Getting to Know Joe Biden and His Family
Joe Biden has lived a life full of ups and downs that have not been without impact on his political career. This report, by introducing the Biden family, addresses the personal characteristics of Joe Biden who is set to take the helm of power in America.
Marriage, children, and family; perhaps no country can be found that attaches as much importance to these traditional values in politics as the United States of America. In this country, politicians are measured by these standards; and private matters are always political matters.
Both the Democratic Party of America and its 2020 presidential candidate, Joe Biden, are well aware of this—Biden, who won the presidency against a formidable rival like Donald Trump. But beyond that, it must be said that 77-year-old Biden is truly a family man through and through.
When the Democratic Party held its digital convention to announce his candidacy in August, his wife Jill and his children and grandchildren played a prominent role. At this convention, Jill delivered an important speech, his children Hunter and Ashley introduced their father by showing pre-prepared clips, and his five grandchildren, after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag, each gave their own descriptions of their grandfather, whom they call Pop.
The Impact of Biden’s Painful Past on His Political Life
From the beginning, Democrats presented their candidate as an anti-Trump figure: a person with empathy for others, with human nature and humility. These characteristics are, of course, not unrelated to Biden’s life story: this 77-year-old politician’s years have been marked with severe and painful blows, each of which would be sufficient to have a decisive impact on a person.
It was on December 18, 1972, when 30-year-old Biden received a phone call informing him that his wife Neilia and three of his children had been in a car accident. In this accident, his wife and 13-month-old daughter lost their lives, and his two sons, Beau and Hunter, were hospitalized with severe injuries.
It is recorded in American political history that 30-year-old Biden, who had just become a senator, took his oath of office at the bedside of his children in the hospital.
Biden spent many years commuting between Delaware and Washington to ensure he did not neglect the care of his two sons. It is not without reason that 77-year-old Biden today says that in his political life in Washington, he never severed his contact with “real America.” In 1977, Biden married again; to “Jill,” who was a teacher, and a daughter was born from this union: Ashley.
No country has suffered from the coronavirus pandemic more than the United States of America, nor has any country endured as high a death toll from COVID-19. And Joe Biden knows what it means to lose loved ones we care for. In his message, he says he can comfort Americans, reconcile them with one another, and show them a new path; as his wife expressed it: “taking one step after another forward and continuing it.”
Joe Biden’s Family:
Jill Biden
Everyone who meets Jill Biden speaks of her warmth, her sense of humor, and the care and attention she shows toward those she meets. “Dr. Biden” is a passionate specialist in educational sciences who did not abandon her profession even when her husband was Vice President under Barack Obama.
Jill married in 1977: “I became a mother in a way I never expected.” She made these remarks in her admirable speech at the Democratic Party convention in connection with Joe Biden’s candidacy: “I fell in love with a man and two boys who stood in the face of an incredible loss.”
At 26, she faced the question: “How can you heal a broken family?” This question helped her raise “Beau” and “Hunter” and then in 1981 she gave birth to her daughter Ashley. Jill became “Mom” to Joe’s boys.
While Joe Biden as a senator constantly commuted between Wilmington in Delaware and Washington, Jill pursued her teaching career, earning two master’s degrees and then a doctorate in education.
After eight years as the wife of the Vice President, Jill today is a seasoned campaign activist and the wife of a politician who is not merely seen as “standing beside him.” In her memoirs she writes: “Teaching is not something I do, but something I am.”
One thing can be certain: Jill Biden has a clear idea of what she wants to do if she becomes First Lady of America. Education is her main concern; and the issue of military families as well, which hold a place in her heart, and of course the fight against cancer, a common disease in America. The fight against cancer particularly gained importance for her when her son “Beau” died of brain cancer in 2015, and Jill is still affected by it.
Beau Biden (1969 – 2015)
Joseph Robinette “Beau” Biden held an important place in the Biden family. He died five years ago at age 46 from a malignant brain cancer. But the Bidens have always kept his memory alive. At the party convention in August, one could see in one of the clips how “Beau” was the master of ceremonies at the 2012 party convention for his father. His siblings said: “Beau is no longer with us, but we carry him in our hearts.”
