Biography
Born November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, before his family moved to Delaware when he was ten. He became a lawyer and, at age 29, one of the youngest people ever elected to the U.S. Senate, representing Delaware starting in 1973 β a victory overshadowed by tragedy when his wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident just weeks after his election. He served in the Senate for 36 years, becoming a leading voice on foreign policy and criminal justice, before being chosen as Barack Obama's running mate and serving two terms as Vice President from 2009 to 2017. After unsuccessful presidential runs in 1988 and 2008, he won the presidency in 2020, defeating incumbent Donald Trump, and served as the 46th President of the United States starting in 2021, becoming the oldest person ever inaugurated at age 78. His presidency included the American Rescue Plan pandemic relief package, a major infrastructure bill, and continued support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion. After facing intense scrutiny over his age and mental acuity β particularly following a widely criticized debate performance against Trump in June 2024 β he dropped out of the 2024 re-election race, and his replacement, Kamala Harris, lost to Trump.