Last night, Joe Biden capped off the final evening of the Democratic National Convention with a rousing speech that has won praise from the left and right... but not Donald Trump.

The 77-year-old Democratic presidential candidate spoke eloquently and optimistically about his promise for nation's future, telling viewers from the beginning that, "The current president has cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger. Too much fear. Too much division."

Biden continued: "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 will be an ally of the light not of the darkness.

"It's time for us, for We the People, to come together."

Biden's full speech can be seen below:

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Biden then told the people of the US that "united we can, and will, overcome this season of darkness in America."

During his address, Biden also tackled several ongoing and critical issues the nation is facing, describing the current climate as "one of the most difficult moments America has ever faced."

He continued: "The worst pandemic in over 100 years. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The most compelling call for racial justice since the 60s. And the undeniable realities and accelerating threats of climate change.

"So, the question for us is simple: are we ready? I believe we are."

Per the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, there have been over 174,200 deaths as a result of COVID-19 - the highest of any country in the world.

And in an effort to connect with the millions that have been affected by the grief the disease has caused, Biden spoken openly about his own personal loss:

"I know how it feels to lose someone you love. I know that deep black hole that opens up in your chest. That you feel your whole being is sucked into it. I know how mean and cruel and unfair life can be sometimes.

"But I've learned two things.

"First, your loved ones may have left this Earth but they never leave your heart. They will always be with you.

"And second, I found the best way through pain and loss and grief is to find purpose.

"As God's children each of us have a purpose in our lives. And we have a great purpose as a nation."

Biden then tackled one of the nation's biggest open wounds - systemic racism and the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Recalling an interaction he had with George Floyd's daughter, Gianna, Biden swore to "root out our systemic racism. He said:

"I met with six-year old Gianna Floyd, a day before her Daddy George Floyd was laid to rest. She is incredibly brave.

"I'll never forget. When I leaned down to speak with her, she looked into my eyes and said 'Daddy, changed the world'.

"Her words burrowed deep into my heart.

"Maybe George Floyd's murder was the breaking point. Maybe John Lewis' passing the inspiration.

"However it has come to be, America is ready to in John's words, to lay down 'the heavy burdens of hate at last' and to do the hard work of rooting out our systemic racism."

Biden ended his speech by saying: "May history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight as love and hope and light joined in the battle for the soul of the nation."

And Biden's address certainly won praise from both sides of politics. Hilary Clinton tweeted to her followers:

"What a speech tonight! Congratulations to the man who has lived a determined life full of dignity and devotion to his family and to his country. @JoeBiden will lead us out of the darkness and restore the soul of America. Let’s go win this thing."

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Former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders, Briahna Joy Gray, also praised the evening as a whole, writing: "They did a really good job tonight for a party indifferent to the progressive vote."

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Several conservative commentators also praised Biden, with conservative host Laura Ingraham, speaking on Fox News, saying that despite being "devoid of any policy other than universal masking", Biden "delivered a good speech for what he was doing, it was very emotional stuff [...] It was very well delivered."

In addition, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace said Biden's "enormously effective" speech "blew a hole" in Trump's repeated characterization that he is a candidate in decline. Wallace added: "It seems to me that after tonight Donald Trump is going to have to run against a candidate, not a caricature."

But Donald Trump was not impressed...

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Tweeting to his followers, Trump said: "In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks. He will never change, just words!"

President Joe Biden has condemned the surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Thursday night, Biden, 78, spoke about the harassment and scapegoating endured by the Asian community in the US over the past year in his first national primetime address as president.

The speech marked one year since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

Biden remarked that "too often, we've turned against one another."

He said during this tough time, there should be solidarity among Americans but instead, there have been extended periods of hostility and violence.

Biden said there have been "vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans who've been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated."

"At this very moment, so many of them, our fellow Americans, are on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives and still are forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America. It's wrong, it's un-American, and it must stop," he added.

In January, the Democrat signed a memorandum denouncing the targeting of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community over the past year, per NBC.

As reported by NBC, lawmakers stated on Thursday that they planned to reintroduce a bill proposing to increase support for law enforcement agencies to focus on prejudice and discrimination during the pandemic.

"We've seen the horrifying consequences of racist language as AAPI communities across our country experience hate crimes and violence related to the pandemic," Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, who helped spearhead the bill, said in a statement.

"The bill also provides resources for communities to come together and fight intolerance and hate. This is no less than victims deserve."

Interestingly, 2020 saw an overall reduction in hate crimes - and yet hate crimes related to the Asian community soared by almost 150% in big cities, according to a report. The increase was mostly seen in New York City and Los Angeles.

The general decrease in hate crimes most likely came as a result of lockdowns and quarantining across the country, meaning that people have a lot less contact with those in other households.

However, with Covid-19's association with Wuhan in China and former President Trump's dubbing the disease the "China Virus", hate crimes have mainly been targeting people of East Asian descent.

Featured image credit: PA Images

A matter of hours before President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump announced their positive COVID-19 diagnoses, rival Joe Biden took to social media to slam the President's response to the pandemic.

In the early hours of this morning (October 2), Trump took to Twitter to reveal that he and wife Melania have tested positive for COVID-19.

