U.S. President Joe Biden is celebrating his 82nd birthday today, November 20th. His birthday is an opportunity to get to know the president better and surprise you with ten things you didn't know about him:
His beginnings
Joseph Robinette Biden was born as the first child to his parents in Pennsylvania, his mother of Irish descent and his father of English descent. Later, the couple had a daughter and two more sons. His father was well-off but suffered from business upheavals, and for years the family had to live in the house of his mother's parents.
Academics and military
During his high school studies, Biden managed to lead the school's football team from a losing team to an undefeated one. Academically, Biden had above-average grades, was considered a natural leader among the students, and was elected class president.
Biden studied at the University of Delaware, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history and political science, and began dating Neilia Hunter.
He then enrolled in law studies and received a scholarship based on financial needs. During his first year, he was accused of plagiarizing 5 pages out of 15 in an academic paper and received a failing grade, a grade that was later removed from his transcript and caused significant criticism. Later, he received a law degree.
Biden's draft forms were rejected at the height of the Vietnam War due to asthma he had in his youth. He suffered from a stutter for most of his childhood and adolescence.
First marriage
In 1966, Biden married Neilia Hunter, and they had three children.
In 1969, he was elected to the council of New Castle County, winning by a significant majority in a district that had been Republican. Later, he embarked on a Senate campaign with no budget and eventually won.
Family tragedy
In 1972, his wife Neilia and their daughter Naomi, who was only one year old, were killed in a car accident. Biden's sons survived the fatal accident. The truck driver who hit the family car was cleared of any blame. Biden considered stepping back from political life to care for his shattered family, but his close associates convinced him to stay.
At the age of 30, he became a senator and represented the state of Delaware in the Senate for 36 years.
At the beginning of his term, Biden was still in the process of recovering from the accident and even said, "I didn't know I was capable of being subjected to such anger, I felt like God was working on me in a terrible way." Biden was a single father for five years and functioned on autopilot. In memory of his wife and daughter, Biden does not work on December 18, the anniversary of the accident.
Second marriage
In 1975, Biden met Jill Tracy Jacobs, and in 1981, their daughter was born.
Against the peace agreement in Israel
In 1992, Biden criticized President George Bush for pressuring Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir to make peace with the Arabs and said, "There is no incentive for the Arabs to compromise if they know they just have to wait – because the U.S. will do the negotiations for them."
In 1987, Biden announced his candidacy for the Democratic primaries for the presidency of the United States, hoping to become the youngest president elected since Kennedy.
The election campaign has encountered difficulties, among other reasons, due to the theft of a speech he delivered, and in addition, he exaggerated regarding his studies, the grades he received, and his degrees.
After a gruelling journey, embarrassing gaffes, and years of political activity, he was elected in 2008 to serve as Vice President under Barack Obama, and together they ran for a second term.
Reputation
Biden has earned a reputation as a talker and a chatterbox; according to political commentator Mark Halperin, "Biden has shown a persistent tendency to say stupid, offensive, and uncomfortable things." The New York Times wrote: "Biden's weak filters make him say anything."
In 2018, Biden called himself a "gaffe machine."
Another family tragedy
In 2015, while he was serving as President of the United States, his eldest son Beau Biden passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. The death of his son sent shockwaves across the United States.
In 2016, Biden attributed the recent death of his son as a burden on his emotional energy and did not run for the presidency of the United States on behalf of the Democratic Party. Instead, Obama supported Hillary Clinton, who lost to Donald Trump.
In 2017, President Obama unexpectedly awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Finally, a president
In 2020, Biden defeated his rival Donald Trump and served as President of the United States for four years. During his term, Biden dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, signed presidential decrees, the war between Russia and Ukraine, tensions with China, and rising global inflation.
Biden and Israel
Biden is considered part of the pro-Israel wing of the Democratic Party, all three of his children married Jews, and he said, "The stronger America is, the safer Israel is."
With the outbreak of the Iron Swords War, the president expressed unwavering support for Israel and delivered the famous speech in which he threatened other countries that want to attack Israel.
However, in May 2024, Biden announced the cessation of arms shipments to Israel if the IDF invaded Rafah. About 50% of the arms shipments from the USA have decreased.
Two months before the next elections, Biden, upon the advice of his close associates, decided to step aside in the presidential race for the second time in favour of his vice president, Kamala Harris. Despite the promising polls, Harris suffered defeat, and the Republican challenger, Donald Trump, was elected President of the United States.