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A Leader in the Senate and 47th Vice President of the United States. As a Senator from Delaware for 36 years, then-Senator Biden played a leading role addressing some of our...
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Trump proposes migrants should fight for sport ahead of Thursday's presidential debate
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- 10:34Trump proposes migrants should fight for sport ahead of Thursday's presidential debateNBCDonald Trump’s mental state as he and President Biden head into the debate on Thursday is discussed on The ReidOut with Joy Reid.6 hours ago
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- 2:42Larry Kudlow: Democrats will hold middle-class tax cuts hostageFox Business VideosFOX Business host Larry Kudlow blasts the president's economic agenda ahead of the first presidential debate on 'Kudlow.'13 hours ago
- 10:24'Trump has to prove he's not unhinged, Biden's gotta proved he's fully ambulatory': ToddNBCPresident Biden and former President Trump will face off in the first presidential debate of 2024 on Thursday. At a rally, Trump suggested the UFC should air fights between migrants. NBC News' Chuck Todd and former aide to House Speakers Ryan and Boehner Brendan Buck join Chris Jansing to share their expectations for the showdown.15 hours ago
- 17:37Presidential Immunity: Supreme Court Decisions to Watch and Trump Picks a Vice President?The HillThe Hill’s Brett Samuels gives an update on what decisions are yet to be made by the supreme court. Still on the docket: Former President Trump’s immunity case, and gender affirming care. Brett also gives his take as Trump says he’s picked a VP, Biden struggles to quell an effort to replace him on the ticket, and the first 2024 presidential debate looms. Also in your debrief: prosecutors make their arguments to gag Trump in the Florida classified documents case, and the DOJ recommends criminal charges against Boeing. #thehill #2024 #SCOTUS #Biden #Trump #Boeing #debate Make sure to subscribe to get your Daily Debrief with top headlines from The Hill every weekday. Follow The Hill on Instagram and X @thehill16 hours ago
- 8:02Democrat rep on securing border after Texas girl's murder: 'We need to do better'FOX News VideosRep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., calls for 'complete justice' after two migrants were charged with the murder of a 12-year-old and weighs in ahead of the presidential debate.17 hours ago
- 10:57Biden admin causes stir with promotion of comms stafferFOX News VideosFormer Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy (D) and former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins (R) discuss promotion of a Biden communications staffer and calls for the president to take a drug and cognitive test at the first presidential debate.18 hours ago
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- 1:57Stuart Varney: Trump and Biden's debate prep couldn't be more differentFox Business Videos'Varney & Co.' host Stuart Varney previews Thursday's presidential debate in Atlanta.20 hours ago
- 1:01Everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming presidential debate airing on CNNNY PostEverything you need to know ahead of the upcoming presidential debate airing on CNN21 hours ago
- 3:01CNN's Kasie Hunt ends interview after Trump spokesperson attacks Jake Tapper and Dana Bash ahead of presidential debate.The RecountCan you tell us what Donald Trump is going to do differently on the debate stage this time? Sure. Well, President Trump is well prepared ahead of Thursday's debates. Unlike Joe Biden, he doesn't have to hide away and have his advisers tell him what to say. President Trump knows what he wants to say, and he's going to relay his vision to the American people to make this country strong, safe, secure, and wealthy again. He's been doing that across this great nation to all corners of this country. That's why he was in Detroit, Michigan last week. He was in Philadelphia for a big rally on Saturday night. And that's why President Trump is knowingly going into a hostile environment on this very network on CNN with debate moderators who have made their opinions about him very well known over the past eight years and their biased coverage of him. So President Trump is willing to bring his message to every corner of this country, to voters, to ensure that he wins this election in November. He looks forward to doing that, and I know the American public look forward to hearing from him. So I'll just say, my colleagues Jake Tapper and Dana Bash have acquitted themselves as professionals as they have covered campaigns and interviewed candidates from all sides of the aisle. I'll also say that if you talk to analysts of debates previous, that if you're attacking the moderators, you're usually losing. So I really want to focus in on what these two men are going to do and say when they stand on the stage. Now we have a little bit of what Donald Trump, your boss, has said in trying to set expectations for this debate. I want to play some of a series of his comments, and