Since announcing his candidacy for the presidency of the United States and throughout his political career, Joe Biden has often shared intimate elements of his personal life. Recently, in an interview with Howard Stern, he opened up about a dark period in his past: the tragic loss of his first wife, Neilia, and their daughter Naomi in a car accident in 1972.
The American president revealed that after this terrible tragedy, he had contemplated suicide. “I don’t drink. That’s not a virtue. I just never drank,” he said. “And I used to sit there and think to myself, I think I’ll take out a bottle of Scotch. We always had liquor in the house… and I was going to just drink and get drunk, but I could never bring myself to do it.“
These surprising revelations emerge as Biden seeks a second term in the White House. He shared his feelings about the accident that claimed the lives of his wife and 13-month-old daughter on December 18, 1972. His sons Beau and Hunter, also involved in the accident but surviving, were his main motivation to keep going.
“And I actually thought about, you know, you don’t have to be crazy to commit suicide,” he added. “If you’ve been at the top of a mountain, you think it’s never going to be there again… And just a brief moment, I thought maybe I should just go to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and jump. But I had two kids.“
The interview with Howard Stern was a surprise, as Biden rarely grants extended interviews. He also expressed his willingness to debate directly with his potential rival, Donald Trump, ahead of the November elections. “I don’t know when. I’m happy to debate with him,” he said.
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