Joe Biden

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Joe Biden
Image of Joe Biden

Candidate, President of the United States

President of the United States
Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2025

Years in position

3

Predecessor
Prior offices
U.S. Senate Delaware

Vice President of the United States

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 3, 2020

Next convention

August 20, 2024

Education

High school

Archmere Academy

Bachelor's

University of Delaware, 1965

Law

Syracuse University Law School, 1968

Personal
Religion
Christian: Catholic
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. (b. November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania) is the 46th president of the United States. He was inaugurated on January 20, 2021.

Biden is running in the 2024 Democratic presidential primary. He declared his candidacy on April 25, 2023.[1] Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee on March 12, 2024, after reaching the estimated majority delegate threshold. Click here to read more about his campaign.

During his presidency, Biden has issued ten vetoes. To read more about these vetoes, click here.

He won the 2020 presidential election on November 3, 2020, with 306 electoral votes. Biden launched his campaign for president of the United States on April 25, 2019.[2] He announced U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D) as his running mate on August 11, 2020.[3][4]

Biden was the 47th vice president of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama (D) from January 20, 2009, to January 20, 2017.[5]

He previously served as a U.S. senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009.[6]

On January 12, 2017, Obama awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his lifetime of public service, marking the final time Obama would present the nation's highest civilian honor. Biden received the award with distinction, an additional honor given only to Pope John Paul II, former President Ronald Reagan, and retired Gen. Colin Powell in the previous three administrations.[7]

See Biden's presidential campaign overview and Presidential candidates, 2024, for more information about the 2024 presidential election.

Biography

Biden was born in 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. When he was 10 years old, his family moved to Claymont, Delaware. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in history and political science and received his law degree from the Syracuse University Law School. Biden practiced law and worked as a public defender before seeking public office.[8]

From 1970 to 1972, Biden served on the New Castle County Council. He was elected to represent Delaware in the U.S. Senate at the age of 29, receiving 58% of the vote to defeat incumbent Sen. James Caleb Boggs (R). Two weeks after the election, his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident, which his two sons survived.[9] Biden was sworn into his first term in office by his sons' hospital beds in January 1973.

Biden served in the Senate from 1973 to 2009. During his Senate career, he chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Foreign Relations for several years.[9] In 1977, he remarried to Jill Jacobs, with whom he has one daughter, Ashley.[10]

Biden launched his first presidential bid in 1987 but withdrew from the race. He launched a second presidential campaign in 2007, dropping out of the race following the 2008 Iowa caucuses, where he placed fifth.[9] Then-candidate Barack Obama announced Biden was his choice for running mate in August 2008, and the pair won the general election.[11] Biden served as vice president from 2009 to 2017.

Biden's elder son, Beau, served as the attorney general of Delaware from 2007 to 2015. On May 30, 2015, Beau died from brain cancer at the age of 46.[12]

Biden was elected President of the United States on November 3, 2020, along with his Vice Presidential running mate, Kamala Harris. He was sworn into office on January 20, 2021.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Biden's academic, professional, and political career:[10][6]

  • 2021-Present: President of the United States
  • 2019-2020: Democratic presidential candidate
  • 2017-2019: Launched and developed Biden Foundation with Jill Biden
  • 2009-2017: Vice president of the United States during the Obama administration
  • 1973-2009: U.S. senator from Delaware
  • 1970-1972: New Castle County Council member
  • 1968-1970: Defense attorney in Wilmington, Delaware
  • 1968: Graduated from Syracuse University Law School with J.D.
  • 1965: Graduated from University of Delaware with a degree in history and political science

Elections

2024

Biden announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election on April 25, 2023. Click the links below to read more about the 2024 presidential election:

Biden in the news

See also: Editorial approach to story selection for presidential election news events

This section features up to five recent news stories about Biden and his presidential campaign. For a complete timeline of Biden's campaign activity, click here.


2020

Presidency

See also: Presidential candidates, 2020

Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) won the presidential election on November 3, 2020. Biden received 306 electoral votes and President Donald Trump (R) received 232 electoral votes. In the national popular vote, Biden received 81.2 million votes and Trump received 74.2 million votes.