Initially, Trump had taken to Twitter to inform his 86.5 million followers that one of his top aides, Hope Hicks, had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Trump wrote:

"Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!"

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Then, approximately two hours later, 74-year-old Trump confirmed that he and the First Lady, 50, had both tested positive and will continue quarantining:

"Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!"

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Somewhat ironically, just a few hours prior to President Trump revealing on social media that he and the first lady had tested positive, the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee called out the POTUS, slamming Trump's "failed COVID-19 response".

Tweeting to his 10.1 million followers, 77-year-old Biden wrote:

"Donald Trump will do everything he can to distract from the fact that because of his failed COVID-19 response:

- Over 200,000 Americans have died
- 26 million are on unemployment
- 1 in 6 small businesses risk permanent closure

We can’t let him."

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Biden is yet to comment on Donald and Melania Trump's diagnosis.

Hours before receiving the positive diagnosis, Trump was interviewed by Fox News' Sean Hannity, as he and his wife awaited their results.

"I just went out for a test [...] it will come back later I guess, and the first lady also because we spend a lot of time with Hope," Trump said.

Trump then told Hannity about how difficult it is social distance due to the many uniformed personnel he meets on a daily basis. The POTUS told Hannity:

"It's very hard when you're with soldiers, when you are with airmen, when you're with the Marines, and the police officers, I'm with them so much.

"And when they come over to you, it's hard to say, 'stay back, stay back.' You know, it's a tough kind of a situation, it's a terrible thing."

The President concluded by saying: "I just went for a test, and we'll see what happens. I mean, who knows [...] I was surprised to hear with Hope, but she's a very warm person with them."

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First Lady Melania has also taken to social media to comment on the news, writing to her 15.1 million Twitter followers:

"As too many Americans have done this year, @potus & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19.

"We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together."

Responding to the concerning news, Sean Conley, the physician to the president, has since written in a memo to the White House press secretary.

In his statement, Conley confirms that both Donald and Melania Trump are well, and will be under a "vigilant watch" from medical professionals.

"The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence," Conley wrote, adding:

"The White House medical team and I will maintain a vigilant watch, and I appreciate the support provided by some of our country’s greatest medical professionals and institutions.

"Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments."

Per Fox News, White House spokesman Judd Deere has also said in a statement that Donald Trump "takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously."

Deere added:

"White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the President is traveling."

According to the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Research Center, there has been 7,278,385 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, resulting in 207,808 deaths (as of this writing.

Joe Biden has officially announced that he will not be seeking reelection in November - actively withdrawing from the 2024 presidential election.

The bombshell announcement leaves the nation in unchartered territory, as the Democrat party must now select a candidate to go up against former POTUS Donald Trump.

On Sunday (July 21), Biden issued the following statement to his official X account, detailing how he will be standing down from the race to the White House. The 81-year-old's full statement can be read below:

"My Fellow Americans,

"Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.

"Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We've made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We've provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years.

"Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.

"I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We've protected and preserved our Democracy. And we've revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.

"I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.

"For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.

"I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can't do - when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America."

Joe Biden's presidential debate against Donald Trump last month that sparked huge concern from his supporters, and led to more and more calls for the President to stand down for the interest of his party.

Biden had attempted to blame his performance on his hectic schedule, saying at a private fundraiser: "I decided to travel around the world a couple of times... shortly before the debate... I didn’t listen to my staff... and then I almost fell asleep on stage."

But others have not been convinced.

According to BBC News, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are both reported to have met Biden individually to express concerns.

Top stars, such as George Clooney, also openly called for Biden to stand down and withdraw from the race for the White House.

Writing in an op-ed for the New York Times, the actor said: "I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he’s faced.

"But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time."

Featured image credit: Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images

President-elect Joe Biden has excoriated Donald Trump over his refusal to concede in a scathing attack that came hours after the Electoral College officially sealed Biden's victory.

Per NBC News, Biden said the election, which Trump and his supporters have attempted to overturn with numerous failed legal challenges, was "honest, free and fair."

Watch as Trump teases a run in 2024 at the White House Christmas party:

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Calling attacks on the election and election officials "simply unconscionable," Biden described Trump's attempts to overturn the result of the presidential election an "abuse of power."

"In America, politicians don't take power — the people grant it to them," Biden said. "The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing, not even a pandemic — or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame."

"In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed," He continued.

"We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains intact. And so, now it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal." 

The Democrat once again vowed to be a president "for all Americans", telling America that his priorities were "delivering immediate economic help" and getting the pandemic under control.

"I will work just as hard for those of you who didn't vote for me as I will for those who did. There is urgent work in front of all of us," Biden said.

"Getting the pandemic under control to getting the nation vaccinated against this virus. Delivering immediate economic help so badly needed by so many Americans who are hurting today — and then building our economy back better than ever."

This comes days after Trump was labelled "Loser of the Year" by respected German news magazine Der Spiegel.

According to Huffington Post, a portion of the article states that Trump was, "never concerned with the common good, but always with one thing — himself.”

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“Nothing is normal under Trump,” the article continues. "He refuses to admit defeat. Instead, he speaks of massive electoral fraud, although there is no evidence for it. The whole thing is not surprising. Trump’s presidency ends as it began: Without decency and without dignity."