Joe Biden silences Iraq war protester by telling him 'I lost my son too'
The two men found common ground in their grief
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.In a rare move for a politician, Joe Biden responded to a heckler with an emotional and personal response which silenced a rally on Thursday.
The US Vice President was campaigning for the Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio when he was interrupted by an Iraq war protester.
“My friend died, we fought for America” the man shouted repeatedly. According to the Guardian, the protester was at odds with Mr Biden over the US foreign policy in Syria.
A sombre-looking Biden paused before turning to the man.“Will you listen? Yeah, so did my son”, he replied, before inviting him to discuss the issues with him after his speech. The man was reportedly later seen entering the backstage area after speaking with the secret service.
Mr Biden’s veteran son Beau died from brain cancer last year. The 46-year-old, who served a long deployment in Iraq and was awarded a bronze star, was first diagnosed with the illness in 2013. He was also twice elected the attorney general of Delaware.
Mr Biden has said his grief was a factor in him not running for the Democrat nomination this year.
Beau’s death came after his one-year-old daughter Naomi and wife Neila Hunter died in a car crash in Delaware in 1972. Beau and his brother Hunter survived the tragedy with broken bones.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments