Bill Clinton’s shaky voice and hands stuns DNC viewers as former president, 78, says he doesn’t have many more conventions left
Bill Clinton joked during his speech at the DNC Wednesday night that he didn’t have many conventions left. Many on social media commented that his voice and hands were shaking the entire time.
Clinton, 78, reflected some of the relief on the floor of the Democratic National Convention Wednesday when he said “a weight has been lifted off our shoulders” as he praised Kamala Harris and greeted the president Joe Biden before dropping out.
However, many on social media noted with one of his comments that Father Time has finally caught up to the man from Hope, Arkansas.
“I don’t know how many more of these I can go to,” he said. “I started in ’76 and I’ve been to every one since, no, ’72! Lord, I’m getting old.”
On the Internet, people seemed to agree, even those who thought the 42nd president spoke well for Kamala Harris and his party.
Bill Clinton joked that he didn’t have many conventions left during his speech at the DNC Wednesday night, as many on social media said his voice and hands were shaking the entire time
“What grave did they drag Clinton out of? He barely has a fucking vote,” wrote one user on X.
Another added: “Will Bill Clinton’s voice last the entire speech? He could turn this convention into a super spreader.”
“As a child of the 90s, it’s honestly quite shocking to see Bill Clinton now at this age, with a diminished voice,” wrote another.
Leslie Hailes wrote: ‘There isn’t enough Throat Coat in the US to amplify Bill Clinton’s voice.’
Even those who thought he was causing a stir couldn’t miss Clinton’s age during the largely improvised speech.
Justin Sherin said, “Bill Clinton is hoarse and slow-speaking and his hands shake, but as a speaker he is still unmatched. If you watch closely, you can see when he goes to the script and when he rewrites it on the spot. He speaks as if he is sitting in your living room. The master.”
Clinton noted that he just turned 78, making him the oldest in his family of four.
“And the only personal vanity I will claim is that I’m still younger than Donald Trump,” Clinton said. The quip underscored how Democrats can now use the age issue to their advantage after unseating the 81-year-old president who dominated the primaries.
“I don’t know how many more of these I can go to,” he said. “I started in ’76 and I’ve been to every one since, no, ’72! Lord, I’m getting old.”
Like Barack Obama, the Clintons had issued a statement supporting President Biden after his disastrous debate last month. But some of their ex-aides joined former Obama officials in calling for Biden’s replacement.
Clinton made the comment about the burden being lifted from him in a 28-minute speech in which he compared Biden to George Washington for giving in to calls to end his campaign while facing potential defeat in swing states to Donald Trump.
The former president once cited Barack Obama as “explainer in chief” after his 2012 speech to Congress drew praise for his persuasiveness. He also bored convention-goers with his 1988 speech.
This time, he peppered his case for Kamala Harris with stories about the candidate herself. (He once mispronounced her name during his speech.)
Clinton referenced his past as a gluttonous fast-food eater to defend Kamala Harris at the Democratic convention.
Harris has told voters through her campaign that she spent part of her youth working at McDonald’s, a contrast to billionaire Donald Trump, the scion of a real estate empire.
Many of the delegates and even speakers were young when Clinton’s own high-cholesterol habits became a media sensation. He chewed his way through his surprise 1992 campaign victory, occasionally trying to jog off the calories.
That was long before he had quadruple bypass surgery and adopted a vegan diet, which helped him lose weight.
Clinton praised Harris and took a few jabs at Trump — though they were often milder than the jibes of Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.