Meet Joe Biden and his family

Joe Biden has had a turbulent and uphill life that has had an impact on his political career. This report introduces the Biden family and discusses the personal characteristics of Joe Biden, who is set to take the helm of power in America.

Marriage, children, and family: Perhaps no other country places as much importance on these traditional values ​​in politics as the United States. In this country, politicians are measured by these standards; and the private is always a political matter.

Both the Democratic Party of America and its presidential candidate, Joe Biden, who secured his victory in the 2020 election against a tough opponent like Donald Trump, are aware of this. But in addition to this, it must be said that the 77-year-old Biden is also a true family man.

His wife, Jill, and his children and grandchildren played a prominent role during the Democratic Party’s digital convention to announce his candidacy in August. Jill gave a keynote speech, his children Hunter and Ashley introduced their father with pre-recorded clips, and his five grandchildren, after taking the pledge of allegiance to the American flag, each gave their own eulogy for their grandfather, whom they call “Pop.”

The impact of a painful past on Biden's political life

From the beginning, the Democrats presented their candidate as an anti-Trump figure: someone with compassion for others, a humane and humble character. These characteristics are, of course, not unrelated to Biden's life story: the 77-year-old politician's life has been marked by hard and painful blows, each of which is enough to have a decisive impact on a person.

On December 18, 1972, Biden, then 30, received a phone call informing him that his wife, Nila, and their three children had been in a car accident. The accident killed his wife and 13-month-old daughter, and left his two sons, Beau and Hunter, seriously injured in the hospital.

It is recorded in American political history that the 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 take care of his two sons. It would not be wrong for Biden, now 77, to say that he never lost touch with “the real America” during his political life in Washington. In 1977, Biden remarried; to Jill, a teacher, and they had a daughter, Ashley.

No country has been hit harder by the coronavirus pandemic than the United States, and has suffered a higher death toll. And Joe Biden knows what it means to lose loved ones. In his message, he says he can comfort Americans, reconcile them with each other, and show them a new path; as his wife put it: “One step at a time, and keep going.”

Joe Biden's family:

Jill Biden

Everyone who meets Jill Biden speaks of her warmth, humor, and the interest and attention she shows to her audience. “Dr. Biden” is a passionate educational scientist who did not give up her profession even when her husband was Vice President Barack Obama.

Jill married in 1977: “I became a mother in a way I never expected.” She made these remarks in her laudatory speech at the Democratic National Convention celebrating Joe Biden’s candidacy: “I fell in love with a man and two boys who were standing in the face of the rubble of an incredible loss.”

She was 26 when she was faced with the question: “How do you heal a broken family?” That question helped her raise Bo and Hunter and then give birth to her daughter Ashley in 1981. Jill became “Mom” to Joe’s sons.

While Joe Biden was constantly commuting between Wilmington, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. as a senator, Jill pursued a career as a teacher that culminated in two master's degrees and then a doctorate in education.

After eight years as the wife of the vice president, Jill is now a professional campaigner and the wife of a politician who is not only concerned with being seen as “the wife by his side.” “Being a teacher is not what I do, it is who I am,” she writes in her memoir.

One thing is for sure: Jill Biden has a clear idea of ​​what she wants to do if she becomes First Lady of the United States. Education is her main issue; and the issue of military families, which holds a special place in her heart; and of course, the fight against cancer, a common disease in America. The fight against cancer has become especially important to her since their son, Beau, died of brain cancer in 2015, and Jill is still affected by it.

Beau Biden (1969 – 2015)

Joseph Robinette “Bo” Biden holds a special place in the Biden family. He died five years ago at the age of 46 from a malignant brain tumor. But the Bidens have always kept his memory alive. At the August convention, “Bo” was seen in a clip of himself hosting his father’s program at the 2012 convention. “Bo is no longer with us, but we hold him in our hearts,” his siblings said.

Beau Biden became Attorney General of Delaware in 2006 and served in the Iraq War in 2008. Beau's untimely death was a huge blow to his parents. "My family was completely destroyed. And I was destroyed," Joe Biden later said in an interview. He decided to avoid running for president in 2016 because he felt he was not mentally prepared. Beau left behind his wife, Hallie, and their two children, Natalie and Hunter.

"He accomplished things in 46 years that some of us won't be able to accomplish in 146 years," Barack Obama said at Beau Biden's memorial service. "Some people will never realize that their lives were better because of Beau Biden," Obama added. "But that's not the point. Fame was never a reason for Beau to put himself out there for the public good."

Hunter Biden

Hunter has been a model of a troublemaker for the family. He is the son whose father has always had to justify and explain his actions. But Hunter admits his mistakes: for example, he has publicly stated that he has struggled with addiction for a long time and has been hospitalized several times.

"Like everyone I know, I've fallen many times and gotten back on my feet. I've done some valuable things and some things I regret," he told ABC News last year.

One of Hunter’s mistakes had a serious political consequence when he took a job on the board of directors of Ukrainian gas company Burisma. President Donald Trump made US military aid to Ukraine conditional on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opening an investigation into Hunter Biden’s dealings. The consequences were clear: Trump was impeached and survived impeachment proceedings because Trump’s party protected him in the Senate. But the whole thing didn’t sit well with Joe Biden. His opponents accused the former vice president of corruption and family feuds.

Hunter's personal life has also been turbulent: In 2015, he separated from his wife, Kathleen, with whom he has three daughters, Naomi, Finnegan, and Maisie. In 2016, the Bidens revealed that Hunter was living with Halle, his brother Beau's widow. This news led to an ugly public campaign about Hunter's separation from his wife, Kathleen.

At the time, Joe and Jill came out in support of Hunter, releasing a statement: "We are delighted that Hunter and Hallie have found each other and moved on with their lives after a period of deep grief. They have our support and we are happy for them."

It's not clear when Hunter and Haley split. Hunter now has a new wife. He married Melissa Cohen from South Africa last year, six days after they met. Joe Biden credited his bride for giving his son the ability to "love again." Earlier this year, Melissa gave birth to a son.

Hunter has turned to painting today. “Art keeps me sane,” he told The New York Times earlier this year. “For years, I didn’t dare call myself an artist. Today, I feel that way.”

Political observers wondered what role Hunter would play in Biden's campaign, would he continue to be a burden on his father's shoulders? At the Democratic Party's digital convention, he and his sister presented a picture of Joe Biden as a human being by showing clips they had made.

Ashley Biden

Not much is known about the youngest Biden daughter. Ashley prefers to stay behind the scenes. She is 38 years old, married, works for a nonprofit organization, and in the meantime, she has founded a company that combines the sustainable fashion industry with nonprofit work.

Although Ashley has been avoiding the public eye, she was seen at a Biden campaign event before the coronavirus restrictions. “He will tell you the truth, even if you don’t want to hear it,” she said of her father at the Democratic National Convention during his nomination. “(…) He treats everyone with respect, whoever they are.”

Biden's grandchildren

Joe and Jill are passionate grandparents. Joe Biden's five great-grandchildren, Naomi, Finnegan, Maisie, Natalie and Hunter, all played a role at the party convention. They first took the pledge of allegiance to the national flag at the start of the four-day convention. Then, in two videos, they described their grandparents. Their grandmother Jill, they say, is not a typical person: "She really likes to touch people. If she finds a dead snake while running, she brings it home to scare someone."

They say their grandfather Joe, who they call “Pop,” talks to the kids on the phone every day. He loves ice cream and sometimes sneaks it out of the freezer “so Grandma doesn’t see it.”

Before Joe Biden decided to run for president, he asked his grandchildren for their opinions: "We told him, 'Run for office, what are you waiting for?'"

Source: DW