‘I nominate my friend’: Security guard who once told Joe Biden ‘I love you’ helps secure his candidacy
A security guard who once blurted out “I love you” to Joe Biden in an elevator was the first person to nominate him as the Democrats’ presidential candidate on Tuesday.
Jacquelyn Brittany, who works at the New York Times, first met Mr Biden when the former VP was attending an editorial board meeting at the publication’s Manhattan office in December.
Jacquelyn, who did not wish to give her surname (Brittany is her middle name), struck up a conversation with Mr Biden while escorting him to the meeting, in an exchange that was captured on video and later went viral.
“I love you. I do. You’re like my favourite,” Jacquelyn told Mr Biden, in footage aired as part of the NYT’s TV series ‘The Weekly’, and subsequently circulated on social media.
Eight months later, Jacquelyn gave the first speech nominating Mr Biden as a presidential candidate on day two of the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
“I take powerful people up on my elevator all the time,” Jacquelyn said, in her pre-recorded speech. “In the short time I spent with Joe Biden, I could tell he really saw me. That he actually cared, that my life meant something to him.
“Nominating someone like that to be in the White House is a good place to start,” Jacquelyn added, referencing the challenges that lay ahead for the next president.
“That is why I nominate my friend, Joe Biden, as the next president of the United States.”
Jacquelyn previously told the Washington Post, which first broke the news she would be appearing at the event, that she was overwhelmed at being the first person to nominate Biden.
“I never thought I would be in a position to do this,” she said. “I never thought I was worthy enough to do this.”
Tuesday’s convention also included speeches from the party’s elder statesmen as well as its up-and-coming stars.
New York lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said millions “are looking for deep systemic solutions to our crises of mass evictions, unemployment and lack of healthcare,” as she called on Americans to oust Donald Trump from the White House.
Former president Bill Clinton launched a blistering attack on the president, calling out his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and record on the economy.
Day three of the virtual DNC will feature speeches from former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and House speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
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Joe Biden officially nominated as Democratic presidential candidate