Beau Biden reached the position of Attorney General of Delaware in 2006 and served in the Iraq War in 2008. “Beau’s” premature death was a heavy blow to his parents. Joe Biden later said in an interview: “My family was completely destroyed. And I was destroyed.” He then decided to refrain from running for president in 2016, as he did not feel the necessary psychological readiness. “Beau” left behind his wife Hallie and two children, Natalie and Hunter.
Barack Obama said at Beau Biden’s funeral: “In 46 years, he accomplished things that some of us couldn’t accomplish in 146 years.” Obama added: “Some people will never know that their lives were better because of Beau Biden. But that’s not the point. For Beau, fame was never the reason to put himself in the service of the public interest.”
Hunter Biden
Hunter has been a model of a troublemaker for his family. He is a son whom his father has always had to justify and explain. But Hunter acknowledges his mistakes: for example, he publicly stated that he has long struggled with addiction and has been in and out of rehabilitation clinics many times.
He said in an interview with ABC News last year: “Like anyone else I know, I’ve fallen many times and gotten back on my feet many times. I’ve done things I’m proud of and things I regret.”
One of Hunter’s mistakes had serious political consequences; when he took a position on the board of the Ukrainian gas company “Burisma.” Donald Trump, the President of the United States, conditioned U.S. military aid to Ukraine on Vladimir Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, launching investigations into Hunter Biden’s dealings. The consequences were clear: Trump was impeached over this matter and escaped removal from office because Trump’s party protected the president in the U.S. Senate. But the whole matter was not very pleasant for Joe Biden. His opponents accused the former Vice President of economic corruption and family nepotism.
Hunter’s private life also had its ups and downs: in 2015 he divorced his wife Kathleen, the mother of three daughters named Naomi, Finnegan, and Maisy. In 2016, the Biden family publicly revealed that Hunter was living with Hallie, the widow of his brother Beau. What followed was the launching of a nasty campaign in public opinion about Hunter’s separation from his wife Kathleen.
At that time, Joe and Jill came to Hunter’s defense and released a statement: “We are delighted that Hunter and Hallie have found each other and have moved forward with their lives after a period of deep grieving. They have our support and we are happy for them.”
It is not yet clear when Hunter and Hallie separated from each other. Today, Hunter has a new wife. He married Melissa Cohen from South Africa last year, six days after they met. Joe Biden thanked his daughter-in-law for giving his son the ability to “love again.” Earlier this year, Melissa gave birth to a son.
Hunter has now turned to painting. He told the New York Times earlier this year: “Art keeps me whole… For years I didn’t dare consider myself an artist. But now I feel that way.”
Political observers wondered what role Hunter would play in Biden’s election campaign, whether he would still be a burden on his father’s shoulders. He appeared at the Democratic Party’s digital convention alongside his sister, presenting a picture of Joe Biden as a human being through clips they had created.
Ashley Biden
There is not much information available about the youngest Biden daughter. Ashley prefers to stay behind the scenes. She is 38 years old and married, works for a non-profit organization, and in the meantime has founded a company that links the sustainable fashion industry with non-profit work.
Although Ashley avoids the public spotlight, she was seen at a Biden campaign event before coronavirus restrictions. She spoke about her father at the Democratic Party’s digital convention during his nomination, saying: “He will tell you the truth, even if you don’t want to hear it. (…) He treats everyone with respect, whoever they may be.”
Biden’s Grandchildren
Joe and Jill are doting grandparents. Joe Biden’s five grandchildren, Naomi, Finnegan, Maisy, Natalie, and Hunter, all played a special role at the party convention. At the beginning of this four-day convention, they recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the national flag. Then in two videos they described their grandparents. They say their grandmother Jill is not an ordinary person at all: “She really loves scaring people. If she finds a dead snake while jogging, she brings it home to scare someone.”
They say their grandfather Joe, whom they call “Pop,” talks to the kids on the phone every day. He loves ice cream and sometimes sneaks it from the freezer “so grandma doesn’t see him.”
Before Joe Biden decided on his candidacy, he asked his grandchildren’s opinion: “We told him, hurry up and nominate yourself, what are you waiting for?”
Source: DW
