo ♪
-♪ Life is sweet as honey ♪
♪ Yeah, this beat cha-ching
like money, hey ♪
-♪ Disco overload ♪
♪ I'm into that,
I'm good to go ♪
♪ I'm diamond,
you know I glow up ♪
-♪ Hey, so let's go, hey ♪
-♪ 'Cause I-I-I'm
in the stars tonight ♪
♪ So watch me bring the fire
and set the night alight ♪
-♪ Hey ♪
-♪ Shinin' through the city
with a little funk and soul ♪
♪ So I'mma light it up
like dynamite ♪
♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪
-♪ Bring a friend,
join the crowd ♪
♪ Whoever wanna come along ♪
♪ Word up, talk the talk ♪
♪ Just move
like we off the wall ♪
♪ Day or night,
the sky's alight ♪
♪ So we dance
to the break of dawn ♪
-♪ Ladies and gentlemen,
I got the medicine ♪
♪ So you should keep your eyes
on the ball ♪
-♪ This is gettin' heavy,
can you hear the bass boom? ♪
♪ I'm ready ♪
-♪ Whoo-hoo ♪
-♪ Life is sweet as honey ♪
♪ Yeah, this beat cha-ching
like money, huh ♪
-♪ Disco overload ♪
♪ I'm into that,
I'm good to go ♪
♪ I'm diamond,
you know I glow up ♪
-♪ Let's go, hey ♪
-♪ 'Cause I-I-I'm
in the stars tonight ♪
♪ So watch me bring the fire
and set the night alight ♪
-♪ Hey ♪
-♪ Shinin' through the city
with a little funk and soul ♪
♪ So I'mma light it up
like dynamite ♪
♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪
-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,
na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na ♪
♪ Life is dynamite ♪
♪ Dyn-na-na-na,
na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na ♪
♪ Life is dynamite ♪
-♪ Shinin' through the city
with a little funk and soul ♪
♪ So I'mma light it up
like dynamite ♪
♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪
-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,
na-na, na-na, ayy ♪
♪ Dyn-na-na-na,
na-na, na-na, ayy ♪
-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,
na-na, na-na, ayy ♪
♪ Light it up, dynamite ♪
-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,
na-na, na-na, ayy ♪
♪ Dyn-na-na-na,
na-na, na-na, ayy ♪
-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,
na-na, na-na, ayy ♪
♪ Light it up, dynamite ♪
-♪ 'Cause I-I-I'm
in the stars tonight ♪
♪ So watch me bring the fire
and set the night alight ♪
-♪ Let's go ♪
-♪ Shinin' through the city
with a little funk and soul ♪
♪ So I'mma light it up
like dynamite ♪
♪ This is ♪
♪ 'Cause I-I-I'm
in the stars tonight ♪
♪ So watch me bring the fire
and set the night alight ♪
-♪ Alight, oh ♪
-♪ Shinin' through the city
with a little funk and soul ♪
♪ So I'mma light it up
like dynamite ♪
♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪
-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,
na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na
♪ Life is dynamite ♪
-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,
na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na ♪
♪ Life is dynamite ♪
-♪ Shinin' through the city
with a little funk and soul ♪
♪ So I'mma light it up
like dynamite ♪
♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪
-Dynamite.
-Coming up, H.E.R. honors
heroes of 2020
with a special performance,
and Bruce Springsteen delivers
the headline of the night --
Time's Person of the Year.
♪♪♪
.
-Time Heroes of the Year,
made possible by State Farm.
-In a trying year,
we needed heroes more than ever
to protect us...
-We do what we do because
we love our community.
-...to shelter us...
-Opening a door
for someone is humanity.
-...to nourish us.
-I need to just focus on people
that really need food.
-There's no way I can stop.
Some of them have become
really special to me.
-Tonight, we recognize
the heroes who rose above.
Here now with a musical tribute
to our Heroes of the Year,
H.E.R.
[ "Sometimes" plays ]
♪♪♪
-♪ Sometimes
it don't go your way ♪
♪ Sometimes you gotta ♪
♪ Sometimes ♪
♪ I had a plan,
I had it mapped out ♪
♪ Oh, I knew where I was going
when I left out ♪
♪ You couldn't tell me that
I wouldn't be there on time ♪
♪ 'Cause I had some guarantees,
I had a deadline ♪
♪ But now I know things change
for better or worse ♪
♪ You could say
that I'm the same ♪
♪ But I ain't adjusted
to all the hurt ♪
♪ So many noes, so many yeses ♪
♪ No one to blame,
don't got the answers ♪
♪ I felt the pain,
I can attest it ♪
♪ That's just the game,
and I respect it, yeah ♪
♪ 'Cause sometimes
it don't go your way ♪
♪ Sometimes ♪
♪ And sometimes you gon'
have those days, yeah ♪
♪ And sometimes
you'll feel out of place ♪
♪ You can't promise me
it'll be the same, no ♪
♪ 'Cause sometimes change ♪
-♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
♪♪♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
-♪ 'Cause sometimes change ♪
♪♪♪
-If you have any doubt
about the global impact
of the Black Lives Matter
movement,
you need only look to France.
