Vice President Biden opens up about his son’s death, Cancer Moonshot, and why Trump’s tactics are harmful to America
Vice President Joe Biden knows all too well the toll cancer takes on a family.
“What I’ve been trying to do is instill a sense of urgency because every day, every minute, every month, it matters to somebody suffering from [cancer], particularly if they have terminal cancer.”
Last year, Biden’s son Beau died of brain cancer at just 46.
“Sometimes the second year is the hardest,” he told Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric following an emotional appeal at the Stand Up to Cancer telecast in Los Angeles.
Biden was tapped by President Obama to lead the national Cancer Moonshot initiative and has been pushing for better collaboration between doctors, researchers and scientists.
The vice president also spoke with Couric about a number of global issues, including the recently announced plan by the U.S. and Russia for a ceasefire in Syria.
“This is show me. None of this is based on faith,” he said.
He also expressed frustration with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over what some perceive as admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and for various inaccurate statements, including calling President Obama the founder of ISIS.
“I spend more time … reassuring heads of state, ‘No, no, no, no, no. Trump doesn’t speak for the United States or the Republican Party.’”
Regarding his own presidential ambitions, Biden made it clear he made the right choice by deciding not to run.
“I’m still going to be engaged. I’m not going away,” he said. Hillary’s already asked me if she wins, would I continue running the Moonshot out of the White House.”
And as the nation prepares to mark the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, the vice president, who was serving in the U.S. Senate at the time, reflected on the way his country persevered through its darkest hours.
“The nation didn’t bend, it didn’t break … I really have enormous confidence in the American people.”
