The 47th Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden has been at the forefront of American politics for many years, and is one of the candidates for the 2020 presidential elections, looking to gain the nomination to represent the Democratic Party.
While his turn as Vice President during the Barack Obama presidency made him quite popular and ended with him receiving the honor of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Joe Biden didn’t seek to run in the 2016 presidential election in the US. He has, however, expressed his interest in the 2020 election and is currently in the middle of the race for the Democratic nomination.
Let’s have a look at the best interesting facts about Joe Biden.
Joe Biden Facts
1. He had a puppy with a foreshadowing name
Joe Biden was a Senator for the state of Delaware from 1973 to 2009. In an interesting twist, when he was studying law at Syracuse University, he and his wife bought a puppy named Senator.
2. He was a very young Senator
In the US, candidates have to be 30 years old when they become Senators. Joe Biden was elected when he was only 29, which made him exceptionally young and also ineligible! He turned 30 by the time he was sworn in, however, which meant that no law was broken.
After being a Senator until 2009 he is also the longest serving Senator in the United States, an interesting fact about Joe Biden.
3. He’s had a tragic family experience
In 1972, Biden’s wife and one-year-old daughter were killed in a car accident, while his two sons, Beau and Hunter, were injured.
This happened just after Biden had been elected senator and he considered quitting in order to care for his sons, who ended up making a complete recovery. The Senate Majority leader persuaded him to stay on, and he was sworn into office while at his sons’ bedside.
4. He has never drunk alcohol
In multiple interviews, Joe Biden has explained that his family has a history of alcoholism, which has led him to never drink alcohol, an interesting Joe Biden fact.
He does indulge in pasta, though, which is his favourite meal.
5. Biden used to have a stutter
Before going to law school, Joe Biden struggled with a stutter throughout his childhood. It was only after he went to law school that he managed to shake this with the help of a friend. He is known to have been reading poems out loud to correct his stutter, which eventually worked for him.
6. He and his wife launched the Biden Foundation
Together with his second wife, Jill Biden, who he has been married to for over 30 years, Joe launched the Biden Foundation in 2017. This organisation focuses on seven key issues: foreign policy; a cancer-fighting initiative; support for community colleges and military families; child protection initiatives; equality; ending violence against women; and strengthening the middle class.
7. He’s long been an advocate against violence against women
Not only has he made violence against women one of the targets of the Biden Foundation, Joe Biden has been fighting against this for a long time.
An interesting fact about Joe Biden is that he introduced a bill that became the Violence Against Women Act addressing sexual assault and domestic violence. President Bill Clinton then signed this bill into law in 1994.
8. Ironically, he’s been accused of making women uncomfortable
Despite his record of fighting violence against women, Joe Biden has been accused of making women feel uncomfortable in recent years.
Multiple allegations have come up, including one from a woman complaining about his conduct at a 2009 fundraiser in Connecticut, and two others who told the New York Times that he touched them in a way that made them feel uncomfortable.
This has led to Biden having to put out a video on Twitter in 2019, where he said he would be more mindful of respecting “personal space” in the future.
9. He believes in good luck charms
Joe Biden is a devout Catholic and attends mass regularly at St. Joseph’s on the Brandywine in Greenville, Delaware, with his wife.
It’s no surprise then that his good luck charm is a rosary. He carries this everywhere but he also says he has to keep replacing it because it gets lost a lot.
10. Biden has undergone brain surgery
In 1988, Joe Biden had to have brain surgery as a result of two aneurysms which were a danger to his life. He was meant to have a 35 to 50 percent chance of leading a normal life afterwards. We think he’s done ok after all!
11. 2020 wouldn’t be his first time running for President
If Biden gets nominated by the Democratic Party to be their frontrunner in the presidential race in 2020, it will actually be the third time he’s run for office, an interesting fact about Joe Biden. The first time he ran was in 1987, when he was forced to withdraw after he was accused of failing to give due credit for remarks he had made in a speech which were in fact those of British politician Neil Kinnock. He also ran for office in 2008.
12. He endorsed same-sex marriage before Obama
In 2012, Joe Biden was the highest-ranking politician in America to speak out in favour of same-sex marriage during an appearance on “Meet the Press.” It wasn’t long afterwards that President Barack Obama also publicly supported same-sex marriage.
13. He is a talker!
Biden’s reputation in Congress is that of a long-winded speaker, and he spent his years as a senator being well-known for long remarks and questions. He’s always been a strong debater and he appeared frequently on Sunday morning talk shows on television. He is also known to deviate from his prepared speeches when he makes public appearances.
Conclusion
Joe Biden has lived a long life in politics and has led from the front all the way, crediting his faith for helping him through difficult times, including family tragedy.
I hope that this article on Joe Biden facts was helpful! If you are interested, visit the Historical People Facts Page!
