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8:38 pm, Wilmington, Delaware: thunderous applause, a sea of US flags, and tens of thousands of supporters, many of whom are happily in each other’s arms. President-elect Joseph Robinette “Joe” Biden, Jr. (77) runs onto the stage, his face hidden behind a protective mask. The chants “Joey, Joey, Joey” accompany the 46th president elect of the United States of America in the last few meters to the microphone. Exactly 48 years ago, Biden was celebrated here in his hometown of Wilmington – at that time he was elected to the Senate for the state of Delaware. Now, this Saturday night, things are back to square one. The small celebration becomes a big celebration, despite the crown pandemic.
In the audience, Ed Weirauch (60) listens to Biden’s words, with tears streaming down his cheeks. “This is my president!” He says with a sob after Biden greets his supporters with a beam and a nod. “This is one of the best days of my life. I’m so proud of Joe, ”Weirauch says emotionally.
Weirauch on Biden: “He kept his feet on the ground”
11.41 – nine hours earlier in Wilmington: cars honking, shouting in the streets – the CNN broadcaster proclaimed Joe Biden as the elected president of the United States seconds ago. A large Biden flag flies in front of the Weirauch house. “Come in now,” he says when he opens the door, hurries back into the living room and in front of the television. “I couldn’t imagine a better president – after four years Donald Trump,” he says.
Weirauch should know. He has lived in Wilmington for decades and knows Biden very well. “I campaigned for him, met his whole family at events,” he says. But the meetings that mean a lot to the devout Catholic are those in the church of San Giuseppe. “Joe comes in once a month, regardless of whether he’s a senator, a vice president, or now a presidential candidate,” Weirauch says. After the mass, the two sometimes spoke “of God and the world”, as Weirauch says. “Despite the difficult political affairs and his success, he remained a down-to-earth man. When Joe is in church with me, he is one of many. “
“Our Joe! Now it’s Joe from America! “
Weirauch was particularly impressed by an encounter. “It was 7 in the morning, hardly anyone was there,” he recalls. “Suddenly Joe Biden showed up with his whole family.” In a conversation, Weirauch found out that it was the anniversary of Biden’s first wife, Neilia, and his daughter, Naomi, who were killed in a car accident in 1972. “Every year on December 18 they come to the fair, too. now decades after the tragedy. ”
9:15 pm, Wilmington: Joe Biden remains onstage after his speech, alongside his wife Jill (69), upcoming Vice President Kamala Harris (56) and her husband Douglas (56). Suddenly there is a loud bang, fireworks shoot into the air, forming the letters “Biden”. The crowd is raging! Weirauch, on the other hand, remains silent, rolls his eyes, already with tears back on his face. After a few moments he stammered: “Our Joe! Now it’s Joe from America! ”
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