U.S. Sen. Chris Coons from Delaware reflected on a time when Biden asked him if he should run for president in 2020. He told him he was the right man for the job.
“That’s because of the ways in which he’s rooted in his family and faith, he’s never forgotten where he’s from, he’s always fought for folks like those he grew up with in Scranton and Claymont in Pennsylvania and Delaware,” Coons said.
“As 2020 ground on, and all its challenges — the pandemic, the deep racial divisions and the Black Lives Matter protests, and the economic inequality, and the struggle to move forward from the pandemic, both in terms of our internal divisions and the infection of this pandemic — as 2020 went on and we saw President Trump fail to lead as president, and we saw Joe Biden’s decency, experience, character and vision, it became clearer and clearer he was the right person for this moment.”
His counterpart, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper from Delaware, said he believes the new president will present a drastic change from the past four years of President Donald Trump.
“We have a guy who wanted to be king, he’s gone, he’s on his way back to Mar-a-Lago, good for him. He’s being replaced by a guy whose humble, somebody who tells the truth, somebody who has the heart of a servant, somebody who treated other people the way they want to be treated, somebody who surrounds himself with the best people he can find, someone who focuses on excellence in everything we do, someone who gives credit to other people,” he said.
Former Philadelphia Mayor and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Randall also gave positive remarks.
“[Biden] was terrific, he came through for us when we needed him, he gave us good advice, he was a great senator and great leader, and I think he’s going to be a great president. He’s joined by an exciting new face on the political scene, Kamala Harris, who I think will be a very impactful vice president,” he said.
Delaware Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester echoed those thoughts.
“I have no doubt President Biden and Vice President Harris will be the leaders to guide America into a new and bright era,” she said. “Today’s inauguration showcases the type of administration we can expect from Joe and Kamala, one that fosters unity and works hard to improve the lives of all Americans. Joe and Kamala will listen to the science as we navigate the pandemic, they will prioritize building back the middle class and increasing job opportunities. Most importantly, they will work hard to unify the American people.”