President Obama Awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Vice President Biden

Hey Badd, okay, that's enough, I don't want to embarrass the guy, welcome everyone to the White House. Since I already gave my farewell speech, I'll try to be relatively brief, but I just want to get a few people together to pay tribute to someone. who has not only been by my side during this incredible journey, but someone who has dedicated his entire professional life to the ser

vice

of this country, the best Vice President America has ever had, Mr. Joe Biden. This also gives the Internet one last chance to talk about our Bromance, this has been quite a journey.

It was eight and a half years ago that I elected Joe as my

vice

president

. There hasn't been a single moment since then when I've doubted the wisdom of that decision. It was the best possible. election not just for me but for the American people this is an extraordinary man with an extraordinary career in public service this is someone the people of Delaware sent to the Senate as quickly as possible he was elected at age 29 for more than a dozen years in office he served as chairman or ranking member of the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees at the national level.

He championed Landmark legislation to make our community safer and protect our women from violence internationally. His wisdom and ability to build relationships have shaped our nation's response to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain to countering terrorism Iraq Afghanistan and over the past eight years he could not have been a more devoted partner or most effective in the professional progress we have achieved. He fought to make college more affordable and revitalize American manufacturing as the head of our middle-class task force, he prepared for our cancer moonshot, giving hope to millions of Americans affected by this disease, he led our efforts to combat gun violence and eradicated any potential misappropriation that may have occurred and, as a consequence, The Recovery.

Act worked as well as any large-scale stimulus project has worked in this country. He visited college after college and befriended Lady Gaga for our campaign against sexual assault on campus, and when the Pope visited Joe, he was even kind enough to let me talk to the Holiness behind the scenes as well. Joe's candid and honest advice has made me a better

president

and a better commander in chief from the Situation Room to our weekly lunches to our meetings after everyone else has left the room. I have not been afraid to tell myself clearly even if we disagree, especially when we disagree and all of this makes him the best vice president we have ever seen and I also think he has been a lion of American history, the best part.

If he is nowhere near finished in the coming years as a citizen, he will continue to build on that legacy internationally and nationally. You have a voice of vision, reason, optimism and love for people and we are going to need that spirit and that Vision as we continue to try to make our world safer and make sure everyone has a fair shot in this country, so together, It's a pretty remarkable legacy, an incredible career in public service, as Joel once said, a big deal it is, but we all know that his work alone this list of accomplishments incredible resume doesn't capture the full measure of Joe Biden.

I haven't mentioned Amtrak or the airmen yet, literally people don't feel like they know Joe the politician, they feel like they know. knowing the person what makes him laugh what he believes what he cares about where he comes from almost every time he speaks gives us some wisdom from the nuns who taught him in primary school or from a former colleague in the Senate but, of course, quoted with most often Katherine and Joseph senior, their mom and dad, no one is better than you, but you are better than anyone. Bravery resides in every heart and yours is fierce and clear when you are knocked down.

Joey, get up, get up, get him. That's where he got those broad shoulders. That's where he got that Biden heart from and throughout his life, test after test, he has never forgotten the values ​​and moral fiber that made him who he is, that's what robs him of his faith in God and America. and in his friends and in everyone. We, when Joe talks to auto workers whose livelihoods he helped save, hear from the son of a man who once knew the pain of having to tell his children that he had lost his job, when Joe talks about Hope, a chance to our children, we listen to the father who traveled by train home every night so he could be there to put his children in bed when Joe defends the little one, we listen to the boy who used to stand in front of the mirror reciting Yates or Emerson studying the muscles of his his face determined to overcome a debilitating stutter When Joe speaks to Gold Star families who have lost a hero, we hear a kindred spirit, another parent of an American veteran, someone whose faith has been tested and who has been forced to wander himself through the darkness and who knows who to lean on to find the light, so that's Joe Biden, a resilient, loyal, humble servant and a patriot, but above all, a family man, it starts with Jill, the captain of the vice squad, the only second lady in our history to keep it. day job Jill says teaching is not what she does but who she is A few days after Joe and I took over in 2009, she was back in the classroom teaching, so when our administration worked to strengthen schools community we turned to Jill to lead. the way she also traveled the world to advance women's education and empowerment, and as a Blue Star Mom, her work with Michelle to honor our military families will go down in history as one of the most enduring and powerful efforts of this administration, of course, like Joe.

