Chapter Forty-Five - The Empath-in-Chief Trying to Hold It All Together

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

The Empath-in-Chief Trying to Hold It All Together

SO.
JOE BIDEN.
Born in 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Working-class roots.
Battled a severe childhood stutter—turned it into storytelling.

Elected to the U.S. Senate at 29.
29.
Then—just weeks later—his wife and daughter were killed in a car crash.
He almost quit.
But he took the oath anyway.
Raised his two surviving sons as a single dad.
Commuted from Delaware to D.C. by train every day.

(This becomes legend.)

Decades in the Senate.
Foreign policy heavyweight.
Ran for president twice (failed both times).
Became Obama’s VP in 2008—and suddenly found himself in the White House as the loyal, lovable wingman.

In 2020, with the country reeling from COVID, chaos, and division,
Biden ran again.

He said:

“We’re in a battle for the soul of the nation.”

And after a brutal campaign against Donald Trump,
he won.

January 2021.
Inauguration under armed guard.
National Guard on every corner.
COVID deaths piling up.
Capitol still raw from January 6.

Biden stepped in.
Oldest president ever elected.
Barely celebrated.
Just got to work.

The Biden Era:

• Passed the American Rescue Plan (COVID relief, direct checks, vaccines)
• Pushed for infrastructure funding—passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill (huge win)
• Ended the war in Afghanistan—messy and controversial withdrawal
• Passed the Inflation Reduction Act (climate, health care, tax reform)
• Took on student loan forgiveness (partial victories, legal pushback)
• Rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement
• Faced record inflation, supply chain issues, and a post-pandemic economic storm

Internationally?

• Supported Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in 2022
• Tried to repair international alliances
• Navigated a volatile global landscape with a calm, experienced hand

But the country?

Still deeply divided.
Misinformation. Culture wars.
Doubts about democracy.
And always—whispers about his age.

Some say he’s too old.
Some say he’s too slow.
But others say: he’s doing the job.

And through it all?

Biden just… keeps going.

Whispers turn to grumbles.
Polls rise, polls fall.
But he stays the course.

Because for Biden, it’s never been about glory—
it’s about finishing what he started.

So here’s to Joe Biden.
The old-school soul.
The survivor.
The man who took one more swing—
for a country he still believed in.

Rest in resolve, Joe.
You’ve seen the worst—
and still keep hoping for the best.

And that’s it—so far.
45 men.
Hundreds of years.
Triumph, tragedy, power, pain, progress, paradox.

But history’s still unfolding.
And the chair’s never empty for long.