Joe Biden

Joe Biden

Democratic Party

President of the United States

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2025

Years in position

3

Predecessor

Donald Trump

Prior offices

U.S. Senate Delaware

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Vice President of the United States

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Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 3, 2020

Education

High school

Archmere Academy

Bachelor's

University of Delaware, 1965

Law

Syracuse University Law School, 1968

Personal

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Official YouTube

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Campaign TikTok

Personal Twitter

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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 withdrew from the 2024 Democratic presidential election on July 21, 2024. In a letter posted on X, he wrote "I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.". He declared his candidacy on April 25, 2023. 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 12 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. He announced U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D) as his running mate on August 11, 2020.

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

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

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.

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.

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. 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. In 1977, he remarried to Jill Jacobs, with whom he has one daughter, Ashley.

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. Then-candidate Barack Obama announced Biden was his choice for running mate in August 2008, and the pair won the general election. 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.

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:

• 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. He became the presumptive Democratic nominee on March 12, 2024. Biden withdrew from the presidential race on July 21, 2024. Click the links below to read more about the 2024 presidential election:

• Joe Biden presidential campaign, 2024
• Presidential candidates, 2024
• Democratic presidential nomination, 2024
• Republican presidential nomination, 2024

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. 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."

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.

U.S. presidential election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Barack 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.

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.

U.S. presidential election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Barack 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.

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Joe Biden, click [show] to expand the section.

2008 Biden also won re-election to his seat in the U.S. Senate in 2008, which he was forced to resign from on January 15, 2009 in order to take the office of U.S. vice president. On November 4, 2008, Joe Biden won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Christine O'Donnell (R) in the general election. U.S. Senate, Delaware General Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Joe Biden incumbent 64.7% 257,539      Republican Christine O'Donnell 35.3% 140,595 Total Votes 398,134 2002 On November 5, 2002, Joe Biden won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Raymond J. Clatworthy (R), Raymond T. Buranello (L), Maurice Barros (Independent Party of Delaware) and Robert E. Mattson (Natural Law) in the general election. U.S. Senate, Delaware General Election, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Joe Biden incumbent 58.2% 135,253      Republican Raymond J. Clatworthy 40.8% 94,793      Libertarian Raymond T. Buranello 0.4% 922      Independent Maurice Barros 0.4% 996      Natural Law Robert E. Mattson 0.2% 350 Total Votes 232,314 1996 On November 5, 1996, Joe Biden won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Raymond J. Clatworthy (R), Mark Jones (L) and Jacqueline Kossoff (Natural Law) in the general election. U.S. Senate, Delaware General Election, 1996 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Joe Biden incumbent 60% 165,465      Republican Raymond J. Clatworthy 38.1% 105,088      Libertarian Mark Jones 1.2% 3,340      Natural Law Jacqueline Kossoff 0.6% 1,698 Total Votes 275,591 1990 On November 6, 1990, Joe Biden won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated M. Jane Brady (R) and Lee Rosenbaum (L) in the general election. U.S. Senate, Delaware General Election, 1990 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Joe Biden incumbent 62.7% 112,918      Republican M. Jane Brady 35.8% 64,554      Libertarian Lee Rosenbaum 1.5% 2,680      N/A Write-in 0% 5 Total Votes 180,157 1984 On November 6, 1984, Joe Biden won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated John M. Burris (R) in the general election. U.S. Senate, Delaware General Election, 1984 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Joe Biden incumbent 60.1% 147,831      Republican John M. Burris 39.9% 98,101 Total Votes 245,932 1978 On November 7, 1978, Joe Biden won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated James H. Baxter, Jr. (R) and Donald G. Gies (American Independent) in the general election. U.S. Senate, Delaware General Election, 1978 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Joe Biden incumbent 58% 93,930      Republican James H. Baxter, Jr. 41% 66,479      American Independent Donald G. Gies 1% 1,663 Total Votes 162,072 1972 On November 7, 1972, Joe Biden won election to the United States Senate. He defeated J. Caleb Boggs (R), Henry Majka (American) and Herbert B. Wood (Prohibition) in the general election. U.S. Senate, Delaware General Election, 1972 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Joe Biden 50.5% 116,006      Republican J. Caleb Boggs incumbent 49.1% 112,844      American Henry Majka 0.3% 803      Prohibition Herbert B. Wood 0.1% 175 Total Votes 229,828

