Joe Biden, US President-Elect: "Let’s put the anger and the demonisation behind us. It’s time for us to come together as a nation and heal. It’s not gonna be easy, but we have to try. My responsibility as president will be to represent the whole nation. And I want you to know that I will work as hard for those who voted against me as for those who voted for me. That’s the job. That’s the job. It’s called a duty of care, for all Americans"
President Donald Trump may have dominated headlines throughout the bitter campaign to become the 46th President of the United States, but it is the quiet-talking Democrat, Joe Biden, who managed to snatch the prize from right under his nose.
Biden, who turns 78 on November 20, will take over as the oldest president of the United States. He's older than Donald Trump, who was 70 on Inauguration Day, in January 2017.
But this is not Biden's first run for the Presidency, he did it twice earlier, before becoming vice-president under Barack Obama. Biden first tried his hands at the presidency in 1988 but dropped out after allegations of plagiarism. His second attempt was in 2008 after he got less than 1% votes in the crucial lowa caucuses.
An empathetic, familiar face to many Americans, Biden has had a long political career in Washington and spent two terms as vice president to Barack Obama. His loyalty was also rewarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, in 2017.
Biden was first elected in 1972, and served 6 terms as a senator for the state of Delaware, where we was born and raised. He secured the current nomination when his last competitor, Bernie Sanders, dropped out in April 2020.
This year Biden also broke the record for most votes received by a presidential candidate, garnering more than 70 million, a record held by Barack Obama.
Biden's campaign has had its own share of controversies. He faced allegations from former staffer Tara Reade in 2019, who said she felt uncomfortable with Biden during her time in his Senate office in the 90s. In March 2020, she also accused him of a sexual assault in 1993. Biden and his campaign team have strongly denied the allegation.
What could Biden's first 100 days in office look like? Needless to say, Biden's overriding priority would be tackling the coronavirus pandemic which has claimed over 2.2 lakh American lives, along with the nation's economy.
Joe Biden, US President-Elect- "We’ll never be able to measure all the pain, the loss, and the suffering so many families have experienced. I know how it feels to lose someone, and I want them to know they’re not alone. Our hearts break with you. And I want everyone to know on Day One, we are going to put our plan to control this virus into action"
Political observers say that in his first few days in the Oval Office, Biden would intend to show that America is back as a leader on the world stage by rejoining the World Health Organisation, calling NATO allies and symbolically striking out Trump’s Muslim ban.
Then there are dozens of Trump’s executive orders that have to be undone. As the new US President, Biden will have plenty to do.
