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President Joseph R. Biden Jr
President Joseph R. Biden Jr
On a chilly January afternoon in 2021, amidst profound national turmoil, Joseph R. Biden Jr. stood on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, placed his hand on a hefty family Bible held by his wife Jill, and took the oath of office to become the 46th President of the United States. The scene was starkly different from inaugurations past: the National Mall was largely empty, save for flags representing absent spectators, a precaution due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Just two weeks earlier, the very Capitol steps where Biden now stood had been the site of violent insurrection. Now, as the oldest man ever to assume the presidency at 78, Biden addressed a nation in pain and disarray. He spoke of unity, of restoring the “soul of America,” and of overcoming the cascading crises at hand—pandemic, economic collapse, political division. The journey that brought Joe Biden to this pinnacle was long, winding, and marked by personal tragedy, decades of public service, and a resilient faith in the power of government to do good.
Joe Biden’s life began in the blue-collar city of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Born November 20, 1942, he was the first of four siblings in an Irish Catholic family. His father, Joe Sr., worked various jobs—cleaning boilers, selling cars—and his mother, Catherine “Jean” Biden, was the family’s heart, instilling in young Joe a fierce belief in perseverance and dignity. The Bidens fell on hard times when Scranton’s economy declined in the 1950s. When Joe was 10, the family moved to Claymont, Delaware, in search of better opportunities, eventually settling in the neighboring town of Wilmington. There, Joe Sr. found more stable work selling used cars. The experience of seeing his father struggle but never lose his optimism left an indelible mark on Joe. It gave him a genuine relatability to working-class struggles and a chip on his shoulder about proving oneself.
Selenius Media
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By Selenius MediaPresident Joseph R. Biden Jr
On a chilly January afternoon in 2021, amidst profound national turmoil, Joseph R. Biden Jr. stood on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, placed his hand on a hefty family Bible held by his wife Jill, and took the oath of office to become the 46th President of the United States. The scene was starkly different from inaugurations past: the National Mall was largely empty, save for flags representing absent spectators, a precaution due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Just two weeks earlier, the very Capitol steps where Biden now stood had been the site of violent insurrection. Now, as the oldest man ever to assume the presidency at 78, Biden addressed a nation in pain and disarray. He spoke of unity, of restoring the “soul of America,” and of overcoming the cascading crises at hand—pandemic, economic collapse, political division. The journey that brought Joe Biden to this pinnacle was long, winding, and marked by personal tragedy, decades of public service, and a resilient faith in the power of government to do good.
Joe Biden’s life began in the blue-collar city of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Born November 20, 1942, he was the first of four siblings in an Irish Catholic family. His father, Joe Sr., worked various jobs—cleaning boilers, selling cars—and his mother, Catherine “Jean” Biden, was the family’s heart, instilling in young Joe a fierce belief in perseverance and dignity. The Bidens fell on hard times when Scranton’s economy declined in the 1950s. When Joe was 10, the family moved to Claymont, Delaware, in search of better opportunities, eventually settling in the neighboring town of Wilmington. There, Joe Sr. found more stable work selling used cars. The experience of seeing his father struggle but never lose his optimism left an indelible mark on Joe. It gave him a genuine relatability to working-class struggles and a chip on his shoulder about proving oneself.
Selenius Media