People

Everything You Need To Know About Joe Biden

Nisha Ray

November 19, 2020

Joseph Robinette Biden who goes by the name of Joe Biden, was born on November 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was the 47th vice president of the United States from 2009 up till 2017 in the Democratic administration of former president Barack Obama.
Biden received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware in 1965 and a law degree from Syracuse University in New York in 1968.
In 1966, he married Neilia Hunter, and the couple later had three children. He had met her on spring break in the Bahamas during his junior year of college.
He spent his childhood in Scranton, Philadelphia, before moving to Wilmington, Delaware when he was 10 years old. Unknown to most of us is the fact that he had a crippling stuttering problem for which his classmates at school mocked him for. They would call him ‘bye-bye’ when he attempted to say his last name. Little did they know he could become their potential president 60 years later.
Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972 at the age of 29, becoming the fifth youngest senator in history.
Unfortunately, a month after this his wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident, and his two sons were seriously injured. Although he contemplated suspending his political career, Biden was persuaded to join the Senate in 1973, and he went on to win re-election six times, becoming Delaware’s longest-serving senator.
In 1977 he married Jill Jacobs, an educator, and they later had a daughter. Amusingly, had to propose five times before she agreed to marry him. He even often proudly refers to himself as ‘Jill Biden’s husband’ and after securing the Democratic nomination he told an audience: “Just think of your favourite educator who gave you the confidence to believe in yourself, that’s the kind of First Lady Jill will be.”
Currently, in 2020, if Biden is elected, being 77, he would be the oldest president ever inaugurated.
Although his two sons survived the car crash of 1972, his oldest son Beau, died of brain cancer in 2015. Biden later announced that he would not enter the 2016 presidential election, noting that the family was still grieving. Instead, he campaigned for Hillary Clinton, who ultimately lost the election to Donald Trump.
Interesting fact, when he was on a second date with his first wife, Joe didn’t have enough money to pay the bill at the restaurant. Neilia then had to slip him a $20 under the table. Now times have changed when a lady can confidently pay for herself and her date with no hesitation.
In comments from 2016, he said: “My name is Joe Biden and I love ice cream.” He added: “I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. But I eat a lot of ice cream.”
While a student at the University of Delaware, he got probation for a prank in which he sprayed the dorm director with a fire extinguisher.
When he first met Neilia’s mother, she asked what he wanted to do for a living. Biden informed her he intended to become president of the United States. He was right on the dot!
He voted for the Iraq War in 2002, and was present at the White House when then-President George W. Bush signed the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. Biden has since called the vote a “mistake.”
In 2014, Joe Biden was listed as one of America’s least wealthy government officials, ranking 577 of 581.
In November 2012 Obama and Biden were re-elected for a second term, defeating the Republican ticket of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
As vice president, Biden played an active role in the administration, serving as an influential adviser to Obama and a vocal supporter of his initiatives. In addition, he was tasked with notable assignments, he helped avert several budget crises and played a key role in shaping U.S. policy in Iraq.
Biden remained involved in politics and was a vocal critic of his current opposition President Donald Trump. However, Biden himself faced censure when, in 2019, various women accused him of inappropriate physical contact, notably hugging and kissing. He denied any of these to be true claiming, “I’ve never been disrespectful intentionally to a man or a woman”.
In May 2014, Biden’s youngest son, Hunter, had joined the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company whose owner was being investigated in a corruption probe. Hunter Biden received monthly compensation of as much as $50,000 during his approximately five-year tenure. In December 2015, Vice President Biden was among many Western leaders calling for the ouster of Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin, over allegations that he was not rooting out corruption in the country. “My son did nothing wrong,” Biden said in October 2019. “I did nothing wrong.”
In 1974, he told a reporter that “when it comes to issues like abortion, I’m about as liberal as your grandmother. I don’t like the [Roe v. Wade] decision on abortion. I think it went too far. I don’t think that a woman has the sole right to say what should happen to her body.” In 1981, he voted for a constitutional amendment that would let states overturn Roe v. Wade. He has since reversed his position.
In a September 24 speech, Biden called Trump’s actions an “abuse of power” and said he would support impeachment if the president did not cooperate with Congress, a topic that took on additional urgency when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ignited impeachment proceedings that same day.
Presently, Joe Biden has been ahead of Donald Trump in most national polls since the start of the year. He has hovered around 50% in recent months and has had a 10-point lead on occasions.