Click here for Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign overview.

2016

Presidency

See also: Joe Biden possible presidential campaign, 2016 and Presidential election, 2016

Although Biden hinted that he was considering running for president in the 2016 election in several interviews, he announced that he would not make a bid on October 21, 2015.[18] Referring to the death of his son, Beau Biden, Joe Biden said, "As my family and I have worked through the grieving process. I’ve said all along that it may very well be that that process, by the time we get through it, closes the window on mounting a realistic campaign for president. I’ve concluded it has closed."[19]

2012

Vice Presidency

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

With a majority of the popular and Electoral College vote, Biden won re-election in 2012 as vice president of the United States on the Democratic ticket with President Barack Obama.[20]

U.S. presidential election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBarack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent 51.3% 65,899,660 332
     Republican Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan 47.4% 60,932,152 206
     Libertarian Gary Johnson/Jim Gray 1% 1,275,804 0
     Green Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala 0.4% 469,501 0
Total Votes 128,577,117 538
Election results via: FEC official election results


Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Roseanne Barr, Rocky Anderson, Thomas Hoefling, Jerry Litzel, Jeff Boss, Merlin Miller, Randall Terry, Jill Reed, Richard Duncan, Andre Barnett, Chuck Baldwin, Barbara Washer, Tom Stevens, Virgil Goode, Will Christensen, Stewart Alexander, James Harris, Jim Carlson, Sheila Tittle, Peta Lindsay, Gloria La Riva, Jerry White, Dean Morstad and Jack Fellure.[21]

2008

Vice Presidency

With a majority of the popular and Electoral College vote, Biden won election as vice president of the United States on the Democratic ticket with Barack Obama.[22]

U.S. presidential election, 2008
Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBarack Obama/Joe Biden 53% 69,498,516 365
     Republican John McCain/Sarah Palin 45.7% 59,948,323 173
     Peace and Freedom Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez 0.6% 739,034 0
     Libertarian Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root 0.4% 523,715 0
     Constitution Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle 0.2% 199,750 0
     Green Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente 0.1% 161,797 0
Total Votes 131,071,135 538
Election results via: Archives.gov official election results


Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Alan Keyes, Ron Paul, Gloria La Riva, Brian Moore, Roger Calero, Richard Duncan, James Harris, Charles Jay, John Joseph Polachek, Frank Edward McEnulty, Jeffrey J. Wamboldt, Thomas Robert Stevens, Gene C. Amondson, Jeffrey Jeff Boss, George Phillies, Ted Weill, Jonathan E. Allen and Bradford Lyttle.[23]

Full history


Key legislation during Biden administration

This section provides links to coverage of key federal legislation considered during the Biden administration. To be included, the bill must have met several of the following qualifying factors:

  • Collaboration between the president and congressional leadership on the bill
  • Use of the reconciliation process to pass the bill
  • Changes to the congressional procedure to pass the bill
  • Estimated cost of the bill as evaluated by the Congressional Budget Office
  • Extent of public relations campaign to promote the bill
  • Domestic and international policy ramifications

Legislation in the 118th Congress

Legislation in the 117th Congress

Analysis

Net worth

While running for president of the United States in 2020, Biden released financial disclosures and tax returns from 2016 to 2020. Click on the following links to view these disclosures:


2016 Democratic National Convention

Ballot measure activity

The following table details Biden's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:

Ballot measure support and opposition for Joe Biden
Ballot measure Year Position Status
California Proposition 15, Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative 2020 Supported[39]  Defeatedd Defeated
California Proposition 22, App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative 2020 Opposed[40]  Approveda/Overturnedot Approved
Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin, Revenue Limit Increase Measure 2020 Supported[41] Approveda Approved

Endorsements by Joe Biden

See also: Endorsements by Joe Biden

Ballotpedia tracks endorsements issued by Biden. Endorsements include official statements, appearances at campaign rallies, and direct participation in campaign ads and materials. Endorsements issued prior to a special election where the candidate is also running in a regularly scheduled election on the same day are counted as endorsements in both races.

See the table below for an overview of Biden's endorsements for candidates within Ballotpedia's coverage scope from 2016 to present. Click here to view a full list of Biden's endorsements.

