After two previously unsuccessful bids at the presidency, and two terms as Barack Obama’s Vice President, Biden has now made history, winning the most votes for any presidential candidate, in a turbulent election. And his running mate, Kamala Harris, has made history as the first woman of colour to be elected vice president.
Biden’s life and career have been marked by moments of great fortune and unthinkable tragedy, including the loss of his first wife and daughter, and, later, his eldest son to brain cancer. Joe Biden: American Dreamer, drawn from unprecedented access to the president-elect himself – as well as over a hundred others, including Barack Obama, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg – is a fascinating and nuanced portrait of Biden’s life and political career.
Since entering the senate at the age of 29, Biden has been at the centre of the Democratic Party. But he campaigned on one of party’s most radical platforms. What kind of president will he be? How might his past inform the future of US politics? Can his administration bring together a divided country? And can he unite the different factions within his own party?
The day after Biden’s inauguration, join Osnos to discuss the life and career of the man who has changed the course of American democracy. He will be in conversation with academic and writer Sarah Churchwell.
