Joe Biden's journey through grief and presidency struggles
Life has been exceptionally painful for Joe Biden. Years ago, his wife and daughter died in a car accident. More recently, his son lost a battle with a serious illness. Meanwhile, his only surviving son currently faces significant legal issues.
Joe Biden made history as the 46th president of the United States. However, the 81-year-old's life has not always been colorful. Years ago, the American politician experienced several exceptionally painful family tragedies. One such tragedy was the accident in which his first wife, Neilia Hunter, died. The couple married in 1966 and had three children.
In 1972, Joe Biden began a serious political career, winning the Senate election. The then nearly 30-year-old politician fulfilled his great dream, but his happiness did not last long. Six weeks after the political victory, on December 18, 1972, his wife was involved in a car accident. The vehicle, which was struck by a truck, also carried their children. The sons were hospitalized, but Biden's wife and daughter died on the spot.
I was in Washington, hiring new staff, when I got a call from the paramedics. A fairly young woman answered the phone. She was terribly nervous. "You need to come home. There has been an accident. A truck hit your wife and three children when they went shopping," she said - Joe Biden recalled during one of his speeches quoted by TVN 24.
Joe Biden experienced family tragedies. This is how life marked the US president
A few years later, Joe Biden faced another blow from fate. His eldest son from his first marriage fell seriously ill. Unfortunately, Beau Biden died at the end of May 2015 from brain cancer. The politician's firstborn was 46 years old at the time. He left behind his wife, Hallie, and two children.
Joe Biden never hid that his son's death was a great tragedy for him. Beau was his driving force for political action. According to the president, his son's military service in Iraq, where Beau was exposed to toxic burn pits, could have contributed to his death.
When Beau was dying, he made me promise that I would not withdraw from political activity. He knew I would take care of the family but was worried that I would retreat into a shell and shut out the outside world. It took me a long time to realize my current driving force. To wake up every day and say to myself: I hope he's proud of me - confessed Joe Biden in an interview for CNN.
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about Hunter Biden. The president's son has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years. Some time ago, there was a lot of noise about his charges related to illegal possession of a weapon. A few weeks ago, Joe Biden officially announced that he would not use his pardon power if his son were convicted.