Joe Biden is a podcaster now.
The former vice president and presidential candidate has launched a new podcast, Here's the Deal, as part of a virtual campaign from his basement amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. In the first episode, he interviews Ron Klain, his former chief of staff and former Ebola czar.
"Why am I doing this?" Biden says at the start of the first episode. "Well, first, so we can keep talking with each other. We can't hold rallies anymore, but we're not gathering in large public spaces. We're living in a new normal."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden has recently started broadcasting from a home studio set up in his basement in Delaware, where he's conducted television interviews and held virtual press conferences. His communications director, Kate Bedingfield, told Politico last week that "we're thinking through what does a virtual campaign look like" amid the pandemic and "we're experimenting with a lot of different formats." This comes after an early virtual town hall from the campaign suffered from many technical issues.
In addition to interviewing Klain and discussing his plan for responding to the coronavirus crisis, Biden in the first episode of his podcast takes some questions, in response to one describing the precautions he's taking amid the pandemic including having anyone who comes into his house wear gloves and a mask. As he wraps up, Biden assures listeners that "we're going to beat this" and recommends that "if you have any friends or relatives or anybody who is shut in, pick up the phone and call them. Tell them you're thinking of them. See what they need."
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also expected to soon launch a podcast, reportedly inspired by Howard Stern.
-
Employees are branching out rather than moving up with career minimalismThe explainer From career ladder to lily pad
-
‘It is their greed and the pollution from their products that hurt consumers’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Jane Austen lives on at these timeless hotelsThe Week Recommends Here’s where to celebrate the writing legend’s 250th birthday
-
GOP wins tight House race in red Tennessee districtSpeed Read Republicans maintained their advantage in the House
-
Trump targets ‘garbage’ Somalis ahead of ICE raidsSpeed Read The Department of Homeland Security will launch an immigration operation targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
-
Hegseth blames ‘fog of war’ for potential war crimespeed read ‘I did not personally see survivors,’ Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting
-
Canada joins EU’s $170B SAFE defense fundspeed read This makes it the first non-European Union country in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative
-
Appeals court disqualifies US Attorney Alina HabbaSpeed Read The former personal attorney to President Donald Trump has been unlawfully serving as US attorney for New Jersey, the ruling says
-
White House says admiral ordered potential war crimeSpeed Read The Trump administration claims Navy Vice Adm. Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley ordered a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat, not Pete Hegseth
-
Honduras votes amid Trump push, pardon vowspeed read President Trump said he will pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who is serving 45 years for drug trafficking
-
Congress seeks answers in ‘kill everybody’ strike reportSpeed Read Lawmakers suggest the Trump administration’s follow-up boat strike may be a war crime
