How is Working Class Joe Biden Also Multi-millionaire? – Hear President Joe Biden tell his story, and he’s a man who came from humble means.
He’ll tell you how he grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania. So he understands the plight of the “working class” because he’s not part of the “East Coast elite,” no, he’s one of them. He’s the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen.
Look, folks; Biden drove a tractor-trail truck, worked as (the only white) lifeguard in a bad part of town while in college, and had a net worth of only $9 million in 2020.
Wait… he doesn’t like to tout that last part.
Yet, Biden is actually a millionaire many times over.
As Forbes.com reported shortly before the 2020 election, Joe and Jill Biden earned $22.5 million between 1998 and 2019 – or just over $1 million annually. A closer look showed that the Bidens earned three-quarters of their money after Joe left his post as vice president.
A question is often asked “why would anyone want to run for public office” – well, the pay doesn’t hurt.
In fact, Biden made an average salary of $155,000 a year as a United States Senator before becoming VP, which gave him a raise to $230,000 a year. But like many politicians, his money came from books and royalties.
Not Exactly Rags to Riches
In fairness to Biden, it was reported that as recently as November 2009, his net worth was less than $30,000 – so those “middle-class” claims aren’t actually that far from the truth.
The key that he was still “middle class” not “working class,” however. Biden was hardly struggling, and he could afford to take regular vacations, dinners out, and he could certainly afford to buy the “good” ice cream at the grocery store.
However, hear Biden tell the story and he’ll tell you how growing up the family always struggled to meet ends.
It is just part of his disingenuous persona that attempts to paint him as the everyman in every situation.
It whitewashes the fact that he attended Archmere Academy, a Roman Catholic College Preparatory School, and was able to attend college and law school.
Today, the Bidens own two houses worth a combined $4 million as of last November, while they have some $950,000 in cash accounts. Their “vacation home” in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware was purchased in 2017 for $2.7 million. That’s hardly middle-class by any means.
And folks, let’s forget about that prized Corvette that is parked in one of his multiple garages that were used to store classified materials.
Joe Biden: Blue Collar or Blueblood?
Biden continued to play up his working-class persona during the State of the Union, with his call for a “blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America.”
It is part of an attempt by the Democratic Party to win back white “working-class” voters through the creation of new well-paid jobs that don’t require a college degree.
“Let’s offer every American the path to a good career whether they go to college or not,” Biden said.
The pitch is actually a good one, and it was a refreshing tune from those spouted by Joe’s former boss, President Barack Obama who routinely called for all Americans to get a four-year degree!
Look folks; college isn’t for everyone, especially not with the crippling debt that those of Generation Z might face after earning their degree. The country needs skilled workers in the various trades probably more than it needs another generation of “snowflakes” indoctrinated in the evils of America and ready to embrace all aspects of “woke culture,” while earning that English Literature degree.
But it is hard not to just see this as hyperbole from Biden, who has seen that the Democrats – the historical party of the working class – have been losing that working-class support. As The Atlantic reported, the shift to abortion rights, gun control, and safeguarding democracy, which are issues with strong appeal to socially liberal, college-educated voters, also have far less appeal to working-class voters.
“My budget is going to give working people a fighting chance,” Biden said at a union training center in Philadelphia earlier in March while unveiling his budget.
“I value everyone having an even shot – not just labor, but a small-business owner, farmers, and so many other people who hold the country together who have been basically invisible for a long time,” he suggested.
Blue-collar Joe is simply part of an attempt to woo back those voters who are more focused on the economy, inflation, and crime. Biden knows he needs the support of blue-collar voters to win a second term, and we should expect to see more of his faux working-class persona come out. Perhaps he’ll use John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” as his campaign anthem, as Biden already believes “A working class hero is something to be.”
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the passing of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Tuesday, August 10, 2021, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on protecting access to affordable healthcare, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at Kempsville Recreation Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (Official White House Photo by Hannah Foslien)
Joe Biden. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The problem is that Joe Biden has long been more of a blueblood elitist than a blue-collar guy. He just doesn’t think we already see it.
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.