Joe Biden cries in emotional speech before heading to Washington DC for Inauguration Day

In a deeply personal and at times emotional speech, President-elect Joe Biden delivered a final goodbye to his hometown of Delaware on Tuesday before departing for the White House, thanking his supporters and the state he said helped raise him.

“It's kind of emotional for me,” Mr Biden said behind tears. “Look, you were with me my whole career, through the good times and the bad.”

The president-elect, who was set to be sworn in on the footsteps of the US Capitol on Wednesday, recalled meeting his wife, soon-to-be First Lady Dr Jill Biden, in the state where he served as a US Senator. He also recounted how much his late son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, loved their hometown.

“I only have one regret, that he’s not here,” Mr Biden said while referring to his late son, “because we should be introducing him as president.”

This is a breaking story and will be updated.