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

• H.R.815: Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.
• Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
• H.J.Res.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.
• H.J.Res.30: Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights"

Legislation in the 117th Congress

• Respect for Marriage Act of 2022
• Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022
• Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
• Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022
• Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act (amendment to H.R. 5746: NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021)
• American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
• Build Back Better Act
• Congressional Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2022
• For the People Act of 2021
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021

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:

• OGE Form 278e (2020)
• OGE Form 278e (2019)
• 2016 Delaware
• 2016 Federal
• 2017 Delaware
• 2017 Federal
• 2018 Delaware
• 2018 Federal
• 2019 Delaware, Virginia, Federal

2016 Democratic National Convention

• Delegate to the 2016 DNC (click to expand)

  See also: Democratic National Convention, 2016

  Joe Biden
  Democratic National Convention, 2016
  Status:	Superdelegate
  State:	Delaware
  Supporting:	Hillary Clinton
  Delegates to the DNC 2016
  Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • State election law and delegates • Superdelegates by state

  Biden was one of ten superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Delaware. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus to support a specific presidential candidate. Biden supported Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Clinton formally won the Democratic nomination for president on July 26, 2016.

  What is a superdelegate?

  See also: Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

  Superdelegates in 2016 were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

  Delaware primary results

  See also: Presidential election in Connecticut, 2016

  Hillary Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders in Delaware's Democratic primary on April 26, 2016, by approximately 21 percentage points.

  Delaware Democratic Primary, 2016
  Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
  Hillary Clinton	59.8%	55,954	12
  Bernie Sanders	39.2%	36,662	9
  Roque De La Fuente	1.1%	1,024	0
  Totals		93,640	21
  Source: The New York Times and Delaware Secretary of State

  Delegate allocation

  See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

  

  Delaware had 32 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 21 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.

  Eleven party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.

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	d Defeated
California Proposition 22, App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative	2020	Opposed	a/ot Approved
Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin, Revenue Limit Increase Measure	2020	Supported	a 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.

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Endorsements by Joe Biden, 2018-2024
Election year	Total endorsements	Primary endorsements	Primary success rate	General election endorsements	General election success rate
2024	2	2	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.

Endorsements overview (2016-2017)
Year		Regular endorsements	Special elections
2017
	Endorsements	10	4
	General record	9-1 (90%)	4-0 (100%)
2016
	Endorsements	10	0
	General record	6-4 (60%)	N/A

Noteworthy events

Biden withdraws from presidential race (2024)

See also: Withdrawal of Joe Biden from the 2024 presidential election

On July 21, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) announced on social media platform X that he was ending his campaign for re-election. In a statement, Biden said:

“

It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.

”

In a separate post on X, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris (D) to replace him at the top of the ticket: "Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats—it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this."

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.

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."

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. Garland also appointed special counsel Jack Smith to investigate former President Donald Trump's (R) handling of classified documents in November 2022. 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). 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.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), McCarthy's successor, scheduled a vote for December 7 to formally approve the ongoing impeachment inquiry. 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. As of November 2024, these committees were conducting hearings investigating Biden. No impeachment charges have been put up for a vote.

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."

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

Coronavirus pandemic
Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsBallotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemicSubmit

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

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.

Joe Biden - Google News

See also

• Elections
• Joe Biden presidential campaign, 2020
• Presidential election, 2020
• Barack Obama
• Presidential election, 2016

External links

 

• Vice President Joe Biden
• Joe Biden on Facebook
• Joe Biden on Twitter
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Profile on OpenSecrets.org

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 -