Joe Biden: From being one of the youngest senators to oldest US president
Washington: Third time lucky is an apt phrase to describe the remarkable rise of Joe Biden, a veteran in US politics for around five decades, from being one of the youngest senators in history to the oldest American president.
The 77-year-old six-term Democratic senator, who triumphed over incumbent Republican President Donald Trump in Tuesday's presidential election, ran twice unsuccessfully for president - in 1988 and 2008.
The presidential dreams that the veteran leader from Delaware had harbored since childhood seemed all but over for a third time until he won South Carolina's Democratic Party primary on February 29, forcing most rivals out of the race and making one of the most dramatic comebacks in American political history.
Biden, a familiar face to many Americans who has spent five decades in Washington and served two terms in the White House as former president Barack Obama's vice president, capitalized on that experience to portray himself as a tested leader and a better alternative to Republican incumbent President Donald Trump.
While accepting the Democratic presidential nomination in August, Biden pledged to restore the soul of America, and be an ally of the light, not the darkness.
The current president has cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger. Too much fear. Too much division. If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I will be an ally of the light, not of the darkness, he said.
Biden defeated 74-year-old Trump in the bitterly fought presidential election, becoming the oldest person ever to occupy the White House.
He has a strong track record of being an ardent advocate of a strong India-US relationship both as a Senator from Delaware for over three decades and then as deputy of President Obama for eight years.
From playing a key role in the passage of the India-US civil nuclear deal during a Republican administration to setting up the goal of a USD 500 billion in bilateral trade, Biden has strong ties with the Indian leadership across the aisle and has a large number of Indian-Americans within his close circuit.
At a fundraiser in July, Biden had said that India and the United States were natural partners. "That partnership, a strategic partnership, is necessary and important in our security," he said when asked whether India is critical to the US' national security.
Referring to his eight years as the vice president, Biden said that he was proud to have played a role in securing Congressional approval for the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement, which he said was a "big deal".
"Helping open the door to great progress in our relationship and strengthening our strategic partnership with India was a high priority in the Obama-Biden administration and will be a high priority if I'm elected president," Biden had said.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1942 to a Catholic family, Joe Robinette Biden Jr studied at the University of Delaware and then earned a law degree from Syracuse University in 1968.
He was first elected in 1972 and served six terms as a senator for the state of Delaware.
Aged 29, he was one of the youngest people ever elected to the US Senate, and his age at his first election contributed to him being consistently ranked as one of the least wealthy members in the Senate.
Biden unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008 before finally securing his party's backing this year with strong support among Black voters.
Known for blunt talk, Biden speaks openly about his family's tragedies including the 1972 car crash that killed his first wife Neilia, and their 13-month-old daughter Naomi, while his sons Beau and Hunter were critically injured in the accident.
Biden met his second wife Jill Jacobs in 1975, and they married in June 1977. They had a daughter, Ashley, in 1981.
In 2015, Beau, an Iraq war veteran who had served as Delaware's attorney general, died of a brain tumor aged 46. Biden's son Hunter struggled with drug issues as an adult.
Biden himself had a health scare in 1988 when he suffered two brain aneurysms. He has referred to his personal losses on the campaign trail and declared: Healthcare is personal to me.
In October, Biden pointed to his son's terminal diagnosis and said: I can't fathom what would have happened if the insurance companies had the power to say last few months, you're on your own.
He secured the Democratic nomination when his last competitor Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out in April 2020.
Biden 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 sexual assault in 1993. Biden and his campaign team have strongly denied the allegation.
During his tenure, Biden voiced support for LGBT rights, calling himself absolutely comfortable with the idea of same-sex marriage.
He also led the Gun Violence Task Force in the wake of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in 2012.
His loyalty to the first African American President was rewarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, presented by Obama days before he left office in 2017.
Obama officially endorsed Biden in April. He has praised him, saying, "Biden is my brother. I love Joe Biden. And he will be a great president and he treats everyone with dignity and with respect".
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Tell US President Donald Trump to stop West Asia conflict: Owaisi to PM Modi
Hyderabad (PTI): AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "break his silence" on the conflict in West Asia and ask US President Donald Trump to end the war.
Addressing a gathering here, he also asked the PM to provide a full account of the sinking of an Iranian ship, IRIS Dena, off Sri Lanka by a US military submarine two days ago.
Taking strong exception to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's recent announcement regarding Indian oil imports, he said the BJP-RSS should give a strong response to the American official and assert that India would purchase oil according to its own will.
He accused the BJP-RSS combine of being "scared" of US President Donald Trump.
"This war should end. Prime Minister should break his silence. Take the phone and tell Trump to stop this tamasha. They (US) are not suffering any losses. Our citizens are suffering. Who is dying there? Indians are dying. You maintained silence over Gaza," he said.
Owaisi dismissed the argument that the Iranian vessel sank outside the Indian waters, saying it is important to realise that it occurred close to India.
"If a Chinese ship comes close to our nation, what would you do? You say that it was not in Indian waters. Water does not have borders. You see how close the enemy has come. It is the Constitutional responsibility of the Prime Minister to tell the country what happened. We are with America in Quad," he said.
Pointing to India's strategic agreements with the US, the AIMIM leader said the Iranian frigate had visited Visakhapatnam at the invitation of India, while America had refused to participate in the naval exercise there.
Highlighting that one crore Indian citizens work in the Gulf region, a widening war lead to job losses for Indian diaspora.
He alleged that Israel aims to create a 'Greater Israel', encompassing much of the Arab region.
"The evil eye of these oppressors extends up to the holy city of Madinah."
Responding to US Treasury Secretary's comments that America is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, Owaisi wondered if India truly is a sovereign country.
"Have you mortagaged India before US. Speak out BJP-RSS people. A (US)minister says you purchase for a month. Is this what we have secured freedom from the English that a white-skinned person says you purchase for a month ? But, they will not speak. They are scared of Trump," he said.
Quoting America's trade minister as saying that the US would not let India emerge like China, the AIMIM leader asked whether "India is a slave of America?"
He further questioned, "What is America's role in the progress of India?"
"BJP and RSS people are terrified of speaking against the white-skinned officials," he alleged.
He also hit out at the Centre for allegedly providing funds to a right-wing organisation to hold an event.
The organisation has openly favoured making India a 'Hindu Rashtra', "converting the religion of Muslims and throwing away 25 crore people," he alleged.
