Joe Biden turns 80: A look at a lifetime of service

Mr Biden, who celebrates his birthday on Sunday, is the oldest president in US history

Joe Biden speaks with his bedridden son, Beau, before he was sworn in as the US senator from Delaware in January 1973. Mr Biden's first wife and daughter were killed in the car accident that injured his two sons. AP

Mr Biden on a trip to China while he was the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman in 2001. AFP

Mr Biden, then a senator, tours ground zero with fellow Senate members Ted Kennedy and Barbara Mikulski. AFP

Mr Biden meets Rafic Hariri, the assassinated prime minister of Lebanon, in April 2002 in Washington. AFP

Mr Biden meets late Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon in June 2002. AFP

Mr Biden meets Ibrahim Jaafari, who was Iraqi prime minister at the time, in Baghdad in May 2005. AFP

Mr Biden and his wife Jill celebrating their son Beau's election as attorney general of Delaware. AP

Mr Biden in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2007. AFP

Mr Biden squares off against Sarah Palin during the vice presidential debate at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, in October 2008. Reuters

The Bidens and Barack and Michelle Obama arrive for an election night party in Chicago, Illinois, in November 2008. AFP

Mr Biden meets Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president at the time, in Baghdad in January 2009. AFP

Mr Biden and sons Hunter, left, and Beau walk in the Inaugural Parade in January 2009 in Washington. AFP / Getty Images

In the 246-year history of the United States, no sitting president has turned 80 while in the Oval Office. That will change on Sunday, when President Joe Biden celebrates his birthday.

Mr Biden enters his 81st year on a high after his Democratic colleagues performed better than expected in November’s midterm elections, keeping control of the Senate and only narrowly losing the House of Representatives.

It is a feat few presidents have achieved, and some experts believe the unexpected results may help to shift how history will view him.

“He has, I think, a fairly strong legislative record, an overperformance in the midterm elections across the board and then finally, in terms of the direction of his agenda, it's still intact,” said Thomas Balcerski, a presidential historian and visiting professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California.

“You could not say that for Barack Obama, you could not say that for Bill Clinton.”

Mr Balcerski said that at the halfway point of his first term, “Biden looks great”, especially compared to the “prior administration”.

From one of the youngest senators to the oldest president

Mr Biden’s presidency is the latest act in a political career that has spanned more than five decades.

He grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, an impoverished town in the north-east corner of the state.

His father, Joe Sr, lost his job when Mr Biden was young and he spent his formative years in a modest three-storey white clapboard home that his family shared with his maternal grandparents.

Mr Biden has often leaned on his early financial hardship to try to connect with the working class.

“I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation,” he said in his inauguration speech.

“I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand, like my dad, they lay in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering, can I keep my health care? Can I pay my mortgage? Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you, I get it.”

Mr Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972, when he was 29 years old, making him the sixth-youngest senator in history, according to the Senate Historical Office.

Weeks after Mr Biden earned the trust of his adoptive home state of Delaware to represent them in Washington, his life dramatically changed.

The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States took place on January 20, 2021. EPA

Vice President Kamala Harris, left, is sworn into office by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, right. EPA

Joe Biden stands with his wife, Jill Biden, as he is given the oath of office by Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court. EPA

US President Joe Biden signs an executive order on Covid-19 during his first minutes in the Oval Office. EPA

The US president and first lady address the National Football League Super Bowl LV between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 7. EPA

Mr Biden, left, Ms Biden, second left, Ms Harris, third left, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff hold a moment of silence outside the White House on February 22 for the 500,000 Americans who have died from Covid-19. EPA

German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes part in the virtual international climate summit with Mr Biden on April 22 in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images

Mr Biden delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress on April 28 as Ms Harris, second right, and speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi applaud. EPA

Mr Biden and the first lady are driven away following their arrival at the White House on April 29. EPA

The president's wax figure is unveiled at Musee Grevin in Paris, France, on May 18. Getty Images

Mr Biden addresses US Air Force personnel on June 9 at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, ahead of the G7 summit in Cornwall. Getty Images

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks with Mr Biden during a meeting ahead of the G7 summit. Getty Images

Left to right, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President of the European Council Charles Michel, Mr Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Mr Johnson, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Ms Merkel pose during the G7 Summit In Carbis Bay. Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II, centre, with Mr Biden and the first lady in the Grand Corridor at Windsor Castle on June 13. Getty Images

Mr Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet during the US-Russia summit at Villa La Grange on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. Getty Images

Mr Biden delivers remarks on Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on August 16. EPA

Mr Johnson, left, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, centre, and Mr Biden attend a press conference via audio visual link from Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. EPA

President Biden receives his coronavirus booster vaccination in Washington on September 27. Reuters

Mr Biden meets with members of his administration, business leaders and CEOs regarding the need to address the debt limit, on October 6. EPA

The US president walks past Swiss Guards as he arrives for a private audience with Pope Francis at the San Damaso courtyard in Vatican City on October 29. EPA

Mr Biden arrives for the Cop26 UN Climate Summit on November 1 in Glasgow, Scotland. Getty Images

Mr Biden, surrounded by lawmakers, signs the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on the South Lawn of the White House on November 15. EPA

Mr Biden and his wife attend the 2021 National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on the Ellipse in Washington on December 2. EPA

Mr and Mrs Biden at the casket of former senator Robert J Dole in Washington on December 9. EPA

People walk past a big screen showing Mr Biden, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attending a virtual summit on November 16. EPA

Mr Biden, centre, stands with former Kentucky governor Steve Beshear, left, and Dane Maddox as he inspects damage from a tornado that struck the state on December 10. EPA

The president and the first lady pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named Commander, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day in the White House. EPA

Mr Biden marks the one-year anniversary of the Capitol attack on January 6. EPA

His first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden, and their three young children were in a car accident.

