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Joe Biden's political life in pictures: How the president went from a dynamic young senator to an ailing POTUS
President Joe Biden made the shocking decision to drop out of the 2024 election Sunday, effectively putting an end to his decades-long career in politics.
Long before he was president or even the VP to former President Barack Obama, Biden was a vivacious member of the US Senate, first elected in 1972 and quickly gaining a reputation for engaging in lively debates on the floor of Congress.
As a senator, he was involved in a number of landmark legislative pushes, including being one of the main authors of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 that continues to shape the federal response to domestic violence cases.
He was also a major power broker when it came to executive appointments, overseeing the contentious nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court in 1991 amid sexual harassment claims from Anita Hill.
He long had ambitions for the presidency. He mounted his first campaign for the Oval Office back in 1988 but dropped out after being dogged by plagiarism allegations.
He threw his hat into the ring once again in 2008, but was left in the dust by then-candidate Obama, who would later pick him as his running mate.
From there, Biden was able to launch a third and successful presidential candidacy in 2020, defeating former President Donald Trump. He'll remain president as the Democratic Party figures out who'll replace him as the nominee.
Below are a series of pictures cataloging key moments from Biden's more than 50-year-long career.
Newly elected Senator Joe Biden sits at a desk in 1972. He narrowly defeated an incumbent Republican in the election, garnering 116,006 votes and 50.48 percent of the vote
Biden, 29 years old and an elected Senator, sits with his first wife Neilia. She along with their one-year-old daughter Naomi would die in a tragic car crash on December 18, 1972
A somber Biden is sworn in as a US Senator on January 5, 1973 from a Wilmington, Delaware hospital with his four-year-old son Beau lying on his bed after surviving the crash that killed his mother and sister. Hunter Biden also survived the crash and was recovering at this same hospital. This horrific event was kickstarted Biden's reputation as a man who could weather tragedy
Biden waves to his supporters on June 9, 1987, after announcing his intention to run for president. At right, Biden's son Beau carries his daughter Ashley. Next to Biden is his wife Jill, and son Hunter
Biden, still a senator, rides the train back to Washington DC in September of 1988. He got the nickname 'Amtrak Joe' for how frequently he'd ride the train between his home in Wilmington and Washington DC, which also earned him working class bona fides
Biden, then the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, during Clarence Thomas Supreme Court Justice confirmation hearings in September 1991. Biden was criticized for his alleged callousness in how he handled Anita Hill claiming Thomas sexual harassed her
Then-Senator Biden of Delaware talks to reporters about the newly passed Violence Against Women Act on July 19, 1994. Biden said at an "It's On Us" event at the University of Pittsburgh on Tuesday that he laments his legislation, though well-intentioned, focused so little on prevention. Much of its initial $2 billion in funding went to battered women's shelters, he said
Then-Vice President Biden speaks at a reception in honor of the 16th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act at his official residence on the grounds of the Naval Observatory, as his wife Jill Biden watches on September 22, 2010. This act was the legislative cornerstone of Biden's long career in the Senate
President Barack Obama hugs Biden in the Oval Office after a budget meeting on April 8, 2011. Obama said he picked his former rival in the 2008 election because he 'has moral conviction and clarity.' Becoming vice president is arguably what set Biden up to run for president and win in 2020
Biden, accompanied by his family, holds his hand over his heart as he watches an honor guard carry a casket containing the remains of his son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, into St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington on June 6, 2015. Standing alongside him are Beau's widow Hallie Biden, left, and daughter, Natalie. Beau Biden died of brain cancer May 30, 2015 at age 46
Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to Biden during an event at the White House on January 12, 2017. The medal represents the highest civilian honor in the country, and Biden cried as Obama, his longtime friend and ally, gave him the award
Biden and his wife Jill, and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her husband Doug, celebrate with family at their election rally, after the news media announced that Biden has won the 2020 U.S. presidential election over President Donald Trump, in Wilmington on November 7, 2020. Harris is now thought to be a leading contender to replace Biden as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee
Biden, joined by First Lady Jill Biden, takes the presidential oath of office on January 20, 2021. This was a particularly momentous occasion as the January 6 riots on the Capitol that tried to halt the peaceful transfer of power happened just 14 days earlier
President Biden shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mariinsky Palace on an unannounced visit in Kyiv, Ukraine on February 20, 2023. This was roughly a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine. The ensuing war dominated the majority of Biden's single term as president
Biden is pictured at the presidential debate between him and former President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. His terrible performance laid the groundwork for a pressure campaign led by congressional Democrats to get him to drop out. Less than a month later, he officially bowed out of the race, saying 'I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term'