A resurfaced clip of Joe Biden comforting families of Parkland shooting victims has people in tears

A 2018 clip of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is going viral on social media for representing everything Americans have been missing in a president these past four years. The 24-second-long video shows the former Vice President speaking to victims and family members at a memorial service for Chris Hixon, the athletic director at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018. Hixon was one of the three coaches who died trying to save students from a gunman, who went on a shooting spree at the school, killing 17 people and injuring 17 more, reports Huffington Post.

The video — which has been shared online thousands of times — begins with Biden asking who Hixon's parents were so as to offer his condolences and is directed to his right. When the late athletic director's wife Debbi introduces herself to him, he comforts her by saying: "God loves you."  Just as he turns and starts to walk away to begin his remarks, a voice off-camera says, "I wanted to..." and trails of. However, Biden immediately turns around at the voice, and Hixon's son Corey runs up to him. "I'm his son," Corey is heard saying in a tearful voice.

"Thank you for hugging me," the 77-year-old responds as he embraces and kisses the grieving boy on the forehead. "You okay? You'll be okay. We're going to be okay. I promise." The heartwarming exchange between the two took off on Twitter after it was shared by Democratic political operative Arun Chaudhary, who wrote: I'm one of those who frets that the election will be much closer than the polls indicate. That, in a world where non-voters are never targeted by Dems, huge turnout could contain multitudes. So I'm dropping some old footage of Joe Biden here.

I’m hoping you'll share it. A campaign only has limited value in gathering votes. The case for a candidate is often made by a wide array of outside amateur and professional creators. So it's good to sprinkle this stuff around, he added. His tweet had the intended effect as the video struck a chord with countless social media users who applauded the former Vice President's empathy. Many admitted that the compassion and heart-to-heart human connection Biden displays in the clip left them in tears as it stands in stark contrast to President Donald Trump's behavior during his time in office. I had never seen this clip before today, and now I’m sitting here wiping tears from my face. Joe Biden is a good man, and he is our only hope to heal and restore the soul of our nation, said Twitter user Michelle Kinney.

Had to wipe my eyes too. That type of compassion comes from the soul. We have all needed that type of hug before. I know I have, tweeted Kentucky state representative, Charles Booker. Political strategist and commentator, Ana Navarro-Cárdenas also shared the video on Twitter, writing: America, we need a man with a good soul and a kind heart to be our President, now more than ever. Please watch this clip. Joe Biden is such a man.

Yes. We need a Mr. Rogers President. Thank you Joe Biden for your humanity, tweeted Rabbi Jill Zimmerman. Hixon's widow, Debbi, recalled the exchange between Biden and Corey in an advert run by the campaign group Fellow Americans last month, where she said that her oldest son refers to the politician as "Uncle Joe." Seated beside Corey in the video, she said: "My husband, Corey's dad, Chris Hixon was one of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. I don't have it in me a lot of times to give him that comfort. So it meant a lot for somebody else to take that time and to care enough about him. [Biden] can be that person that can comfort our nation and bring us together."