Ms Biden and their one-year-old daughter Naomi were killed; their two young sons Hunter and Beau survived but suffered serious injuries.

Days after the accident, with his two boys still in hospital, Mr Biden was sworn in to the US Senate.

He took his oath in their hospital room and pledged to always put them first.

“I make this one promise, that if in six months or so there’s a conflict between my being a good father and being a good senator, which I hope will not occur, I promise you that I will call Governor Elect Tribbitt as I had earlier and tell him that we can always get another senator but they can’t get another father,” he said.

President Biden in Los Angeles — in pictures

US President Joe Biden left a 275% tip for tacos in Los Angeles, California. Reuters

Mr Biden ordered chicken quesadillas and tacos. AFP

Mr Biden has his photo taken with a man at Los Angeles Metro's Purple Extension Transit Project in California. Bloomberg

Mr Biden makes a surprise visit to pick up lunch with US Representative Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis at Tacos 1986 in California. AFP

The $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill that was signed into law last year includes billions in investments for roads, rail and ports. Bloomberg

The President greets union workers at Los Angeles Metro's Purple Extension Transit Project. Bloomberg

Mr Biden addresses workers on the metro extension building site. EPA

He spoke about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and its investments in public transit. Getty / AFP

Mr Biden will next visit Portland, Oregon after his California visit. Getty / AFP

The President take part in selfies after speaking about infrastructure in Los Angeles, California. EPA

Mr Biden speaks with worker Yurvina Hernandez on his visit to Los Angeles. EPA

Mr Biden received a warm welcome while in the Golden State. EPA

He also took time for many selfies. EPA

Mr Biden went on to serve for 36 years in the Senate and only left in 2008, when Mr Obama, a young senator from Illinois, picked him to be his running mate for his White House race.

Over the past five decades, he has built a nearly unprecedented career in Washington.

“It's hard for people to be in office for that long and not develop some baggage and dirty laundry and things that voters will hold against them," Lindsay Chervinsky, a presidential historian, told The National.

His career has not been without failure and controversy: in 1988, he made his first run for the White House, but a plagiarism incident derailed his hopes of winning the Democratic primary, which was eventually won by Michael Dukakis.

But he continued holding high-ranking positions within the Senate, including serving on the Judiciary Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ms Chervinsky likened his longevity to John Quincy Adams, the sixth US president, whose career started when he was only 12, serving as secretary to foreign delegations in Europe and included ambassadorships and a Senate seat.

'I feel good,' President Joe Biden says after midterms — video

Through it all, she said, Mr Biden has kept his finger on the pulse of the Democratic Party.

“He has a really good nose for where the centre of the Democratic Party is,” Ms Chervinsky said.

“He's not afraid to be in that centre and he's not afraid to evolve and shift and change over time.”

That fundamental understanding of his party and its base, coupled with a “compelling personal story” has helped Mr Biden score favourably on the Siena College Research Institute’s (SCRI) Survey of US Presidents.

Mr Biden came in 19th on the list after his first year, far ahead of former president Donald Trump and only slightly behind Mr Obama.

“He does pretty well on his overall background coming in as the 15th highly rated president,” said Don Levy, director of the survey. “I think that goes overwhelmingly to his decades of public service.”

But the president scored poorly in his ability to communicate and his leadership strengths, Mr Levy said.

This is clear from approval polls, which show Mr Biden's popularity remains stuck at less than half of voters.

Mr Biden inherited a country in the grips of a global pandemic and in deep division, highlighted by the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

These adverse circumstances may ultimately help history view his presidency more favourably.

“The country, to some extent, is in a crisis period right now and should Joe Biden steer this ship to a point where that threat to democracy is behind us, to where the hyper-partisanship somehow is diffused, to the point where people can disagree but pass meaningful legislation, then Biden has an opportunity to move up the rankings,” Mr Levy told The National.

Biden receives Covid vaccine — in video

His path to legislative success has just become a lot more difficult, however, with Republicans taking control of the House, meaning the former senator will have to rely more on his ability to compromise to push his agenda forward.

Looking ahead to 2024, the biggest question is whether he will want to run for a second term at age 82.

His age has long been considered a weakness on the campaign trail but Mr Balcerski believes that he has helped show the country that “80 years old today isn’t what it used to be.”

Still, his every misstep and gaffe is used by some in the right-wing media as proof of his inability to lead.

His age may not be much of a factor, however, if Mr Trump, who is only about four years his junior, wins the Republican nomination.

“I just think that actually benefits Biden and he would relish a second chance to run against Donald Trump,” Mr Balcerski told The National.

A weekend of celebration

Mr Biden’s birthday will not be the biggest celebration at the White House this weekend.

On Saturday, the president’s eldest grandchild Naomi, named after his deceased daughter, will marry fiancé Peter Neal on the South Lawn.

“No parent or grandparent looks better than on his daughter or granddaughter’s wedding day and it just sort of puts a positive glow on the relationship,” explained Mr Balcerski.

Naomi Biden and fiance Peter Neal attend the Ralph Lauren Fall/Winter 2022 fashion show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in March. Invision / AP