Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, painted a personal portrait of her husband and family on Tuesday night, striking a deeply unifying tone in her virtual address to the Democratic National Convention.
“How do you make a broken family whole?” Jill Biden said, speaking from Brandywine High School in Wilmington, Del., where she formerly worked as a teacher. “The same way you make a nation whole. With love and understanding, and with small acts of kindness. With bravery. With unwavering faith.”
She offered an intimate glimpse into her experience creating a blended family with Biden and his sons, Hunter and Beau, while laying out a plan to unite the country.
“I never imagined, at the age of 26, I would be asking myself: How do you make a broken family whole? Still, Joe always told the boys, ‘Mommy sent Jill to us’ — and how could I argue with her?” she said. “We found that love holds a family together. Love makes us flexible and resilient. It allows us to become more than ourselves — together. And though it can’t protect us from the sorrows of life, it gives us refuge, a home.”
The former vice president made a surprise appearance at the end of the speech, hugging his wife and telling viewers, “The truth is, she’s the strongest person I know.”
Prior to delivering her address, Biden was introduced by a series of video clips filmed at home with her family, giving viewers a personal look at the woman working to be the first lady.
“I would say she’s not your average grandmother,” said granddaughter Naomi Biden. “She’s the grandmother that wakes you up at what was it? 5 a.m. on Christmas Eve to go to Soul Cycle.”
Hunter Biden, who was not interviewed for the piece, was featured in a clip from Beau Biden’s funeral, expressing his gratitude to Jill Biden.
“Mom, it’s your strength that holds this family together,” he said. “And I know that you will make us whole again.”
The episode capped off the second night of the Democratic National Convention, which sought to give viewers a glimpse into Joe Biden’s character. Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), discussed Joe Biden’s decades-long bond with McCain in a video titled “An Unlikely Friendship.”
Democrats officially nominated Biden to be their presidential nominee on Tuesday, setting him up to go head-to-head with President Trump in November.