Heartbreaking Details About Joe Biden's Life

Joe Biden has finally announced that his first term as President of the United States will also be his last. This presumably marks the end of his astoundingly long career in American politics, and it undoubtedly marks a turning point for the Democratic party. 

Ironically, when Joe Biden first began his political journey, he was actually seen by many as too young for the job. He was first elected to U.S. Senate representing Delaware in 1972 at the age of 29, which put him below the minimum age requirement to serve in the Senate, although he turned 30 before taking office. His first heartbreaking tragedy struck before he even got his start as a senator, but he stuck with the job for another 36 years before joining Barack Obama as his Vice President from 2009 to 2017.

After his first departure from the White House, it looked like Joe Biden's political journey had come to an end, but instead he ran against President Trump in 2020 and defeated the incumbent to become president. He is without a doubt one of the most experienced politicians in U.S. history, and he has ridden a hard road personally and professionally in the last five plus decades.

Just weeks before Joe Biden took his Senate seat, he experienced an unimaginable family tragedy that affected him and the entire Biden clan forever. On December 18, 1972, Neilia Biden was driving with her children when their vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer truck. Neilia was killed, as was their 13-month-old daughter Naomi. Neilia and Joe Biden's two sons, Beau and Hunter, were also in the car, but luckily survived the crash. Joe Biden, who became a senator on January 3, 1973, was sworn into office at the hospital where his sons were being treated at the time. 

The loss of his daughter and wife were heartbreaking, and although Biden did find love again with Dr. Jill Biden, President Biden admitted that he owes a great deal of his political career to his first wife Neilia. As he explained to the News Journal (via USA Today), "She came around to the thought that there would always be pressure on me to run for something. What she said was, 'I suppose you have to try it once, win or lose, or you'll never be happy with yourself.'"

The deaths of Neilia and Naomi Biden were shockingly brutal losses, but unfortunately, they were not the last of his heartaches. His eldest son Joseph R. Biden III, better known as Beau, tragically died of brain cancer at the age of 46 of May 30, 2015, cutting his life and political career tragically short. 

Beau shared more than a name with his father, Joe Biden. Prior to his death, Beau chose to follow in his father's footsteps, serving two terms as the Attorney General of Delaware, and shortly before he lost his battle with cancer, he was rumored to be gearing up for a potential run in the Delaware Governor race (per AP News). President Biden has also speculated that Beau's time in military service (he was a major in the Delaware Army National Guard) may have played a role in his cancer diagnosis. Questions have arisen regarding a potential connection between glioblastoma (the type of cancer that Beau Biden died from) and carcinogens found in burn pits used to dispose of waste in Iraq and Afghanistan, which Beau Biden was exposed to during his active duty deployment (via PBS).

Clearly, Joe Biden is no stranger to dealing with family tragedy, and as his own son Hunter can attest, President Biden will do anything to avoid facing that kind of loss again. Despite Hunter's battles with addiction, Joe Biden has never stopped caring for his son.

Hunter Biden has been open about his intense struggles with crack addiction, and in his memoir, "Beautiful Things," he described his father's continuous fight to keep his son off drugs and alive (via Time). As Joe Biden's youngest and now only surviving son, it comes as no surprise that his dad was devoted to his survival. Hunter Biden admits (via NPR) that he first bought crack cocaine when he was 18 years old, but Joe Biden kept fighting for Hunter's sobriety, even when Hunter himself wasn't. As Hunter Biden explained in his book, there was "never a moment that they weren't trying to save me."

Hunter Biden has gotten a pretty disproportionate amount of news coverage in comparison to the typical first child, but he really found himself under a microscope when he was charged with three felonies related to lying on a document while purchasing a gun (Biden claimed that he was not abusing or addicted to drugs on the form, which was not the case).

Hunter Biden was found guilty on all three charges on June 11, 2024 (per AP), and although family members like First Lady Jill Biden made their presence in court known to support him, his father didn't attend any of his trial dates. Hunter Biden can still appeal the verdict, but because those felonies are on his record, his license to practice law was suspended (via CNN). Even after that massive career blow, Hunter Biden's legal troubles still aren't over. As reported by The New York Times, Hunter is facing tax charges in California, and the case is set to go to trial on September 5, 2024.

In a historic decision, on July 21, 2024, Joe Biden announced that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. President Biden was heavily criticized for his performance in his first debate with Donald Trump, and many spectators were concerned about how Biden's age and mental acuity may be affecting his ability to do the job for another four years.

Former President Donald Trump engaged in his usual antics during the showdown on June 27, 2024, but Joe Biden seemed unprepared and lost his composure during the debate. In the ensuing weeks, discussion about Joe Biden's fitness grew louder. Finally, Biden revealed that he would be withdrawing from the race, and voiced his support for Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee. Some might consider his pressured exit from the presidential race to be an ignominious end to a long and successful career as a politician, but Biden still has his remaining term to cement his legacy as he sees fit.