then we'll talk about it, watch. Maybe I'm better off losing the debate. I'll make sure he says I'll lose the debate on purpose. Maybe I'll do something like that. I assume he's going to be somebody that will be a worthy debater. Should I be tough and nasty and just say you're the worst president in history, or should I be nice and calm and let him speak? So he's basically saying there, well, will I let Joe Biden win? It does seem as though many Republicans have set the bar very low in terms of arguing that Joe Biden is basically senile. Now you have people like Doug Burgum coming out and saying, well, President Biden is very accomplished, trying to set expectations in a different place. What do you expect from Joe Biden? Well, first of all, it would take someone five minutes to Google Jake Tapper, Donald Trump, to see that Jake Tapper has consistently frequently likened President Trump to Adolf Hilter. Ma'am, I'm going to stop this interview if you continue to attack my colleagues. I would like to talk about Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who you work for. Yes. If you are here to speak on his behalf, I am willing to have this conversation. I am stating facts that your colleagues have stated in the past. Now, after this debate, the expectation for- I'm sorry, guys. We're going to come back out to the panel. The expectation- Thank you very much for your time. You are welcome to come back at any point. She is welcome to come back and speak about Donald Trump. And Donald Trump will have equal time to Joe Biden when they both join us now at next early later this week in Atlanta for this debate. Our thanks to Caroline.21 hours ago
- 0:33“He gets a shot in the ass": Donald Trump predicts Joe Biden will come out “all jacked up” at presidential debate.The RecountAs you know, it's been reported that right now, Crooked Joe has gone to a log cabin to study, prepare. No, he didn't. He's sleeping now because they want to get him good and strong. So a little before debate time, he gets a shot in the ass and that's they want to strengthen him up. So he comes out. He'll come out. OK, I say he'll come out all jacked up, right? All jacked up.21 hours ago
- 2:11First 2024 presidential debate between Biden and Trump set for this weekCBS News VideosThe first presidential debate of 2024 between President Biden and former President Donald Trump is set for Thursday. Biden has been preparing at Camp David while Trump spent the weekend campaigning, including at a rally in Philadelphia.22 hours ago
- 3:46President Joe Biden is gearing up for the first presidential debate with Donald TrumpCNNDebate strategy is on display as both presidential candidates gear up for Thursday’s candidate matchup. CNN’s Kevin Liptak reports on President Joe Biden’s strategy, and what’s at stake as he faces-off with Donald Trump.22 hours ago
- 4:01These are Biden and Trump’s potential political vulnerabilitiesCNNPresident Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are hoping to address voters’ key concerns. Will their arguments work? Watch CNN’s Presidential Debate on June 27, 2024 at 9pm ET.22 hours ago
- 4:33Dem donor reportedly 'depressed' as Biden loses fundraising advantageFOX News VideosFormer Clinton adviser Mark Penn argues the upcoming presidential debate will be determined by each candidate's on-stage performance rather than fundraising.23 hours ago
Joe Biden. CNN coverage of Joseph R. Biden, the 46th president of the United States. Latest Headlines. Courts halt parts of Biden’s student loan repayment plan. • Live Updates. June 24, 2024...
Joe Biden 's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021.
- Overview
- Early life and career in the Senate
- Presidential runs and vice presidency
- Presidential election of 2020
- Presidency
Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States (2021– ). Biden was born on November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and a law degree from Syracuse University.
When was Joe Biden elected to the U.S. Senate?
Joe Biden was elected to represent Delaware in the U.S. Senate in 1972 at the age of 29, becoming the fifth youngest senator in U.S. history. He remained a senator until 2009.
When did Joe Biden receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
Vice President Joe Biden received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama on January 12, 2017.
Joe Biden (born November 20, 1942, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.) 46th president of the United States (2021– ) and 47th vice president of the United States (2009–17) in the Democratic administration of Pres. Barack Obama. He previously represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate (1973–2009). In April 2023 Joe Biden formally announced his bid for reelection as president in 2024.
Biden, who was raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and New Castle county, Delaware, received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware in 1965 and a law degree from Syracuse University in New York in 1968. During this time he married (1966) Neilia Hunter, and the couple later had three children.
