Joe Biden, whose full name is Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., was born on November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. His father, Joseph Sr., was a used car salesman, while his mother was Catherine Eugenia “Jean” Finnegan. Biden has a long history in American politics, having served as a U.S. Senator from Delaware for 36 years (1973-2009) and then as Vice President under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017.

Biden graduated from the University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School. He briefly practiced law before turning to politics. He became one of the youngest people ever elected to the U.S. Senate at age 29. During his long tenure in the Senate, Biden served on the Foreign Relations Committee and the Judiciary Committee, chairing both at different times.

In the presidential election of 2020, Joe Biden ran as a Democrat and selected Kamala Harris, a U.S. Senator from California, as his vice-presidential running mate. He focused his campaign on issues such as expanding access to healthcare, addressing climate change, improving economic equality, and restoring America’s standing internationally. He also made handling the COVID-19 pandemic a cornerstone of his platform.

Biden won the election, and his inauguration took place on January 20, 2021, making him the 46th President of the United States. At 78, he became the oldest person to assume the presidency. Kamala Harris, his Vice President, made history as the first female Vice President and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well as the first African American and first Asian American Vice President.

Some of the notable actions and policies of the Biden administration include:

• COVID-19 response: Biden’s administration has put a strong emphasis on managing the COVID-19 pandemic, ramping up vaccine distribution, and providing economic relief to Americans affected by the pandemic.
• Climate change: Biden has reentered the U.S. into the Paris Agreement on climate change, which the country had left under his predecessor, and has proposed ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Infrastructure and jobs: The Biden administration has proposed large-scale investments in American infrastructure, aiming to modernize roads, bridges, and broadband while also creating jobs.
• Immigration: Biden has sought to reverse many of the restrictive immigration policies of the Trump administration, but he has faced challenges at the southern border and in managing the resettlement of refugees.