Viral Biden-Loving Security Guard Is First to Nominate Him

Jacquelyn Brittany gives first nominating speech at DNC
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 19, 2020 4:20 AM CDT
Security Guard Whose Love for Biden Went Viral Is First to Nominate Him
In this image from video, elevator operator Jacquelyn Asbie speaks during the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020.   (Democratic National Convention via AP)

The New York Times security guard who went viral after telling Joe Biden how much she loves him ended up being the first person to formally nominate him as the Democratic presidential contender at the second night of the DNC. Jacquelyn Brittany was escorting Biden to a Times editorial board meeting in December when she told him, during their elevator ride, "I love you," CNN reports. She added, per Politico, that he was her favorite, and the two took a selfie together. Biden was seeking the newspaper's endorsement at the time. "Joe Biden wasn't endorsed by the @nytimes editorial board," Biden's campaign press secretary tweeted Tuesday. "But he left their Manhattan office w/ the support of @_Jacquelyn2020, who spoke for working people across America that day. Tonight, she will nominate him for President of the United States."

"I take powerful people up on my elevator all the time,” Brittany, who supports Biden on her Twitter account, said during her nominating speech. “When they get off, they go to their important meetings. Me, I just head back to the lobby. But in the short time I spent with Joe Biden, I could tell he really saw me.” She called him, per the Washington Post, her friend. She tells the paper she's long followed his career: "I just like Joe. I’ve always liked him." And when she encountered him at the Times building, she didn't realize their meeting would be filmed for the paper's weekly cable show. "Once he came in, he was just genuinely, genuinely nice to people. We don’t get that from everybody," she says. She waited to speak until an aide urged her to and Biden himself said hi, at which point she let loose: "I love you. I do. You’re like my favorite," she said. Her one regret? Using the word "like." (More Election 2020 stories.)

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