Endorsements by Joe Biden, 2018-2024
Election year Total endorsements Primary endorsements Primary success rate General election endorsements General election success rate
2024 1 1 100% 0 N/A
2023 24 0 N/A 24 71%
2022 10 3 67% 9 89%
2021 2 0 N/A 2 50%
2020 49 0 N/A 49 29%
2019 2 0 N/A 2 0%
2018 129 10 100% 129 64%
Note: This table does not include endorsements made in presidential elections.

Noteworthy events

Special counsel Robert Hur declined to prosecute Biden for handling of classified documents (2024)

On February 8, 2024, Robert Hur declined to prosecute Biden after an investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents after his vice presidency. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur to investigate Biden's improper storage of classified documents in January 2023. Hur's report said, "Our investigation uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen. [...] We conclude that the evidence does not establish Mr. Biden's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt." The report said there was not enough evidence to prove Biden retained the documents willfully, that "at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," and also mentioned Biden's cooperation in the investigation and willingness to return the documents.[42]

Biden held a press conference on February 8 responding to the report. At the press conference, Biden said, "I was pleased to see he reached a firm conclusion that no charges should be brought against me in this case. This was an exhaustive investigation going back more than 40 years, even into the 1970s, when I was still a new United States senator. And the special counsel acknowledged I cooperated completely." Biden also said, "In addition, I know there's some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events. There's even reference that I don't remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that? [...] They don't know what they're talking about. It has no place in this report. The bottom line is the matter is now closed."[43]

This was one of three investigations into the handling of classified materials by individuals who had held executive office conducted by the Department of Justice (DoJ) around this time. The DoJ conducted a probe into former Vice President Mike Pence's (R) handling of classified documents beginning in January 2023, and decided against pressing charges in June 2023.[44] Garland also appointed special counsel Jack Smith to investigate former President Donald Trump's (R) handling of classified documents in November 2022.[45] Smith indicted Trump on 40 criminal counts, 32 of which were for the willful retention of national defense information, in June 2023. Click here to read more about the prosecution.

Impeachment inquiry (2023)

See also: Impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, 2023

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced on September 12, 2023, that the House of Representatives would pursue an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden (D).[46] The inquiry focused on allegations that Biden used his influence as vice president from 2009 to 2017 to improperly profit from his son Hunter Biden's business dealings.[47]

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), McCarthy's successor, scheduled a vote for December 7 to formally approve the ongoing impeachment inquiry.[48] The resolution was approved 221-212, and directed the Oversight, Ways and Means, and Judiciary committees to continue their investigations and set forth additional authorities for the committees related to inquiry proceedings.[49] As of April 2024, these committees were conducting hearings investigating Biden. No impeachment charges have been put up for a vote.[50]

In a September 13 briefing, White House Press Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Republicans in Congress "have spent all year investigating the President. That’s what they’ve spent all year doing, and have turned up with no evidence — none — that he did anything wrong. [...] That is what we’ve heard over and over again from their almost year-long investigation. And that’s because the President didn’t do anything wrong."[51]

Tested positive for coronavirus on July 21, 2022

See also: Government official, politician, and candidate deaths, diagnoses, and quarantines due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021
Covid vnt.png
Coronavirus pandemic
Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.


On July 21, 2022, the White House announced Biden tested positive for COVID-19.[52] On July 30, 2022, the president's physician reported he tested positive again for COVID-19.[53]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Joe Biden. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

External links

 

Political offices
Preceded by
Donald Trump (R)
President of the United States
2021-Present
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
-
Vice President of the United States
2009-2017
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
-
U.S. Senate Delaware
1973-2009
Succeeded by
-

