Who is Joe Biden?
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. served as a U.S. senator, vice president, and the 46th president of the United States. Here's the short version — including the actual 2020 vote totals.
From Scranton to Delaware
Joe Biden was born on November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and moved with his family to Delaware as a child. He graduated from the University of Delaware and Syracuse University College of Law before entering local politics on the New Castle County Council.
In 1972, Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate at age 29. Weeks later, a car accident killed his first wife, Neilia, and their daughter, Naomi, and injured their sons, Beau and Hunter. Biden took office in January 1973. He married Jill Jacobs in 1977; their daughter, Ashley, was born in 1981.
Decades in Washington
Biden represented Delaware in the Senate from 1973 to 2009, serving on and chairing the Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees. His legislative record includes the Violence Against Women Act, while his support for the 1994 crime bill and his 2002 vote authorizing the use of force in Iraq have drawn lasting criticism.
He was vice president under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017 and became the Democratic presidential nominee in 2020, with Kamala Harris as his running mate.
The 2020 election: the actual numbers
On November 3, 2020, Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump. The Federal Election Commission's compiled official results record the following nationwide popular-vote totals:
The election result was certified, and Biden took the presidential oath of office on January 20, 2021.
The 46th presidency
Biden served from January 20, 2021, to January 20, 2025. His administration signed major infrastructure, semiconductor-manufacturing, and climate-and-health legislation and appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
His presidency also faced criticism over inflation, immigration policy, the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and his administration's approach to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Biden ended his 2024 reelection campaign in July of that year and endorsed Harris to succeed him as the Democratic nominee.
His record, like any public official's, deserves examination on its merits — rather than credit or blame for literally everything that has ever happened.
Sources and further reading
- Federal Election Commission — Federal Elections 2020 (official popular-vote totals).
- National Archives — 2020 Electoral College results (306 to 232).
- U.S. Government Publishing Office — Senate biography and tributes (early life, family, Senate service).
- Archived Biden White House biography (administration perspective).