WASHINGTON — The Democratic Party in the United States formally nominated Joe Biden for president on the second night of the party’s virtual convention on Tuesday.

Biden, the former vice president under President Barack Obama, became his party's nominee on Tuesday night in a pre-recorded roll call vote from delegates in all 50 states.

This is Biden's third White House bid, having formerly run in 1988 and 2008. The 77-year-old's campaign appeared to be in danger of collapse back in February this year.

Two Democratic former presidents, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, endorsed Biden.

The official nomination elevates a historic ticket that includes his vice presidential running mate Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to be nominated for national office by a major party.

Speaking at the convention, former President Clinton said President Donald Trump had brought "chaos" to the Oval Office.

"If you want a president who defines the job as spending hours a day watching TV and zapping people on social media, he’s your man," Clinton said of Trump.

"At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it’s a storm center. There’s only chaos. Just one thing never changes — his determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame," the former president added.

The 95-year-old Carter, who has been in poor health, said: "Joe has the experience, character, and decency to bring us together and restore America’s greatness ... Joe Biden must be our next president."

Colin Powell, who served as George W Bush's secretary of state, said Biden would "be a president we will all be proud to salute.

"With Joe Biden in the White House, you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries — never the other way around.

"He will trust our diplomats and our intelligence community, not the flattery of dictators and despots." — Agencies