DNC 2020 Highlights: Biden Officially Nominated As Democratic Candidate; Clinton Calls Trump A 'Bully'

Joe Biden officially became the Democratic Party's candidate for president Tuesday evening, putting him in position to become the 46th U.S. president on Nov. 3.

Biden's nomination at the virtual Democratic National Convention might have been unconventional, but it went off without a hitch. He reached the required 1,991 votes at 10:20 p.m. EST when the delegation from his home state of Delaware cast all its 32 votes for him.

A delighted Biden took off his mask and rose from his seat in a school library in Wilmington, Del. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Biden after the roll call vote that gave him a shot at the presidency.

Biden and runner-up Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., were nominated. Sanders received more than 1,000 delegates based on the results of the primaries but pledged his support to the winning nominee.

Biden's accomplishment was hailed by the person who knows him best, wife Jill Biden. A former teacher speaking from her old classroom, she steered clear of the politics and focused on the man who has overcome countless personal tragedies thoughout his 77 years.

"How do you make a broken family whole? The same way you make a nation whole. With love and understanding," Jill Biden said. "The same way you make a nation whole: with love and understanding, and with small acts of compassion; with bravery; with unwavering faith."

Before Biden accepted the nomination, former President Bill Clinton assailed the “chaos” created by President Donald Trump and his administration. He called Trump "a bully" and accused him of downplaying the COVID-19 pandemic and of collapsing under the pressure of the pandemic.

“At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center,” said Clinton. “Instead, it’s a storm center. There’s only chaos. Just one thing never changes -- his determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame. The buck never stops there.”

In jest, Clinton said voters can support Trump if “you want a president who defines the job as spending hours a day watching TV and zapping people on social media.”

Clinton, whose wife Hillary lost the 2016 presidential election despite receiving more than 3 million votes than Trump, completely backs Biden as “a go-to-work president. A down-to-earth, get-the-job-done guy.”

Also endorsing and voting for Biden is Colin Powell, a former secretary of state under President George W. Bush and a decorated military veteran. Powell, a Republican, is certain Biden will support its allies over its enemies, a thinly veiled swipe at Trump's controversial relationship with Russia.

“With Joe Biden in the White House, you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries -- never the other way around,” Powell pointed out. “He will trust our diplomats and our intelligence community, not the flattery of dictators and despots.”

Powell also said the U.S. needs a commander-in-chief who will take care of its troops "in the same way he would his own family. For Joe Biden, that doesn’t need teaching. It comes from the experience he shares with millions of military families -- sending his beloved son off to war and praying to God he would come home safe.”

In another attempt to reach across party lines, Cindy McCain, the widow of longtime Republican Senator John McCain, spoke of her late husband’s unlikely friendship with Biden. She joins a long list of GOP members who are backing Biden over Trump.

John Kerry, former secretary of state under President Barack Obama, condemned Trump for placing his own personal interests above the national interest. "Donald Trump pretends Russia didn’t attack our elections," said Kerry. "And now, he does nothing about Russia putting a bounty on our troops. So he won’t defend our country. He doesn’t know how to defend our troops. The only person he’s interested in defending is himself."

"This is the bottom line: Our interests, our ideals, and our brave men and women in uniform can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump," said Kerry.

He also harshly assailed Trump's foreign policy, saying that when Trump goes overseas, "it isn’t a goodwill mission, it’s a blooper reel."

The theme of calling out Trump continued after Monday's opening night takedown by former First Lady Michelle Obama. Trump responded to her comments Tuesday, breaking from the past tradition of staying silent during the opposing party’s convention.

Expect more of the same Wednesday, when Barack Obama will deliver the keynote speech about his former vice president. Biden’s vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris also will take the stage.