Colin Powell says Joe Biden 'will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries' in DNC speech

Colin Powell speaks at 2020 DNC

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke in support of Joe Biden on the second night of the all-virtual Democratic National Convention.

LOS ANGELES - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Joe Biden on the second night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, adding his voice to a list of notable Republicans who have made appearances at the all-virtual event in opposition to President Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 election.

“With Joe Biden in the White House, we will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries — never the other way around,” Powell said Tuesday night in taped remarks.

Powell, the former cabinet member under Republican President George W. Bush, cited his shared values with Biden.

“Our country needs a commander-in-chief who takes care of our troops in the same way he would his own family,” Powell said. “For Joe Biden, that doesn’t need teaching. It comes from the experience he shares with millions of military families, sending his beloved son off to war and praying to God he would come home safe.”

Powell also sought to draw an implicit contrast between Biden and Trump, without naming the president.

He said that Biden “will trust our diplomats and our intelligence community, not the flattery of dictators and despots.”

“(Joe Biden) will make it his job to know when anyone dares to threaten us. He will stand up to our adversaries with strength and experience,” Powell added. “He will restore America’s leadership in the world, and restore the alliances we need to address the dangers of our nation.”

When are the 2020 presidential debates?

With many of the usual staples of presidential campaign politics scrapped because of the pandemic, the debates between President Trump and Joe Biden likely will take on outsized importance.

Powell also lamented that “today we have a country divided, and we have a president doing everything in his power to make us that way, to keep us that way.”

Powell served as secretary of state from 2001 until 2005, and served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under both Bush and Democratic President Bill Clinton.

While Powell did not originally appear on the schedule for the convention, his endorsement comes alongside that of fellow Republican leaders, including former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who endorsed the Democratic presidential nominee at the DNC on Monday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.