The DNC really leaned into Biden's love of Amtrak, 'everyday, working class people'

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/Democratic National Convention)

You probably can't have a Democratic National Convention for Joe Biden, virtual or otherwise, without mentioning Amtrak. Biden famously commuted to work as a senator so he could be with his family in Delaware every night. Trains, of course, can't vote, and the point of a political convention is to get people to vote for your party's candidate, so the video of Biden's Amtrak experience shown during Monday night's DNC was really about the people he met and got to know on the train.

"I think he's most comfortable around everyday, working class people," recounted longtime conductor Gregg Weaver, who got to be friends with Biden over years of commuting. "He just always makes you feel, feel like you belong."

Weaver recounted that when Biden was vice president and no longer commuting, he still tracked him down to check in on him after a heart attack. "I'm not saying it like it was me and I was anything special — everybody was special to him," Weaver said. "The average guy is important to him. The average guy is important to him."

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For the train lovers in either party, there is also lots of vintage Amtrak footage to remind you of journeys past.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.