Joe's work is only part of the story, she seems to walk this Earth so lightly, spreads her joy so freely and reminds us that although we are in serious business, we don't have to take ourselves too seriously. , she gets a quick laugh or joke by disguising herself as a waitress at a party she once hosted, it's Al who's in the mood uh, she once hid in the overhead compartment of Air Force 2 to scare senior staff because why not? He seems to have a sixth sense of when to send a note of encouragement to a friend or employee, a simple thank you, or a box of macaroni.

She is one of the most genuine and genuine people I have ever met, not just in politics but in my entire life. She is down to earth, thoughtful, generous, funny and That's why Joe is proud to introduce himself as Jill Biden's husband and watching them together is seeing what real love looks like through thick and thin. It's an all-American love story. Jill once caught Joe painting hearts on the windows of his office. for Valentine's Day and then there are these Biden children and grandchildren, they are everywhere, they are all handsome Hunter and Ashley, who lived that Family Creed of raising good families and taking care of the least of our brothers and sisters Bo, who was taking care of us, with those broad shoulders and a powerful heart, a man who left a beautiful legacy and inspired the entire nation Naomi, Finn, Maisy, Natalie and L, little Hunter's grandchildren who are the light in the eyes of Joe and gives them an excuse to get the squirt out. gun around the pool uh this is the kind of family that built this country that's why my family is so proud to call us honorary Bidens like Yates put it because I had to quote an Irish poet and Sheamus Haney was led to think where does it begin the glory of man. and he finishes and says that my glory was that I had friends so far from the camera that Jill and Michelle support each other as much as when they are defending our troops, our girls are best friends at school, inviting each other to vacations and sleepovers .

Even though our terms are almost over, one of the greatest gifts of these last eight years is that we are always united as a family, but of course I know that the Obamas are not the only ones who feel a part of Biden. Clan because Joe's heart has radiated around this room, you see it in the lasting friendships he has forged with people of all kinds and backgrounds on Capitol Hill, you see it in the way his eyes light up when he meets someone in a Scranton rope. or just the smaller towns in Delaware, you see it in the incredible loyalty of their staff, the team that knows that family always comes before work because Joe tells them so every day, the team that reflects the humble service of their boss here in this building where There have been no turf wars among our staff because everyone here has understood that we were all on the same mission and shared the same values.

There's just been cooperation and camaraderie and that's rare, it's a testament to Joe in the tone in which he said and finally. You see Joe Hart in the way he comforts families facing cancer after an event, meets children struggling with their own stuttering, gives them his private phone number, and stays in touch with them long after the event. know that Joe Biden should know. that love without pretensions, service without self-esteem and living life fully, as one of his former colleagues in the Senate, who happened to be a Republican, once said, if you can't admire Joe Biden as a person, you have a problem, he is a man as good as God ever created, so Joe, for your faith in your fellow Americans, for your love of country, and for your life of service that will endure through generations.

I would like to ask your military assistance to join us on stage during During my term as President, I am pleased to award our nation's highest civilian honor the Presidential Medal of Freedom and, for the first and only time in my presidency, I will award this

medal

with an additional level of veneration and I will honor my three most recent successors reserved for only three others Pope John Paul II President Ronald Reagan and General Coen Powell ladies and gentlemen I am proud to award the

presidential

medal

of

freedom

with distinction to my brother Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.

Could you help me? Read the citation. Vice President Joseph. R Biden Jr in a career of public service spanning nearly half a century Vice President Joseph R Biden Jr has left his mark in nearly every corner of our nation fighting for a stronger middle class. A fairer justice system and smarter foreign policy that provides unwavering support to our troops fight crime and violence against women, lead our quest to cure cancer, and safeguard the historic American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from corruption . With his charm, his unabashed optimism, and his deep and enduring patriotism, Joe Biden has earned the respect and esteem of colleagues in both parties and the friendship of people across the country and around the world, while mustering the strength , the faith and grace to overcome great personal tragedy, this son of Scranton Claymont and Wilmington has become one of the most important vice presidents in American history, an accolade that, however, rests firmly behind his Legacy as a husband, father and grandfather A grateful nation thanks Vice President Joseph R.

Biden Jr for his lifetime of service on behalf of the United States of America thank you hey he's president thank you thank you please thank you rete you're fired for the press Rett is my chief of staff. He had no idea. I thought we'd come with Michelle for you, Jill, Brock and I with a couple of senior staff to toast each other. um and uh, say what an incredible journey it has been. Mr. President, you are right about the part that I lean on Jill, but I have also leaned on you and a lot of people in this room I look around the room and I see great friends like Ted Kaufman, who has been so much wisdom guys like Melmac I mean, I look around and I'm surprised.

