Departing President Joe Biden was reduced to tears when First Lady Jill Biden showered him with praise during a White House dinner on the South Lawn thanking longtime Democrat supporters.
Friday’s event saw Jill Biden praised her husband’s years of political service with an emphasis on his final term occupying the highest office in the land as she saluted “my husband and my hero Joe.”
“What I’ve watched you do for more than 40 years is extraordinary … what you’ve done the last four years is breathtaking,” she said as he quietly shed a few tears before an audience of Democrat donors and supporters that was conspicuous for the absence of 2024 losing candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.
Instead, Harris has tucked herself away from the spotlight as she vacations in Hawaii with her husband Doug Emhoff following her defeat.
U.S. President Joe Biden wipes his eye after becoming emotional after he and first lady Jill Biden spoke during a dinner on the South Lawn of the White House on November 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. ( Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Before the president took to center stage for his speech, Jill cracked one last joke, urging guests and supporters: “If you have a seat, please take it. Don’t jump in the pool!”
“Joe and I are hosting this dinner tonight for a very simple reason to say thank you. Thank you to so many dear friends,” she continued.
“We began this journey to redeem the soul of the nation and define the light in the darkness. And I never could have gotten to where the White House has become without you and we never could have gotten as much done as we did without you. And that’s not hyperbole. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”
WATCH: Jill Biden reduces President Joe Biden to tears with her personal tribute
In his speech, Biden called his presidency “the honour of my life”.
“William Butler Yeats wrote, ‘Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, And say my glory was I had such friends.’ Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.,” he said.
“As I look out over such friends, serving as president of the United States has been the honour of my life.”
Biden will leave office on January 20, 2025, as the oldest U.S. president.
President-elect Donald Trump, who won the 2024 presidential election in a landslide against Vice President Kamala Harris, will take office on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
