Pick-ups, coolers, picnics and children sitting on the roofs of the cars: it was almost like a real American “drive-in”, Saturday November 7, in the parking lot of the Chase Center in Wilmington, the city of Delaware where lies the future 46e President of the United States, Joe Biden, and where he gives his first speech since the announcement of his victory.
The idea of the “drive-in” was chosen to make it possible to respect the physical distancing measures, even if these instructions were not always respected: the crowd of jubilant guests – local elected officials, members of associations, insider knowledge of the Wilmington area – did everything to get as close as possible to the stage hosting the winning Democratic ticket.
As soon as the result was announced, thousands of people also gathered, along with the foreign press, outside the security perimeter of the Secret Service: Wilmington came out of its torpor. The inhabitants had followed the advice of the Democrats and patiently awaited the result at home, to avoid any overflow.
“I can breathe again”
The bright sun and the pleasant temperature prompted them to settle in early. A gigantic star-spangled banner floats in the sky with the wind. Some dance, others play music, all are masked. Happy, the pro-Biden especially said they were relieved to “To come out of four years of nightmare”. “I have the impression that I can breathe again, it has been very tense during these four years”, specifies James. “If Donald Trump had been re-elected, my sister and I would have moved to Canada, says Veronica, a young Latino woman who didn’t want to miss the rise of Kamala Harris for anything. As a woman of color, I am very proud. “
The vice-president-elect takes the microphone first – and you couldn’t imagine a better fireside chair. All dressed in white, acclaimed by a mixture of cheers and horns – “drive-in” obliges – her first words are for the Americans and for the late defender of civil rights John Lewis. Died on July 17, he said: “Democracy is not a state, it is an act. “ The quote sums up these very special 2020 elections, as voters overwhelmingly voted remotely to exercise their right in times of a pandemic. “Our country owes you a lot”, says Kamala Harris to her fellow citizens.
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