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U.S. Presidential Firsts
After graduating from law school, Biden returned to Delaware to work as an attorney before quickly turning to politics, serving on the New Castle county council from 1970 to 1972. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972 at the age of 29, becoming the fifth youngest senator in history. About a month later 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 reelection six times, becoming Delaware’s longest-serving senator. In 1977 he married Jill Jacobs, an educator, and they later had a daughter. In addition to his role as U.S. senator, Biden also was an adjunct professor (1991–2008) at the Wilmington, Delaware, branch of the Widener University School of Law.
Biden pursued the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination but withdrew after it was revealed that parts of his campaign stump speech had been plagiarized from British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock without appropriate attribution. His 2008 presidential campaign never gained momentum, and he withdrew from the race after placing fifth in the Iowa Democratic caucus in January of that year. (For coverage of the 2008 election, see United States Presidential Election of 2008.) After Barack Obama amassed enough delegates to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, Biden emerged as a front-runner to be Obama’s vice presidential running mate. On August 23 Obama officially announced his selection of Biden as the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee, and on August 27 Obama and Biden secured the Democratic Party’s nomination. On November 4 the Obama-Biden ticket defeated John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, and Biden also easily won reelection to his U.S. Senate seat. He resigned from the Senate post shortly before taking the oath of office as vice president on January 20, 2009. In November 2012 Obama and Biden were reelected 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. In 2015 his eldest son, Beau, died from brain cancer; Biden recounted the experience in Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose (2017). Several months later, Biden—who enjoyed high favourability ratings, partly due to a candour and affable manner that resonated with the public—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.
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Biden remained involved in politics and was a vocal critic of Pres. Donald Trump. Biden himself faced censure when, in 2019, various women accused him of inappropriate physical contact, notably hugging and kissing. Although his response was widely derided—“I’m sorry I didn’t understand more.…I’m not sorry for anything that I have ever done. I’ve never been disrespectful intentionally to a man or a woman”—his popularity remained high. Amid growing speculation that he would run for president in 2020, Biden announced his candidacy in April 2019, joining a crowded Democratic field.
Biden immediately became a front-runner, and he pursued a platform that was considered moderate, especially as compared with such candidates as Bernie Sanders. A poor performance in the party’s first debate in June 2019, however, raised questions about Biden, and his support dipped. After the first three nomination contests in early 2020, Sanders seemed poised to become the party’s nominee. However, worries about Sanders’s electability in the general election galvanized moderate voters, and in South Carolina in late February Biden won a resounding victory. Numerous candidates subsequently dropped out, and by early March it had become a two-man race between Biden and Sanders. As Biden registered more wins, he soon took a commanding lead in delegates. After the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States stalled the campaigns, Sanders dropped out in April, and Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee.
In the ensuing months Biden outlined a platform that included a number of policies that appealed to progressives. He notably supported government aid to low-income communities, ambitious climate change legislation, affordable child care, and the expansion of federal health insurance plans, such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which had been enacted during Obama’s presidency. During this time Biden gained a somewhat sizable lead over Trump in nationwide polls, in part due to criticism of the president’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had caused an economic downturn that rivaled the Great Depression. In August 2020 Biden chose Kamala Harris as his running mate—she became the first African American woman to appear on a major party’s national ticket—and later that month, he officially was named the Democratic presidential nominee. Although preelection polling had shown Biden with a significant lead in key battleground states, the actual contest proved to be much closer. Nevertheless, Biden and Harris succeeded in rebuilding the so-called “Blue Wall” through the Midwestern Rust Belt states, and on November 7, four days after the election, Biden secured the 270 electoral votes necessary to capture the presidency. Biden’s eventual electoral vote total was 306 to Trump’s 232; Biden won the popular vote by more than seven million votes.
