President Barack Obama saved a moment in his final address to thank the man who he said has become like family to him: Vice President Joe Biden.
“To Joe Biden, the scrappy kid from Scranton who became Delaware’s favorite son: You were the first choice I made as a nominee, and the best,” Obama said in Chicago. “Not just because you have been a great vice president, but because in the bargain, I gained a brother.”
“We love you and Jill like family,” Obama continued, referring to the vice president’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, “and your friendship has been one of the great joys of our life.”
When Obama mentioned him, Biden pointed and winked.
The president and vice president have said they formed a close bond during their time in the White House, after competing against each other in the 2007 Democratic presidential primary. They’ve been together not just through political battles, but also personal ones; when Biden’s eldest son, Beau Biden, died of cancer in 2015, Obama delivered the eulogy.
“We are here to grieve with you, but more importantly, we are here because we love you,” Obama said at the time.
The president later put Biden in charge with a “moonshot” effort to cure cancer.
The friendship between Obama and Biden ― also the subject of many excellent memes ― will continue after their terms end, Biden has said.
“We’re still going to hang out a little bit,” Biden told CBS’s “Face the Nation” last year.
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