Former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell will appear at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday for the first time in his life, after endorsing 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Powell, who served under former Republican President George W. Bush, said that he believes Biden has what it takes to be president and to be the commander in chief. Powell is also an Army General who sits on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In a clip released ahead of his speech at the DNC, he endorsed Biden.
“The values I learned growing up in the South Bronx and serving in uniform, were the same values that Joe Biden’s parents instilled in him in Scranton, Pennsylvania,” Powell said in the clip, according to NBC. “I support Joe Biden for the presidency of the United States, because those values still define him.”
“And we need to restore those values to the White House,” Powell continued. “Our country needs a commander in chief who takes care of our troops in the same way he would his own family. But Joe Biden 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.”
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A number of former Republican officials and GOP voters spoke Monday, including Cindy McCain, the wife of former Arizona Sen. John McCain. Also, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, former New York Rep. Susan Molinari, Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney‘s 2012 adviser Meg Whitman who also advised California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman’s campaign in 2010. (RELATED: Cindy McCain Set To Appear In DNC Video Highlighting Husband’s Friendship With Biden)
The Democratic National Convention will take place from August 17 through August 20, 2020.