AngloPress:--- Ashley Biden, President Biden’s 43-year-old daughter who usually shuns the spotlight, took the stage on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to introduce her father as he delivered one of his most historic speeches as president.
A social worker from Philadelphia, Ashley Biden offered a personal glimpse into her father’s life, portraying him not only as one of history’s “most consequential leaders” but also as the “OG girl dad.”
“He always told me I could be anything and do anything,” she said. “But he wasn’t just a girl dad. I saw how he valued and trusted women—how he listened to his mother, believed in his sister, and respected my mother’s career. Dad, you always tell us, but we don’t tell you enough: you are the love of our lives and the life of our love.”
Ashley recounted how, on her eighth birthday, her father, then a U.S. senator, took the Amtrak train from Washington, D.C., to Delaware just to hug her and share in the joy of her birthday cake. She also remembered her wedding reception in her parents’ backyard, where her father, then vice president, was visibly emotional. “I thought I’d be a mess, but he was the one crying, and I was the one comforting him,” she said.
Reflecting on their shared grief, Ashley spoke about the loss of her brother Beau to brain cancer in 2015. “Dad had the capacity to step out of his own pain and absorb ours,” she said. “I know Beau is with us tonight, as he is always with us.”
The president has endured the loss of two of his four children, following the tragic deaths of his first wife and daughter in a 1972 car crash. Hunter and Beau were also severely injured in the crash.
Ashley Biden urged the audience to rally once more: “So tonight, I ask you, if you stood with us in 2020, call upon your courageous heart. Stand with us today. Work harder than you ever have before. This is the fight of our lifetime.”
After her speech, President Biden, overcome with emotion, took a moment to dab at his eyes and called his daughter “incredible.” Ashley had also been a frequent presence at her brother Hunter’s trial earlier this year, where he was convicted on federal gun charges. Hunter Biden and his children joined the president at the end of his speech.
