Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2022

February 3, 2022

Well, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don't know who she's talking aboutâ [*laughter*]âbut thank you.

Folks, look, let me sayâI hadn't planned onâI didn't know I was going to get that kind of introduction. But let me say at the outset that, you know, we've all gone through really difficult timesâevery one of you out thereâin one way or another. And I had an overwhelming advantage, and I mean it sincerely.

I had a family that was there for me every single, solitary moment. And so I don't deserve this credit for enduring that so many people I meetâthink of all the people you know, whether they're constituents or friends or relatives, who get up every morning, don't have anybodyâdon't have anybody, and they put one foot in front of the other, and they do it. They lost a child, they lost a mother, a father, a husband, someone close to themâjust plucked awayâand they get up every single day and put one foot in front of the other. And they're the people who deserve our recognition and our credit.

I think I've talked to Bill and Grace Nelson about this: The only thingâtoday is my son Beau's birthday. But the only thing that Beau said to me when he wasâwe were told he wasâhe was going to die within minutes orâif an hourâthat he looked at me, and he said: "Dad, promise meâpromise me, Dad, you're going to stay involved." I said: "I'll be involved. I'll be good, Beau." He said: "No, dad, promise me. Give me your word as a Biden that you're going to stay engaged."

Because he knew, like a lot of youâwhat you've been throughâthe first instinct is, you just want to curl up in a ball and just leave, no longer do what you've done your whole life that you'veâhe said, "DadâDad, promise me." "I give my word."

And that was the last conversation in Walter Reed Hospital, lying there in the bed. And then he looked at me and he said, "And, Dad"âand his brother Hunter who was his closest friend. We were all three on the bed. And he turned to me and he said, "Dad, I want you to know I'm not afraid."

So, you know, I had so much helpâso much helpâstarting from the time that I lost my wife and daughter in an accident. But look, everybody has got horrible things they've had to deal with. And we've watched themâI sat in the Senate for 36 years. We watched people literally die in our midst. I remember that scene where Teddy walked out. OrâI mean, thereâso, you know, I'm flattered that you think as highly of me as you stated, Kirsten, but I hadâI had a lot of help. I had a lot of help. And I want to thank you for the introduction. It's very gracious. But like I said, there's a lot more people who've done a lot more.

And to my good friend Chris Coonsâtwo things I tell everybody about Chris Coons you've got to know: One, he's smarter than you. [*Laughter*] And, two, the boy can preach. He's the only guy that went to law school and got a divinity degree at the same time. I worry about "divine" lawyers. [*Laughter*] Butâanyway, Chris, thank you. You've been a great friend.

And asâBryan, as you were speaking, Chuck sort of leaned over; he didn't say anything, but he just like, "Was that Delaware?" But it was Delaware. It's why I got involved in politics in the first place.

I remember sitting onâgoing to a little Catholic grade school in Claymont, Delaware, which was a steel town that was dying. And the bus would goâmy mother would drive me to the school parking lotâit was called Holy Rosary Schoolâfrom a littleâand it was called Brookview Apartments. Used to be section 8 housing later.

And I get out of the busâI get out of the car. And this is where Iâ95 runs parallel to these days. And I said, "Mom, why are all those kids"âit was then "colored." "Why are all those colored kids in that bus?" Because in Scranton there weren't anyâthere were very few Blacks. She said, "They're not allowed to go to school with us here, in Delaware." So, you knowâand Milton wasn't what you might call the epicenter of desegregation.

And so you've been through a lot, but you've done a lot as well. And I thank you.

And, KariâKari Jobe, you have the voice of an angel, kid. [*Laughter*] I tell you what: You really do. And that guy sitting next to you, he's a lucky guy. [*Laughter*] He's a lucky guy. And besides, he has all his hair. [*Laughter*]

And Vice President Harris, Majority Leader Schumer, Mitch McConnellâand, Mitch, I don't want to hurt your reputation, but we really are friends. [*Laughter*] And that is not an epiphany we're having here at the moment. We've alwaysâyou've always done exactly what you've said. You're a man of wordâof your word, and you're a man of honor. Thank you for being my friend.

And, folks, Members of Congress and spouses: I'm honored to join you all today.

You know, we're keeping our prayers for Senator LujÃ¡n, and keep him in your prayers today. I think, from what I understand, he's going to be okay and be back with us in the not-too-distant future. But we pray for a safe recovery.

Today, as I said, is a day that a lot of us can remember the times when we lostâeach of us. And just like I miss my son every single day, Iâthere'sâI know he's always with me, for real. He's always with me.

Congresswoman McBath, just like your precious son Jordanâhe's always going to be with you, for real. It becomes a piece of you. You know, how many times did you all been through this, about to make a decision and say, "What would Beau want?" Or "What would Jill want?" Or "What would"âyou know, whatever it is. So it'sâyou know.