Trump and several other Republican leaders subsequently challenged the election results, claiming voter fraud. Although a number of lawsuits were filed, no evidence was provided to support the allegations, and the vast majority of the cases were dismissed. During this time, Biden and Harris began the transition to a new administration, announcing an agenda and selecting staff. By early December all states had certified the election results, and the process then moved to Congress for final certification. Amid Trump’s repeated calls for Republicans to overturn the election, a group of Republican congressional members, notably including Senators Josh Hawley (Missouri) and Ted Cruz (Texas), announced that they would challenge the electors of various states. As the proceedings began on January 6, 2021, a large crowd of Trump supporters marched to the U.S. Capitol from a rally near the White House, where Trump had delivered an incendiary speech repeating false allegations of voter fraud by Democrats and urging his supporters to “fight like hell.” Overwhelming Capitol police, the rioters stormed the complex and vandalized and looted the interior, resulting in the deaths of five people, including one Capitol police officer (see United States Capitol attack of 2021). After several hours the building was finally secured, and Biden and Harris were certified as the winners. Two weeks later, amid a massive security presence, Biden was sworn in as president.
The 2020 election was marked by a historically large voter turnout, made possible in part by modifications in voting procedures initiated in many states to ensure that voters could cast their ballots safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Significantly more Democrats voted in the 2020 election than in previous presidential contests, and the Democratic Party not only won the presidential election but also maintained its control of the U.S. House of Representatives and took control of the U.S. Senate from Republicans, though only by the slimmest of margins (the resulting Senate membership was evenly divided between the two parties at 50 senators each, but tie votes could be broken by Vice President Harris, acting in her constitutional role as president of the Senate). In the view of many Democrats, particularly progressives, the party’s simultaneous control of the presidency and both houses of Congress afforded it a rare opportunity to pass transformative legislation that promised to make American society more democratic, equitable, and just.
During the first weeks of his presidency, Biden signed a raft of executive orders, actions, and memoranda, many of which rescinded policies of the Trump administration, particularly in the areas of immigration, health care, and the environment. Notably, on his first day in office, Biden issued executive orders that reentered the United States into the Paris Agreement on climate change and canceled the country’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
In March 2021 the Biden administration used budget reconciliation (a process that prevents certain budget-related bills in the Senate from being filibustered) to secure passage by Congress, without Republican support, of a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, the American Rescue Plan. The law included, among other measures, one-time payments for lower- and middle-income Americans; extended unemployment benefits; an expanded child tax credit; financial aid to state and local governments, schools, and childcare providers; housing assistance; and additional funding for coronavirus testing, contact tracing, and vaccine distribution.
Biden supported three significant pieces of voting rights and electoral-reform legislation: the For the People Act, passed by the House in March 2021; the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, passed by the House in August; and the Freedom to Vote Act, introduced in the Senate in September. (The first two bills were later versions of legislation passed by the House in 2019.) All three bills were blocked in the Senate by Republican filibusters, which could be overcome only with the support of at least 60 senators. The bills were designed to prevent states from adopting egregious voter suppression laws, to eliminate partisan and racial gerrymandering, and to make elections more transparent by requiring “dark money” organizations to disclose their donors (see campaign finance; campaign finance laws). The failure of the electoral-reform measures, which Democrats viewed as essential to preserving American democracy, prompted progressive and even some moderate Democrats to urge the elimination of the filibuster, which is not established in the U.S. Constitution and can be ended by the Senate in a simple majority vote.
In August the Senate passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a drastically scaled-back ($550 billion) version of a wide-ranging infrastructure plan announced by Biden in March, its smaller scale made necessary by objections from Republicans and conservative Democrats to spending levels, tax increases on corporations and the wealthy, and several social spending provisions. The bill then languished in the House for months as progressive, moderate, and conservative Democrats debated its provisions, progressives refusing to support it except in combination with a larger social spending bill and conservatives insisting that it be voted on separately. In early November, following important off-year elections in which Democrats suffered several unexpected defeats—signaling a likely loss of the House and Senate to Republicans in the 2022 election—Biden and Democratic House leaders intensified their efforts to reconcile the factions, arguing that some tangible legislative achievement was necessary to retain the support of swing voters. After progressives finally conceded, the infrastructure bill was passed and sent to Biden for his signature.
On December 13, 2022, Biden signed into law the Respect for Marriage Act. The act formally repealed the federal Defense of Marriage Act (1996), which had defined marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman and had permitted states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Biden had also appointed as U.S. secretary of transportation (2021– ) Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay cabinet member in American history who had unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
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Jan 20, 2021 · WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that “democracy has prevailed.” He swore the oath of office to take the helm of a deeply...
- 22 min
- Julie Pace
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