Joe Biden, in full Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., (born Nov. 20, 1942, Scranton, Pa., U.S.), 46th president of the U.S. (2021– ). After earning a law degree (1968) from Syracuse University in New York, he briefly worked as an attorney in Delaware before turning to politics. In 1972 he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a member of the Democratic Party. He went on to win reelection six times and became Delaware’s longest-serving senator (1973–2009). As a senator, Biden focused on foreign relations, criminal justice, and drug policy. After two unsuccessful bids for the Democratic presidential nomination (1988, 2008), he was Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008 and served two terms (2009–17) as vice president.
In 2020 Biden became the Democratic presidential nominee, and he chose Kamala Harris, an African American senator, as his running mate. In one of the most contentious elections in U.S. history, Biden defeated Pres. Donald Trump, who alleged voter fraud (without providing evidence) and sought to overturn the results. As Congress met to certify Biden’s win, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. It took several hours to secure the building, and the election was eventually certified. Biden was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2021. During the first weeks of his presidency, he issued numerous executive orders and took other actions that rescinded policies of the Trump administration, particularly in the areas of immigration, health care, and the environment. Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 and the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022. He withdrew U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021, leaving the Taliban in control of the country. The Russia-Ukraine War (2022– ), the Israel-Hamas War (2023– ), and relations with China dominated foreign affairs. By early 2024 Biden had secured enough delegates to become the Democratic nominee in that year’s presidential election. On July 21, 2024, he announced his decision not to seek a second term, following a poor debate performance and increasing pressure from leading Democrats to withdraw. He endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, who became the party’s nominee; she was later defeated by Donald Trump.
Biden married Neilia Hunter in 1966, and they had two sons and a daughter. In 1972 his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. In 1977 Biden married Jill Jacobs, and they had a daughter.
