>>> IN THREE DAYS, JOE BIDEN
WILL BE SWORN IN AS THE 46th
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
BUT HIS JOURNEY STARTED WAY
BEFORE THE 2020 ELECTION.
THIS INAUGURATION WILL CULMINATE
A LIFELONG CAREER IN POLITICS
SPANNING MORE THAN FIVE DECADES.
LET’S LOOK AT HOW ONE OF THE
NATION’S YOUNGEST SENATORS
BECAME ITS OLDEST
PRESIDENT-ELECT.
IT BEGAN BACK IN NOVEMBER 1972.
JOE BIDEN WAS 30 WHEN HE WON HIS
FIRST SENATE RACE.
HE DEFEATED TWO-TERM SENATOR
J.K. LABOX.
HE WAS IN WASHINGTON OUT HIS NEW
OFFICE.
THAT IS WHEN A CAR CRASH KILLED
BIDEN’S WIFE AND THEIR INFANLT
DAUGHTER NAOMI.
IN HIS MOURNING, HE CONSIDERED
GIVING UP POLITICS ALTOGETHER
TEFLT START OF WHAT BECAME A
36-YEAR SENATE RUN.
THAT RUN INCLUDED BECOMING
CHAIRMAN.
JUDICIARY AND FOREIGN RELATIONS
COMMITTEES.
IN 1987 HE ANNOUNCED HIS FIRST
RUN FOR PRESIDENT.
FROM THE START HIS CAMPAIGN
LOOKED PROMISING, A CANDIDATE
FROM A NEW GENERATION OF LEADERS
READY TO STEP IN AFTER RONALD
REAGAN LEFT OFFICE.
THAT CAMPAIGN CAME TO NOT A
BANKRUPT HALT THREE MONTHS AFTER
IT LAUNCHED.
A VIDEO SURFACED OF A SPEECH
DELIVERED BY KNEEL KENNETH, THE
LEADER OF THE U.K.’S LABOR
PARTY.
MR. BIDEN HAD CLEARLY
PLAGIARIZED A QUOTE FROM HIM
WHILE SPEAKING AT THE IOWA STATE
FAIR.
ABOUT 20 YEARS LATER, HE WROTE
IN HIS MEMOIR, QUOTE, WHEN I
STOPPED TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO
EVERYBODY AND THOUGHT IT
THROUGH, THE BLAME FELL TOTALLY
ON ME.
UNDER QUOTE.
AND SO JOE BIDEN RETURNED TO THE
SENATE.
HE STIRRED THE POT AS JUDICIARY
CHAIRMAN PRESIDING OVER SOME
CONTROVERSIAL SUPREME COURT
HEARINGS.
SPECIFIC WILL YOU, ROBERT
BOURQUE AND CLARENCE THOMAS.
PRESIDENT REAGAN NOMINATED JUDGE
BOURQUE IN THE SUMMER OF 1987
DURING THE FIRST BIDEN
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.
CONFIRMING HIM WOULD SHIFT THE
CAMPAIGN FAR TO THE RIGHT.
MR. BIDEN AND HIS ALLIES ARGUED
IF THE PRESIDENT WAS OPENLY
TRYING TO TILT THE COURT, IT WAS
FAIR GAME FOR THE SENATE TO
FOCUS IDEOLOGY, TOO.
THIS WAS A DEPARTURE FROM HOW
JUDICIAL XFR ADMINISTRATIONS HAD
BEEN HANDLED.
KIND OF A PRECEDENT FOR TODAY.
SURE ENOUGH, THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE AND THE FULL SENATE
VOTED NOT TO CONFIRM ROBERT
BOURQUE.
FOUR YEARS LATER, ANITA HILL
TESTIFIED DURING THE HEARINGS
FOR JUDGE CLARENCE.
TO HILL HAD ACCUSED THOMAS OF
SEXUALLY HARASSING HER.
CRITICS SAID JOE BIDEN DID NOT
DO ENOUGH TO DEFEND HILL,
SITTING BACK WHILE HIS
REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES ATTACKED
HER.
HE ALSO DID NOT CALL WITNESSES
WHO MIGHT HAVE SUPPORTED HER
CLAIMS.
THE FULL SENATE NARROWLY
CONFIRMED THOMAS.
MOSTLY ALONG PARTY LINES.
IN 2007, JOE BIDEN MADE HIS
SECOND RUN FOR THE PRESIDENCY.
HIS OPPONENTS, SENATORS HILLARY
CLINTON AND BARACK OBAMA.
BUT AFTER A POOR PERFORMANCE IN
THE IOWA CAUCUSES, AND A NUMBER
OF VERBAL GAFFES, BIDEN
SUSPENDED THAT CAMPAIGN.
A FEW MONTHS LATER HE JOINED THE
OBAMA TICKET AS HIS RUNNING
MATE.
HIS TWO TERMS AS THE VICE
PRESIDENT MIGHT HAVE TEED HIM UP
FLOIRKT RUN AGAIN BUT IT WAS NOT
TO BE.
IN HE ANNOUNCED THAT HE WOULD
NOT SEEK THE PRESIDENCY THEN.
HIS FATHER WAS GRIEVING OVER HIS
SON BO WHO DIED OF BRAIN CANCER
ABOUT FIVE MONTHS PRIOR.
THE SPECULATION REKINDLED FOUR
YEARS LATER WITH DEMOCRATS
WONDERING, WHO COULD UNDER SEAT
DONALD TRUMP.
IN I AM A OF 2019, MR. BIDEN
OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED HIS THIRD
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.
HE WAS ENTERING AN ALREADY
CROWDED FIELD OF CONTENDERS.
THE PRIMARIES AND THE CAUCUSES
DID NOT GO WELL AT FIRST BUT ONE
STATE, SOUTH CAROLINA, TURNED
EVERYTHING AROUND.
PROPELLING HIM TO THE
NOMINATION.
AND NOW HERE WE ARE.
JUST THREE DAYS FROM HIS
INAUGURATION.
AFTER FIVE DECADES IN PUBLIC