And for everyone out there who has lost a piece of their soul, they're always with you. And all through the pain, I think youâif you can find purpose, find purpose. Purpose of a life that makes you worthy in their eyes and what they expect of you.

This breakfast usually is held in a big Washington hotel with a big crowd. Today we're here in the Visitor Center of the United States Capitol with a much smaller crowd, a more intimate setting, to see each other here and listen to each otherâstanding in this, which is, in Governmental terms, a "sacred place."

I thank ourâI think about our former colleagues and close friends we lost in this year: Bob Dole; Harry Reid; Johnny Isakson, who was a hell of guy; Max Cleland; Carl Levin; Mike Enzi; John Warner; and Walter Mondale. And you know, I learned a long time ago: Never make one good eulogy. Because if you make one good eulogy, you've got to do a lot of eulogies. But I've had the pleasure of knowing their families. And there's a lot of good friends, both sides of the aisle, who disagreed on many, many things, who still talked and listened to one another.

I think I've said to Mitch and some of you earlier, in the last couple of years, that, you know, one of the things I don't know for sure, but I think is missing in the Congress is, we don't spend as much time with one another as we used to. We used to eat lunch together. I mean, literally sit downânot in the Senate Dining Room of the Senate or that small dining room off to theâright across the hall from the visitors dining room, and there were those two big round tablesâbigâ big dining room tables and a buffet.

And I remember when I first got here, after my wife and daughter were killed in an accident, my boys were still in the hospitalâand I remember Teddy would always come and say, "Come to lunch." I didn't want any part of going to lunch. And one day, he just dragged me over to lunch.

And he said, "You'll learn more there than anyplace else."

And I would go to lunch there, literally every day, and listen to the senior members. And you learn about their losses, their happiness. You learn about them. You learn about theirâyou know, I remember one day I walked in and there was a little corner in the tableâor a corner table, when the big table was filled. And I sat down. And Jim Eastland said: "Come over here, Joe. Sit down here." And I wasn't about to sit in John Stennis's seatâand because he sat at the head of the table. And he said: "No, come on. He's gone." So I ordered my hamburger or whatever I ordered and took a couple of bites. And in walks John Stennis. And I immediately put a napkin on all my stuff, and I said: "I'm finished, Mr. Chairman. Come on. Right here."

I later got a handwritten letter from him, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon: "I appreciate the honor of you recognizing my seat, but you didn't finish your meal. I promise this favor will be returned." He not only returned, he actually endorsed me when I ran for President from Mississippi. [*Laughter*] And I thinkâthat was an expensive hamburger for him. [*Laughter*]

But I guess what I'm trying to say is: You know, when you know one another, when you knowâand no matter how badly you disagreeâand people think, Rev, that in the days as divided here, we hadâwe had a lot of flat-out, old segregationists still in our caucus. But Teddy Kennedy would argue like hell with Jim Eastland, and then he'd go down to have lunch. Didn't agree with one another, but they treated each other with respect even in that day.

And I just think that, when you learn that another man or womanâand you're flying a codel, and someone has their husband or wife with them, and you learn that they have a kid with a problem with alcoholism, or you learn that they have a daughter who isâhas breast cancer. You learn that they haveâit's hard to dislike the person.

And so one of the things I pray forâand I mean itâis that we sort of get back to the placeâ and it's so busy; I think things have changed so muchâbut that we get to really know each other. It's hard to really dislike someone when you know what they're going through is the same thing you're going through.

You know, like President Eisenhower, the first President to attend this breakfast 70 years agoâat the time, President Eisenhower saidâhe said, "There's a need we all have in these days and times for some help which comes from outside ourselves." Outside ourselves.

I've attended many of these Prayer Breakfasts over the yearsâwith our Nation at war, in struggle, in strife, peace, in times of prosperity, when everybody was getting on, but a nation in prayer. Jill and I have been humbled by the prayers of so many of you, and it means everything to us. We pray for our Nation as we face an inflection point in our history.

So much is going to change, no matter who's sitting in my job. The world is changing. The world is changing. Iâthere's aâthe momentâbut there's also a moment of great progress, of lives saved in this pandemic, not just the ones lost; new jobs created for people, new hope for rebuilding the Nation, but also a moment of pain for the lost lives and the lives lost in this pandemic. And the cruel twist of fates that occur.

You know, at a moment of great division of our democracy is at greatâgrave risk. I pray that we follow what Jesus taught us: To serve rather than be served. I don't always do it. I hope to try. I don't always do it.

I pray to keep the faith. That very promise of America, believing that there's nothing we can't do, where every person is created equal in the image of God, no matter who or where we come from, who we are, or what our color, or how we choose to pray, or whether or not we choose to pray; they deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives.

Faith in the very idea of America that can be defined, in my view, by a single word. I've been saying this for over 30 years. When I get asked to define America, one word: "Possibilities." "Possibilities."

