Biden spoke openly in his White House about his difficulties as a young man and his ongoing struggle with the speech impediment during his career in the public office.
In his conversation with Biden, Harrington said, the former vice president offered tips to help overcome his stutter – including showing him “how to mark his addresses to make them easier to say.”
Harrington gave a copy of his own annotated speech, saying, ‘I did the same thing today, and now I’m talking to you today about the future. About our future. ”
Harrington issued an impressive distinction from Biden emphasizing the candidate’s empathy and the importance of choosing someone “who will make our country and the world feel better.”
‘I’m just a normal kid, and in [a] In a short time, Joe Biden has made me more confident about something that has been with me all my life, ”he said. Joe Biden worried. Imagine what he could do for all of us. ”
Reactions to Harrington’s comments on social media were overwhelmingly positive, with veteran news anchor Dan Rather tweetjen that the teen had proved “Pure, unvarnished, courage” by his remarks.
“Thank you Brayden,” added Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon.
Praise for Harrington spread across the political corridor. “Away to go, Brayden!” tweeted Kellyanne Conway, the adviser to President Donald Trump.
John Hendrickson, a senior editor for The Atlantic who stuttered and chronicled Biden’s challenges with stuttering in an article last year, congratulated Harrington and noted “how he fights for breathing” in his speech.
“Stuttering takes so much air out of you,” Hendrickson tweeted. “You might hear that Biden is a little bit later in this way.”
Harrington’s speech came after former Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona, who also has difficulty speaking, addressed the convention on Wednesday night. Giffords thanked Harrington on Thursday.
“Speaking is hard for me too, Brayden,” tweeted Giffords, a prominent gun control lawyer who was shot in the head in 2011 by a murderer.
‘But as you know, exercise and purpose help. Thank you for your courage and for the great speech! ”