There, one woman's
tireless pursuit of justice
for her brother
has fueled an unprecedented
public reckoning
with racial injustice.
Our next Guardian of the year,
Assa Traoré.
-[ Speaking French ]
-Thousands marched
into a Paris suburb
to remember Adama Traoré,
who died at the hands
of French police four years ago.
-Coming up, the ultimate
recognition of influence --
the Time Person of the Year.
.
-In business, we're always
chasing the next big disruption,
but this year, it came to us.
The past 12 months
have altered the landscape
in dramatic
and challenging ways,
yet as often occurs
during a crisis,
new technologies emerge
not simply to meet the moment,
but to dictate the future.
Zoom is, without a doubt, that
kind of transformational force.
It has not only reinvented
the modern workplace,
but reshaped how we communicate
in all spheres of life.
Here's Stephanie Ruhle
to lead a special Zoom chat
with the Time Business Person
of the Year, Eric Yuan.
-Eric, the year 2020 has turned
Zoom into a global phenomenon.
Take us inside the last year
for your life.
-As a pastor,
to be able to use Zoom
allows us to still
have service together.
-I had students that were almost
in depressive states,
and they have all said, "I don't
know what I would have done
without this type of connection
when we shut down."
-I've been able to continue
to work on a regular basis.
-We got married on Zoom.
-This provided pregnant women
a very safe way
to get the care that they need
throughout their pregnancy.
Never did I think
that I would have the ability
to work from home
until a pandemic hit.
-Eric, was it hard for you
to get to a place
where you felt like doctors
could see patients securely
using the platform?
As a tech entrepreneur,
do you believe
you have a larger responsibility
to do something better,
greater for society?
Thank you so much for joining
me, and congratulations.
What a year you've had.
-We go down on Zoom
to talk with friends.
-Felt like a lifeline.
-Birthday parties.
-My Bar Mitzvah.
-Opening different worlds.
-Whole new world.
-Very thankful.
-Thank you, Zoom.
-Thank you.
-Gracias, Zoom!
-The next Guardian has led
America's
infectious disease response
for more than three decades,
on both sides of the aisle.
This year, he faced perhaps
his greatest challenge yet,
but he responded
as he always has --
with a clear,
unwavering commitment
to the scientific truth.
The next Guardian of the Year,
Dr. Anthony Fauci.
-Fire Fauci!
Fire Fauci!
-When you get something
as emotionally charged
as a major public health event,
the people who are looking
for somebody to get angry with
make me the symbol
and they hate me.
Do they hate Tony Fauci?
They don't even know
who Tony Fauci is.
-The nation's top doctor.
-Top expert.
-Dr. Anthony Fauci.
-I became very interested
in infectious diseases
because you can prevent them
and you can treat them.
And I was fascinated by science,
that you could discover
unknown things.
Everything I do now
I'm intensively interested in
and I'm really good at it.
We're dealing with clearly
an emerging infectious disease.
-Fueling fears of a pandemic.
-She is COVID positive.
-I'm declaring
a public health emergency.
-We turn to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
-Is the worst yet to come,
Dr. Fauci?
-Yes, things will get worse.
When you get something
like COVID-19,
it has the potential
of running wild.
-Surpassing 1 million deaths.
-That's the chilling aspect
of an evolving outbreak.
Every day we learn...
The actual virological aspect
is unprecedented,
but the impact on society
is unprecedented.
-Enormous economic,
psychological implications.
-It would,
but it would be temporary.
Things change
and evolve rapidly.
And you can't get frozen
in a state of saying,
"I think I know
everything about this,"
because you're gonna
get surprised for sure.
-No more masks!
No more masks!
-Now instead of worrying solely
about developing vaccines,
Dr. Fauci finds himself forced
to defend science itself.
-The one thing
you don't want to do is guess.
The world is craving clarity,
honesty,
courage to stick up
for what's right.
I served six presidents,
and I have never...
You want to base what you say
on scientific data.
Public health knows no politics.
You're just driven by the truth.
♪♪♪
-When we return, a moment
365 days in the making --
Bruce Springsteen announces
Time's Person of the Year.
.
-Good evening.
The events of 2020
have changed us
in ways that were unthinkable
until this year.
A once-in-a-generation health
crisis has rocked our lives
while also demonstrating the
resilience of the human spirit.
A rallying cry for justice
and equality
has rung out around the world.
And across the nation,
a record number of Americans
made their voice heard,
making history along the way.
For nearly 100 years,
Time has named
the Person of the Year.
In 2020, the
Time Person of the Year is...
President-elect Joe Biden
and Vice President-elect
Kamala Harris.
-Time has always had a special
connection to the presidency.
Every elected president
since FDR
has been Person of the Year
at some point during their term.
This is the first time we've
also named a vice president
as Person of the Year.
The Biden-Harris ticket
represents something historic.
-Thank you for the honor.
-Thank you very much. Thank you.
-Person of the Year is not
just about the year that was,
but about where we're headed.
And the next four years
are going to be
an enormous test of them
and all of us to see
whether they can bring about
the unity they've promised.