One of the reasons why other countries sometimes think we're arrogant is, we believe anything is possible. Anything is possible. And faith in the American people will prove each and every day we're a great nation because we're, at our heart, a good people. We do bad things when we get frightened.

Saint Augustine wrote that, "A people was a multitude defined by a common object of their love." I believe the common objects of our love that define us as Americans are opportunity, liberty, dignity, respect, honor, service, truthâthings everybody recognizes both here and around the world.

As I stand in this citadel of democracy that was attacked 1 year ago, the issue isâfor us is unity. How do we unite us again? Unity is elusive, but it's really actually necessary. Unity doesn't mean we have to agree on everything. But unity is where enough of usâenough of usâbelieve in a core of basic things: The common good, the general welfare, a faith in the United States of Americaâthe United States of America.

Nearly 3 weeks ago, we were reminded of that truth. A gunman entered a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. He took four worshippers hostage, including a rabbi, for 11 hours.

But violence and vengeance didn't pierce the goodness and grace of that scene. Heroic law enforcement officers were joined by local faith leaders, including an imam, a Baptist minister, who offered their help. A nearby Catholic church opened its doors for the hostages' families.

At sunset, a group of Muslim womenâfriends of the rabbi's wifeâwalked in with one of the rabbi's favorite foods. They hugged, and they wept. Because of the bravery of the hostages and the law enforcement officers, the hostages wereâescaped safely, and the families were reunited.

When asked later if he would change anything, the rabbi said, quote, "We will do what we always do, which is the best we can." "Which is the best we can." I had a long conversation with the rabbi. It was interesting to hear him describe the scene and how faith mattered: Whether you're in a synagogue or a church or a mosque or a temple, whether you're religious or not, we're all imperfect human beings, trying our bestâthe best we can, because we can't know the future. We can't know what's coming. But we also can't live in fear every step of the way.

That's America. From darkness, we found joy, hope, and light.

Rather than driving us apart, faith can move us together. Because all the great confessional faiths have the same fundamental basic beliefs: not just faith in a higher power, but faith to see each other as we should, not as enemies, but as neighbors; not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans.

And as leaders of this Nation who work and pray together, there is an oath to God and country to uphold and a charge to keep: to stand in the breach and to protect our democracy, to work together to right wrongs. That's why we all came here, to make the most of our time on Earth.

For if a house divided cannot stand, surely a house united can do anything. And if we do that, I think we'll have done our duty. With history and God watching, we will have to prove that there is nothing beyond the capacity of the United States when we're unitedâthe United States.

You know, some of the senior Senators who are here used to kid me because I was quoting Irish poets on the floor of the United States Senate. And there's a poem, "The Cure at Troy," written by an Irish poet who I got to know. It says: History teaches us not to hope "on this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime, [that] . . . tidal wave of justice [rises] up, and hope and history rhyme."

I honestly believe we're at one of those moments. There's so much at stake. The division has become so palpable, not just here, but around the world. We have a chance. We have a chanceâa chanceâto make hope and history rhyme, because the rest of the world is looking to us.

Every time I'd walk out of my Grandpa Finnegan's house up in Scrantonâsome of you heard me say this beforeâhe'd yell, "Joey, keep the faith." My grandmother would yell, "No, Joey, spread it." Let's go spread the faith.

NOTE: The President spoke at 9:06 a.m. in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. In his remarks, he referred to Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration C. William Nelson II and his wife Grace; Sens. Christopher A. Coons and Raphael G. Warnock; Bryan Stevenson, executive director, Equal Justice Initiative, who gave the keynote address; musician Kari B. Jobe and her husband Cody J. Carnes; and Charlie Cytron-Walker, rabbi, Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX, and his wife Adena.

Categories: Addresses and Remarks : National Prayer Breakfast.

Names: Biden, Jill T.; Biden, R. Hunter; Carnes, Cody J.; Coons, Christopher A.; Cytron-Walker, Adena; Cytron-Walker, Charlie; Gillibrand, Kirsten E.; Harris, Kamala D.; Jobe, Kari B.; Lamb, Conor J.; LujÃ¡n, Ben Ray; McBath, Lucia K.; McConnell, A. Mitchell; Nelson, C. William, II; Nelson, Grace; Rounds, M. Michael; Schumer, Charles E.; Stevenson, Bryan; Walberg, Timothy L.; Warnock, Raphael G.

Subjects: Civil rights : Freedom of religion; Civil rights : Racial equality; Congress : Bipartisanship; Congress : Senate :: Majority leader; Congress : Senate :: Minority leader; Diseases : Coronavirus, domestic prevention efforts; District of Columbia: 2021 civil unrest and violence at U.S. Capitol; Employment and unemployment : Job creation and growth; Law enforcement and crime : Law enforcement officers, service and dedication; Prayer Breakfast, National; Texas : Hostage situation at synagogue in Colleyville; White House Office : Vice President.

DCPD Number: DCPD202200064.