The speech was Biden’s typical affair, complete with his trademark gaffes, including when he said “Women are now without electrical- not allowed- not without electric- electo-toral or political power.” However, it is questionable if many people managed to stay awake for the speech, which started late into the night and did not conclude until after midnight on the East Coast.
While the hourly ratings have yet to be released (in total, 20 million people are said to have watched at least part of the convention across 13 networks monitored by Nielsen) it is not an unreasonable concern, particularly for the segment of the population Biden still appeals to. In June, before he dropped out of the presidential race, Biden was polling better than Republican candidate Donald Trump with the over 65 voting bloc, a rarity for Democratic presidential candidates.
Perhaps Biden should have been more considerate of his older fans when picking his time slot for his speech. In July, as calls for Biden to drop out reached a fever pitch, Biden reportedly told Democratic governors that he needed to get more sleep and work fewer hours, including abstaining from events after 8 pm.
Or maybe Biden was trying to do one last favor for the American people in his farewell speech. 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep disorder, and a midnight Joe Biden speech could be the perfect remedy.