13-year-old who bonded with Biden on campaign trail over stutter delivers DNC speech
Brayden Harrington, a 13-year-old New Hampshire boy who called himself "a regular kid" gave a powerful address in a primetime speaking slot Thursday at the Democratic National Convention about how he bonded with Joe Biden on the campaign trail. "About a few months ago, I met him in New Hampshire and he told me we are members of the same club. We stutter," Brayden said, stumbling over his words.
Biden has spoken about overcoming a stutter as a child — and one of the videos at the DNC mentioned people who mocked him for his stutter. Brayden met Biden at a CNN town hall in New Hampshire in February after a college student asked him about his stutter.
At the town hall, Biden told Brayden "it has nothing to do with your intelligence quotient. It has nothing to do with your intellectual makeup." Biden said he didn't receive professional help for his stutter, but instead said he would practice in front of the mirror for hours. He said his mother would tell him, "Joey, don't let this define you. Joey, remember who you are. Joey, you can do it."
According to CNN, Biden asked for Brayden's phone number and said he would check in. On Thursday, Brayden spoke in front of a Biden campaign sign.
"It was really amazing to hear that someone like me became vice president," Brayden said, stumbling on the last word. "He told me about a book of poems by Yeats he would read aloud to practice."
Brayden said Biden told him that he marks his speeches to make them easier to say out loud, and Brayden said he had done the same thing for this speech.
"Joe Biden cared," Brayden said. "Imagine what he could do for all of us. Kids like me are counting on you to elect someone we can all look up to. Someone who cares. Someone who will make the country and the world feel better. We're counting on you to elect Joe Biden."
Brayden was one of many the Democrats had speak during the convention about resilience and their support for Biden. Gabby Giffords on Wednesday highlighted her long road to recovery since being shot in the head in 2011, while Kristin Urquiza spoke about her 65-year-old father's death from COVID-19, and 11-year-old Estela Juraez spoke Wednesday about her mother being deported.