I keep seeing people. I'm not waiting, Madam President, how are you, Mr. President? Look at my new boss there, um, but he already knows, I get a lot of credit. I don't deserve to state the obvious, um and um, because I've always had someone to lean on since that time in 1972, when the accident happened. I leaned on uh and I mean that in a literal sense. Chris knows it. Dodd knows it. this and Mel knows it and Ted knows it. I leaned on my son's bow and Hunter. um, I'm still leaning on Hunter, who continues to raise me in a strange way.

I mean, I've leaned on them. uh and uh, you know, uh, sir. Mr. President, you observed from the beginning that when any of my children came into the room, they would come up and say: Dad, what can I get you? Dad, what do you need? And then Jill showed up and she saved our lives. uh no man deserves one great love let alone two and um but everyone here knows that I am Joel's husband, everyone knows that I love her more than she loves me rightly so and she gave me the gift most precious love of my life the life of my love, my daughter Ashley, I have continued to lean on the president of the family, you teased me once, um, did you hear that in preparation for the two debates, uh, debatesvice president

presidential

elections, I've only had two, um, let Bo and Hunt be the The last people in the room and Bo say, look at me dad, look at me, remember, remember home base, remember, so the Secret Service can tell you, Mr.

President, what uh, bo and Hunt, and Ashley kept having to corner me, we're in one of the national parks and I was climbing to the top of a bridge to jump off the bridge with a group of little kids and I heard my kids yelling at him Dad, get off now and I started laughing so hard I couldn't stop and I said, I was just going to make a complete joke, Gainer, here he said Dad, the Secret Service doesn't want you up there Dad, look at me Dad, you know, so We've never found out who the father is in this family and, um, Mr.

President, uh. uh uh you know that uh with good reason um there is no power in the vice presidency in fact I just did it for Nancy P's daughters who have readings of the Constitution you probably did one for her they made me read the provisions related to the vice presidency presidency in the Constitution and there is no power nor should there be, but Mr. President, you have more than fulfilled your commitment to me by saying that you wanted me to help you govern the president's line often other people do not listen to it as often, but when someone says Can you get Joe to do this or that?

He says I don't do his agenda, he doesn't do mine, every single thing that you've asked me to do, Mr. President, you've trusted me to do, and that's a uh. that's a remarkable thing, uh, I don't think, as I see the president of Georgetown here as well, I don't think, according to the vice presidential academics, that kind of relationship ever existed, I mean, really, that's all you, sir. president, it is. All of you, the reason why when you send to everyone, nothing stays, as my mother would say, is lost between the cup and the lip is because you know that when I speak, I speak and it has been easy, Mr.

President, because not only we have the same. uh, political philosophy and ideology, um, I tell everyone and I've said it from the beginning and I'm not saying this to be reciprocal. I have never met a president and I have met few people in my entire life that I can count on. less from a hand that has had integrity and decency and a sense of the needs of other people like you. I know you're upset when I told you a story about a hunt and I was worried that uh bo would have to do it. that, as a matter of fact, he had decided that he had to resign as attorney general while fighting his battle because he had a phasia, was losing the ability to speak, and did not want to ever be in a position where for him everything was about duty and the honor and I said uh and he can quit I don't know I just have a feeling he can hunt and I talked about this and I said he doesn't have any other income but we're fine because he Hunt there and I can sell the house we're having a private lunch like we do once a week and this man got up, walked over, grabbed me by the shoulders, looked at me there and said, don't sell that house, you love that house, I told him.

It's not a big deal, Mr. President, he said: I'll give you the money, we'll give you the money, promise me, promise me that he won't sell that house. I remember when Ashley, Mr. President, we were at the oval and Ashley was in an elevator. and the elevator collapsed towards her she was with a group of people. I just don't remember what building in Philadelphia and it collapsed to the ground and immediately the service became concerned that she may have been seriously injured and I got up to take the call and she didn't give up until she made sure her duty was fulfilled and made sure that everything would be fine, but you know, Mr.

