In a moment of raw personal reflection, President Joe Biden recently shared a poignant sentiment about his family and his political journey, stating that it was his late son, Beau Biden, who should have been elected president, not himself. The emotional admission came during a speech at a gala for the Nebraska Democratic Party, offering a glimpse into the profound personal loss that has shaped the president’s life and his policy priorities.
Beau Biden, the former Attorney General of Delaware and a veteran of the Iraq War, died in 2015 at the age of 46 after a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. During his speech, President Biden connected his son’s military service to his illness, suggesting that exposure to burn pits during his deployment in Iraq was a contributing factor. “He came back with stage four glioblastoma because he lived in a burn pit,” Biden told the audience, highlighting a health issue affecting many veterans that he has actively sought to address through legislation.
The president’s comments framed his 2020 election victory as a bittersweet outcome. By stating that the presidency was a role his son was destined for, Biden elevated Beau’s character and promise, whom he has often described as the embodiment of public service. This personal history forms a core part of Biden’s political identity, consistently informing his advocacy for cancer research and support for military families, key pillars of his administration’s agenda.
Biden then pivoted to his own health, revealing he had been treated for what he described as an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer. He used his personal experience to underscore the importance of medical research, thanking doctors and nurses for “incredible breakthroughs.” This served as a segue to sharply criticize his political opponents, accusing former President Trump and his allies of cutting government funding for healthcare and making it “more expensive for virtually everyone.”
The speech blended the deeply personal with the fiercely political. Beyond healthcare, Biden launched a broader critique of Trump’s tenure, using the metaphor of a “wrecking ball” to describe what he sees as an assault on democratic institutions. The evening ultimately served as a powerful reminder of how personal tragedy continues to influence President Biden’s public service, framing his presidency not just as his own achievement, but as a legacy carried forward for his son.