Footnotes

  1. YouTube, "Joe Biden Launches His Campaign For President: Let's Finish the Job," April 25, 2023
  2. CNN, "Joe Biden announces he is running for president in 2020," April 25, 2019
  3. Twitter, "Joe Biden," August 11, 2020
  4. CNBC, "Joe Biden picks Sen. Kamala Harris to be his vice presidential running mate, making her the first black woman on a major ticket," August 11, 2020
  5. The Telegraph, "Barack Obama inauguration: Joe Biden sworn in as vice-president," January 20, 2009
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 CNN, "Joe Biden Fast Facts," January 22, 2013
  7. The Washington Post, "Obama surprises Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom," January 12, 2017
  8. Joe Biden, "Joe's Story," accessed July 9, 2019
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 HowStuffWorks, "Political Career of Joe Biden," accessed July 9, 2019
  10. 10.0 10.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named biobio
  11. The New York Times, "Obama Chooses Biden as Running Mate," August 23, 2008
  12. The New York Times, "Beau Biden, Vice President Joe Biden’s Son, Dies at 46," May 30, 2015
  13. Twitter, "Biden on April 23, 2024," accessed April 24, 2024
  14. Associated Press, "Biden pushes renewable energy plan," April 23, 2024
  15. Twitter, "Biden on April 18, 2024," accessed April 19, 2024
  16. Twitter, "Biden on April 17, 2024," accessed April 18, 2024
  17. Al Jazeera, "Biden calls for higher taxes on the rich on visit to Pennsylvania hometown," April 17, 2024
  18. USA Today, "Joe Biden says no to 2016 presidential race," accessed October 21, 2015
  19. The Guardian, "Joe Biden announces he will not run for president in 2016," accessed October 21, 2015
  20. The Cincinnati Herald, "Obama re-elected to historic second term," November 10, 2012
  21. FEC, "2012 Presidential Election Results," accessed June 24, 2013
  22. CNN, "Obama: This is your victory," November 5, 2008
  23. FEC, "2008 Presidential Popular Vote Summary," accessed June 24, 2013
  24. U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
  25. U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
  26. U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996," accessed March 28, 2013
  27. U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1990," accessed March 28, 2013
  28. U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1984," accessed March 28, 2013
  29. U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978," accessed March 28, 2013
  30. U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1972," accessed March 28, 2013
  31. Ballotpedia's list of superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention is based on our own research and lists provided by the Democratic National Committee to Vox.com in February 2016 and May 2016. If you think we made an error in identifying superdelegates, please send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
  32. The Huffington Post, "Joe Biden Endorses Hillary Clinton For President," June 9, 2016
  33. To find out which candidate a superdelegate supported, Ballotpedia sought out public statements from the superdelegate in other media outlets and on social media. If we were unable to find a public statement that clearly articulated which candidate the superdelegate supported at the national convention, we listed that superdelegate as "unknown." If you believe we made an error in identifying which candidate a superdelegate supported, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
  34. Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
  35. The New York Times, "Delaware Primary Results," June 10, 2016
  36. 36.0 36.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
  37. The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
  38. Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
  39. Twitter: Joe Biden, "9:28 AM - 8 Nov 2019 Tweet," accessed December 2, 2019
  40. Twitter, "Joe Biden," May 26, 2020
  41. Journal Sentinel, "Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden endorses Milwaukee, Racine school referendums in a highly unusual move," March 31, 2020
  42. Department of Justice, "Report on the Investigation Into Unauthorized Removal, Retention, and Disclosure of Classified Documents Discovered at Locations Including the Penn Biden Center and the Delaware Private Residence of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.," February 8, 2024
  43. YouTube, "02/08/24: President Biden Delivers Remarks," February 8, 2024
  44. NBC News, "DOJ closes Pence classified documents investigation with no charges," June 2, 2023
  45. Department of Justice, "Appointment of a Special Counsel," November 18, 2022
  46. Associated Press, "Speaker McCarthy directs the House to open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden," September 12, 2023
  47. Reuters, "What’s the basis of the Republicans’ Joe Biden impeachment inquiry?" December 13, 2023
  48. Politico, "Johnson almost certainly has votes to formalize Biden impeachment inquiry," December 12, 2023
  49. Congress.gov, "H.Res.918 - Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Joseph Biden, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes." accessed December 13, 2023
  50. GOP.gov, "Biden impeachment inquiry," accessed April 2, 2024
  51. White House, "Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein, and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby," September 13, 2023
  52. Yahoo! News, "Biden tests positive for COVID-19," July 21, 2022
  53. CNN, "President Joe Biden tests positive for Covid-19 again," July 30, 2022