US President
“You don’t have to be crazy to do it”: Joe Biden talks about his suicidal thoughts – and what stopped him
US President Joe Biden appeared vulnerable in a conversation with Howard Stern
© ZUMA Wire / Imago Images
US President Joe Biden had to go through two huge tragedies in his long life. One of them brought him to the brink of suicide, as he now admitted in an interview.
Losing a child is one of the hardest trials a person can go through. US President Joe Biden experienced it twice – and also the sudden death of his wife. In a conversation with radio legend Howard Stern, he remembers the dark moments. And reports how he made it out of the valley.
“It sends a chill down my spine to even mention it to you,” Stern brought up the conversation about what was probably the most painful day in Biden’s life: On December 18th, his first wife Neilia got into a car accident – along with their three children Beau (4 ), Hunter (3) and Naomi (13 months). Only the two little sons survive. The loss of his wife and daughter tore the president into a deep hole.
Joe Biden talks about suicidal thoughts
“I don’t actually drink, but I thought: Take the bottle of scotch and get drunk,” Biden remembers of the dark time. “I really thought about it. You don’t have to be crazy to commit suicide. When you’re at the top and you think: It’ll never happen again. For a brief moment I really thought: Just go on the Delaware Memorial Bridge and jump.” , he admits.
But his sense of duty stopped the then just 30-year-old from doing so. “I had two sons,” he explains. Beau and Hunter needed him, they would have suffered themselves. When he met his current wife, Jill Biden, a few years later and she brought love and joy back into his and the boys’ lives, that helped him out of the valley. Today he is glad he didn’t take that step. Even though he had to bury another child with Beau’s death in 2015.
Biden explains in the interview that his aim is to create understanding for suicidal thoughts. You shouldn’t blame yourself for this or doubt your sanity. Instead, he urges those affected to seek therapeutic help.
Biden’s silence – why the US President has not yet commented on the Trump trial
00:55 minutes
Surprising conversation
The interview with Howard Stern surprised many observers. The visit was not included in Biden’s public schedule; the very open conversation showed a very vulnerable side of the president in the middle of the election campaign. But also a combative one: Biden announced that he would also face his opponent Donald Trump in a debate. He didn’t take long to ask. “I’ll go anywhere you are,” Trump took up the challenge on his Truth Social service.
Sources:Howard Stern Show, New York Times, Truth Social