00:00After five decades in politics, President Joe Biden's political career is coming to
00:05a close as he exits the 2024 presidential race. He won the highest political office
00:11after a career spanning 36 years in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president to
00:16Barack Obama. Biden's inauguration came at a time of national tumult and uncertainty
00:21amid the coronavirus pandemic. A ceremony of resilience weeks after January 6, when
00:27the U.S. Capitol was attacked by hundreds of Donald Trump supporters in a failed effort
00:32to overturn the 2020 election. Standing near Biden was Vice President Kamala Harris, the
00:37first female vice president and woman of color to hold the office. President Biden drew on
00:42his time in the Senate to spearhead the passage of a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure
00:48bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. Biden visited many countries during his presidency,
00:54including Ukraine during its war with Russia and Israel during its offensive in Gaza against
00:59Hamas. He also ordered the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, fulfilling
01:04a campaign promise to end America's longest war.
01:11Biden was known for often rambling in speeches, but he was a humorous, plain-spoken and at
01:16times emotional speaker who peppered his remarks with folks, malarkey and plenty of anecdotes
01:22from his childhood. He often talked about lessons both of his parents taught him while
01:26growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Biden suffered an immense personal tragedy just
01:31as his career was starting. Soon after being elected to the Senate in 1972, his 30-year-old
01:37wife Nelia and their 1-year-old daughter Naomi were killed in an auto accident. Sons Beau
01:42and Hunter were critically injured. Biden was not in the car during the crash. Later
01:47in life, Beau, the Attorney General of Delaware and Joe Biden's eldest son, would pass away
01:52in 2015 after battling brain cancer.
01:56Biden's openness around grief and his ability to empathize with Americans who have experienced
02:01loss became defining traits of his political career. Biden married Jill Jacobs in 1977
02:08and their family grew with the birth of their daughter, Ashley. They are grandparents to
02:11seven grandchildren.
02:13As a senator, Biden mostly commuted to Washington, D.C. from Delaware. He relished taking the
02:18train to work and past projects to boost railway safety. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary
02:23Committee, Biden presided over the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Clarence Thomas.
02:29Biden failed to conduct a full investigation into sexual harassment allegations from Thomas
02:33accuser Anita Hill, an error he later took responsibility for.
02:38Biden worked to improve his record on issues important to women with the 1994 passage of
02:43his federal Violence Against Women Act. Biden ran for president three times in his career.
02:49In 1987, his first run quickly ended after Biden was forced to admit committing plagiarism
02:54in law school. As a candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Biden
02:59faced criticism for describing Barack Obama as, quote, articulate. The remark offended
03:04some in the black community. Obama said he didn't take it personally and chose Biden
03:09as his running mate. They went on to win a historic victory.
03:18Obama surprised Biden by honoring him with the Medal of Freedom before leaving office
03:23in 2017 as a symbol of their partnership in the White House. Biden often criticized then
03:28President Donald Trump and said Trump's divisive presidency propelled him to run again to,
03:33quote, restore the soul of the nation.
03:36After a bitter battle during one of the worst pandemics in U.S. history, Biden won the 2020
03:41contest after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge
03:46of mail-in ballots. Trump capitalized on that delay to make unfounded claims of election
03:52fraud.
03:53Biden tested positive for COVID-19 twice during his presidency and has gotten numerous vaccinations
03:58and booster shots to protect against the virus.
04:02Biden ended the U.S. national health emergency three years into the global pandemic. COVID-19
04:07has killed more than one million Americans.
04:10As the oldest president in U.S. history, Biden ran for a second term in 2024 in a rematch
04:15against former President Trump, but ultimately left the race following a disastrous debate
04:20performance. Biden was seen by some colleagues as a man who attempted to reach across the
04:25aisle during difficult times to find bipartisan solutions.
04:32For more UN videos visit www.un.org
Comments