President, you know we joked about, both of us, getting married, we both did that kind of thing, but the truth of the matter. Did I tell Michelle this last night? Michelle is, in my opinion, the best first lady to ever work in the office. There have been other great first ladies, but I really mean it. I joke when I met Michelle's brother. and he told me how they were raised and I got to know and love his mom, if his mom was his mom 15 years older she could have been my mom, I mean literally the way they were raised, the way they They raised us, that's where it was.

It makes no difference and I knew that this decision to join you, which was the greatest honor of my life, was the right decision the night we had to go and accept the nomination, be formally nominated at the convention and Finegan, who now has 18 years. I was 10 years old then and she came up to me and said dad, is it okay if the room we are in ends up with Maisy and Naomi who took away our beds and I told her why she said maybe the Obama girls and the children of your brother maybe they would go down and sleep all together in sleeping bags and I give you my word as Biden.

I found out when I left to go to the convention. I opened that door and saw them snuggling. I knew this was the right decision. I knew it was the right decision, I really made it because, Mr. President, equal value sets equal value, folks, you know, I joke with my staff that I don't know why they pay you anything because you can advise me, let me. Explain what I mean by that as the University of Delaware, where my heart lies, on my home campus in Delaware, as he can tell you, um, it's, I can give you advice.

I can be the last one in the room and give you advice. about the hardest decisions anyone has to make in the world, but I go out and you do it all yourself Harry Truman was right about the ball stopping painting the desk and I never never never never never never once I doubted of these life or death decisions. I never doubted that his judgment was wrong, not once, not once, did we disagree, we argued and raised our voices among ourselves and came to an agreement. We would be completely open as brothers to each other, but Mr.

President, I have watched you under intense fire. I will dare to say that no president in history has had so many novel crises on his desk in all of history, the Civil War was worse than the World War. II was worse but Mr. President, almost every crisis that you faced was a first instance case and I observe that prodigious mind and that heart as big as your head I have observed it, I have observed it like you' I have acted when you see to a woman or a man under intense pressure, you get a measure and you know that Michelle and your daughters know it too, this is an extraordinary man and I just hope that in the history that is attached to my name when I talk about this presidency is that I can to say that I was part of the journey of an extraordinary man who did extraordinary things for this country.

You know, I can't let a comic go by without quoting an Irish poet. Chill and I talk about why you are able to develop the way you developed and with your heart you have Michelle and I have talked about it. I have entrusted it to Michelle. I have gone to her to ask for her advice. We have talked about this man you gave me. insight and uh, I think it's because, Mr. President, you gave me credit for understanding the misery and suffering of other people, Mr. President, um, there is not a single ounce of entitlement in you, or in Michelle, or in your beautiful daughters, and you girls are amazing, you really are, that's not and that's not hyperbole, you really don't have a lick of rights and Sheamus Haney, one of his poems, said: when you can, when you can, when you can , find someone to say it, better use it, said you carried your own burden and very soon your symptoms of creeping privilege disappeared, you carried your own burdens and very soon the symptoms of privilege disappeared.

Mr. President, at times you have been like a lone wolf, but you conducted yourself in a quite remarkable manner. The story of the trip. His journey is something that people will follow. I'm writing about a long time and I'm not being solicitous when I say this and you're both very lucky to have found each other because that whole foundation of everything that you had made this guy totally complete and um, it's pretty amazing, Mr. President uh um disgrace no. Not only is it far beyond what I deserve, but it is a reflection of the reach and generosity of his spirit.

I don't deserve this, but I know it came from the president's heart. There is a Talmudic saying that says what comes from the heart enters the heart. Mr. President, you and your entire family, including mother, have entered our hearts and occupied it, what happened is something incredible. I knew how smart he was. I knew how honorable he was. I knew how decent he was from the beginning. We worked in the Senate for a couple of years. I knew what you were capable of, but I never expected you to occupy the heart of Hunter Ashley's Biden, my sister, all of us, all of us and uh, Mr.

President, uh, I, uh, I, I'm. I'm indebted to you I'm indebted to your friendship I'm indebted to your family and uh like uh I'll tell you I'll end on A note of humor we're having my lunches and above all and that's what's in either of us One of our minds We talked a lot about family and about 6 months into the presidency he looked at me and said, "You know, Joe, you know what surprises me how we've become such good friends," I said, "I surprised you, but that's Obama sincere and it's real and Mr. President, you know that as long as there is a breath in me, I will be there for you, my whole family will be and I know it is reciprocal.

I want to thank you all, very, very much for being here wooo.