Joe Biden formally clinched the Democratic presidential nomination on Friday, setting him up against President Donald Trump for the American presidency in a season of great uncertainty.

Nothing is sure at the moment in the US. There is the global COVID-19 pandemic which has dealt a severe blow on the country’s  economic and social life. And now there is civil unrest which is shaking the country to its foundations . It was caused by the gruesome murder by the police of a black man in their custody.

“It was an honor to compete alongside one of the most talented groups of candidates the Democratic party has ever fielded,and I am proud to say that we are going into this general election a united party,” Biden said on Friday night.

The achievement was however mere  formality since  Biden had become the presumptive nominee when his main rival, Bernie Sanders quit the race in April.

The former Vice President now has 1,993 delegates, with contests still to come in eight states and three US territories.

Biden spent 36 years in the Senate before becoming Barack Obama’s vice president. This is his third bid for the presidency and his success in capturing the Democratic nomination was driven by strong support from black voters.

He has been viewed by many critics as a representative of the Democratic status quo which has been greatly vilified by radicals within the party like Sanders.