Do you think this is a do-or-die
moment for democracy?
-This moment was
one of those do-or-die moments.
Had Trump won, I think we would
have changed the nature
of who we are as a country
for a long time.
♪♪♪
-You have always been
so action-oriented.
-Yeah.
-So, what is the first thing
that you want to do
in that role?
-We're at a moment
where we're being confronted
by many crises
that have converged.
We're talking about
a public-health crisis.
We are in the midst
of an economic crisis,
a long overdue reckoning
on racial injustice,
and a climate crisis.
We got a lot of things
that we need to handle,
and we multitask
to address them all.
-Biden was running on a message
of unity and healing
at a moment when the country
was sicker and more divided
than almost any time
in American history.
-Four more years!
Four more years!
-This obviously was
an election like no other,
a campaign like no other.
-The question is --
-...new Supreme Court Justice.
-The question --
-Radical left.
-Will you shut up, man?
-Who is your -- Listen.
-The country's in deep trouble,
and Donald Trump
was just a symptom
to reveal how deep
the trouble actually is.
-You will not replace us!
You will not replace us!
-Joe Biden saw what happened
in Charlottesville
as a symptom
of a deeper American disease
that only he could fix.
-I am convinced
that the American public
is looking for the possibilities
that are available out there.
They know we're so much better
than this.
When I ran, I said, this is
about who we are as a nation,
who we're going to be,
what we want to be.
The American people stepped up.
[ Crowd cheering ]
-It starts at the top,
and if you see a divisive
leader, it trickles down.
-The worst job of any governor.
Fake news media.
-The words
of a president matter.
Whether they're good presidents
or bad, they matter.
When I first announced
my candidacy,
what I got most criticized for
was I said
we had to unite America,
that we weren't going to respond
to hate with hate,
had to restore
the soul of the country.
And I never came off
that message
because that's my objective.
-The promise
of a Biden candidacy
was always
about turning the clock back
to a sort of gentler,
more civil, more decent time
in American politics.
But the divisions don't end
when the election does.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-What a testament it is
to Joe's character
that he had the audacity
to break one
of the most substantial barriers
that exists in our country
and select a woman
as his vice president.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Kamala takes us
to that next chapter
from the moment
she walked across that stage --
she is someone that
we've never seen before
in one of the top two jobs
in the country.
-I get frustrated
'cause dozens of nations
have had women
in their highest offices --
we have not.
And I'm proud
that he made it plain early
that, "I'm going to choose a
woman to be my vice president."
And in that boom, he's now
changed American history.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
-And I looked for someone who,
if, in fact,
something happened to me,
I knew they could take over,
and that's Kamala.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Look,
she is straight as an arrow.
She is really, really bright.
She is tough, but yet she has
a heart that understands
what it's like to be
on the other side of prejudice.
-This is a moment in time
that is requiring us to fight.
Joe understands that we have
different life experiences,
but we also have an incredible
amount of shared values --
we both have spent our entire
careers in public service.
And I think that's
what makes ours
a full and very robust
partnership.
♪♪♪
-Some of the criticisms of him
were of whether
the black community
could trust him
to look after their interests,
and so putting the first
African-American woman
on a presidential ticket
was a way of repairing
that breach, in some ways.
-We want
to see it for what it is,
because Kamala Harris --
it's important that she's there,
but we need to see policies.
We need to understand
the limitations
of a certain kind of
representational politics.
They're going to have to address
the fundamental inequality
at the heart of the country.
And then they're going to
have to figure out
how to finally rid us
of this belief
that white people matter
more than others.
-What do you say
to black Americans, immigrants,
others who feel victimized
by the Trump administration
and have no interest in uniting
with Trump supporters?
-When George Floyd occurred,
I was cautioned
by some really smart people,
you know,
"Don't go out and talk about
racial inequity,
systematic racism.
Don't mention it because
you can lose the suburbs."
My argument all along was
the American people
do want to see justice,
and they understood things
were out of whack
and they had to change them.
-...united,
we'll never be divided!
-This was a pandemic election,
and we have to realize
that we got victory here
because the most oppressed
and suppressed voters
fought like hell
to make it happen.
-Part of what I think settles
some of these questions
is to work your behinds off
for a more just America.
-I don't think there's ever been
a president and vice president
to take office in a moment
like this
where we don't
just disagree on issues --
we disagree on basic facts.
What happens
to the American experiment
in this kind of chaos?
-None of us should be waiting
on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
to fix everything.
We are the people
for this moment.
-The goal
is a more just America,
and people
cannot only dream dreams,
but can make those dreams
a reality.
-You know,
my mother had many sayings,
but one of them was,
"While you may be
the first to do many things,
make sure you're not the last."
That's about legacy.
That's about creating a pathway.
That's about leaving
the door more open
than it was when you walked in.
-I think this is
an opportunity to establish
that out of our diversity comes
enormous, enormous strength.
We're seeing
all over this nation,
all cities
and all parts of the country --
indeed, across the world --
an outpouring of joy, of hope,
renewed faith
in tomorrow --
bring a better day.
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪♪