On January 20, 2021, Vice President Joe Biden took the oath of office as the 46th president of the United States. He became the oldest new president inaugurated since Ronald Reagan in 1989, and was 78 years, two months and one day old at the time of his swearing-in, which was administered by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts. Biden’s long political career includes 36 years as a senator from Delaware and eight years serving as President Barack Obama’s vice president. His legacy as a foreign policy expert and skilled negotiator have been widely recognized.
But he also has a deep understanding of the challenges of domestic policy and an ability to build coalitions across the aisle. During his tenure as Senate majority leader, Biden led the passage of several major civil rights reforms, including laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and he worked with Democrats to overcome a series of tough-on-crime bills that some criticized as contributing to America’s massive prison overcrowding problem.
