This is Joe Biden, America's new president: 'he will reunite the people'
Joe Biden becomes the new president of the United States. He inherits a land where the gorges are deeper than ever. According to his former adviser Moe Vela, he has an "incredible gift for bringing people together."
Vela was an advisor to Joe Biden for a year and a half during his time as a vice president at the White House. "I helped set up his administration." It was a time that changed his life, he has since become good friends with the Biden family. One of Vela's fondest memories is that when Vela had stopped working for him for years, Biden brought him a rosary after a visit to Pope Francis.
Tragic life experience
"It says something about how thoughtful he is. Once during a diplomatic trip on an airplane we had a nice conversation about his Catholic faith. I shared with him how important faith was to my father, and that my father always had his rosary with him. The fact that Joe remembered that during his visit to the Vatican is what typifies him. "
The image of an extremely thoughtful, thoughtful man is one that appears frequently in biographical articles about Joe Biden. He lost his first wife and daughter in a car accident and his son to cancer in 2015. Because of that tragic life experience, he seems to be able to support people who have suffered a loss themselves very well. During a meeting with relatives of deceased soldiers, he consoled them with the words: "There will come a day, I promise you, when the thought of your son or daughter, your husband or your wife, will make you laugh before you shed a tear. eyes. "
The toughest office in the world
Biden is one of the most experienced politicians in the United States. He was first elected as a senator in 1972. From 2008 to 2016, he served as Vice President under Barack Obama. Becoming president is a long-cherished wish that now comes true. Also in 1988 and 2008 he already made a bid for the White House. He is now 77, 78 when he is inaugurated on January 20.
According to American expert Frans Verhagen, this is one of his weaknesses. "At the age of 78, he takes on the toughest office in the world, we have seen how presidents can get quite a bit older in 4 years. Obama, who was quite young when he started, had a lot of gray hair when his term ended. It's a deadly exhausting office, so he will have to delegate a lot. Kamala Harris, the vice president will play an important role in that.
Dealmaker
Moe Vela, the former assistant to Vice President Biden, is clearly getting excited about whether Biden might not be a bit too old. "I dare anyone who doubts about that to run with Joe. Then we'll see who gets back first. The idea that he would be too old is ridiculous. It's not a matter of whether you're 78 or 28. The point is that you are qualified and that is Joe like no other. "
Verhagen thinks that Biden's age and experience can also work in his favor. "He dates back to the days when senators went to lunch together, or drank a whiskey and then deals were made. Maybe he can bring about more talk between the two parties. He is not an ideologist, but He's a practical person. He's kind of a deal maker, but a very different kind of deal maker from Donald Trump. "
Ghosts of the past
If you listen to the lyrical account of former employee Vela, you get the idea that Biden is half a saint. Yet there are ghosts from his past that haunt him. For example, Biden once voted against free school buses for black children so that they could go to better schools. And he was partly responsible for strict anti-crime laws that ultimately saw blacks in particular end up in US prisons.
In a speech this week, the day after the election, Biden tried to strike a conciliatory tone: "I will not rule as a Democrat, I will rule as president for all Americans." According to Verhagen, Biden should not try to win over the Trump voters. "He has to show that he can be a good president, and he has to do things that help all Americans."
Destructive division
Verhagen then thinks of the dire state of the American roads and bridges, education, healthcare, the economy. "He needs to show that he is doing business that everyone sees will make America better. Only a broad general policy that benefits every American can keep those destructive divisions from continuing to suffer."
According to Vela, Biden is not naive. "He doesn't have a magic wand with which to dissolve the deep polarization Trump has sown. But with his tone he will reunite people over time. He will make people see that a divided house will collapse."
Joe Biden appears to be the new president of the United States. Former adviser Moe Vela and American connoisseur Frans Verhagen shed their light on Joe Biden and what kind of president he will be.
