My son Beau should have been president, says tearful Biden, during emotional Delaware farewell

Editor's Note: This article was published just hours before Joe Biden's inauguration, so some of the information provided here may not be in sync with the latest developments.  

President-elect Joe Biden bid an emotional goodbye to Delaware and got tearful about his late son, Beau, as he headed to the White House. Joe Biden's son Beau was Delaware's attorney general and had announced his decision to run Governor of Delaware in the 2016 election but succumbed to brain cancer in 2015. Beau is Biden's oldest son from his marriage to Neilia Hunter Biden. Beau was expected to pursue higher political office until his life was cut short. As Joe Biden bid an emotional farewell to Delaware, his hometown, he choked up, telling the crowd, "I have only one regret. He's not here because we should be introducing him as president," said Biden, about his eldest son, reported The Daily Mail. The former Vice President revealed it was his son who encouraged Biden to run for President in 2016. Biden backed out of the 2016 race after his son's death but chose to run against Donald Trump, defeating him in the November elections. 

Sign from Beau Biden
Biden's daughter Ashley Biden says the family felt connected to Beau in moments leading up to the inauguration. "He was 46 when he passed. Dad will be the 46th president." That's not the only coincidence Ashley has noticed during her father's run for president," said Ashely on Today, reported E!. In another touching moment, Ashley recalled a moment the family shared when they visited a small community church in South Carolina in 2020. "The song that reminds Dad of Beau is He Will Raise You Up on Eagle's Wings, said Ashely. As they sat there, the speakers started playing the song. "Dad and I looked at each other, started bawling, hugged," recalled Ashley, "and were like, 'This is Beau." I know Beauie will be there with us," she told Jenna.

Son of Delaware
He paid tribute to Delaware, a state that offered his parents work when their family left Scranton, PA, when he was just 10. He also said the state helped him heal from the car crash that killed his first wife Neila and their baby daughter Naomi in 1972. "That's America. That's Delaware. A place of hope and light and limitless possibilities," said Biden. He called Delaware home before adding that it gave them "livelihood when they needed it most." Biden was elected State Senator at 29 before being sworn-in at 30, as permitted by the Consitution. "When I die, Delaware will be written on my heart and the hearts of all of the Bidens," he added. "We love you all, you've been there for us in the good and the bad, you never walked away. And I am proud - proud, proud, proud to be a son of Delaware and I am even more proud to be standing here doing this from the Major Beau Biden facility."

Change is here
Biden stressed the importance of diversity in the White House and recalled the time Barack Obama became President. The pair had taken a train to Washington for their inauguration in 2009. Biden told the crowd how important it was to see a Black man become the president of the United States. "And here we are today, my family and I, about to return to Washington to meet a black woman, of South Asian descent, to be sworn in as president and vice president of the United States,' said Biden, referring to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. "As I told Beau on that station waiting for Barack, and Hunter and Ashley, I said don't tell me things can't change,' said Biden. "They can and they do."

Donald Trump snubs Biden 
Donald Trump might have conceded the election under pressure from his aides and family following the riots carried out by his supporters but still feels hard done by a fair and free election. Trump refused to let his successor fly the Air Force jet to fly to Washington for the inauguration ceremony. The Obama administration arranged for an Air Force plane to New York for the Trumps in January 2017 but Trump wasn't keen on doing the same for his successor, Biden. Even in his final farewell video, Trump refused to congratulate Biden on his victory or even take his successor's name. Trump is set to have his own farewell 'ceremony' at Andrews before using the Air Force One, one final time to fly to his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Biden to heal America
During Biden's farewell to Delaware, Democratic Governor John Carney said the president-elect was born for this moment. "I have one particular feeling that's hard to describe and it's one that so many Americans haven't felt for so long,' said Carney, elaborating that Americans hadn't felt hope for so long. Carney also addressed Biden's journey since his son's death. "He has picked himself up and brought us along with him,' said Carney. "Now he stands ready to pull the country out of this morass out of the chaos and onto higher ground."