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On Monday, Barack Obama and Joe Biden made a surprise appearance at a Washington D.C. bakery, delighting customers and yucking it up with each other as they browsed the pastries. The former president and vice president are infamously close on a personal level, and Biden's quotes about Obama and their bromance prove it.
Although presidents usually work closely with their vice presidents, they don't always get along. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney "weren't personally close," Bush's former press secretary said, while Bill Clinton and Al Gore were on famously bad terms by the end of the Clinton presidency.
Obama and Biden, however, bucked this trend, and became genuine friends — or "brothers," as they've often described one another — over the course of their eight years in the White House. By the time they left office, they regularly spoke glowingly of one another, inspired endless memes from their supporters, and even became the stars of a fan-fiction detective novel.
“We’ve never had that between a sitting president and a vice president in recent times — one where the friendship and familiarity factor was sky-high,” presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told the Washington Post of Obama and Biden.
Here are some quotes from the former vice president that shows the true depth of his bromance with his former boss.
A Surprise Friendship
"About six months in [to the Obama presidency], president looks at me. He said, 'you know, Joe, you know what surprised me? How we’ve become such good friends.' And I said, 'surprised you?'"
Filling In The Gaps
"[Obama] has a great line when friends ask him, 'What’s it like with Joe?' He says, 'It’s like an older brother–younger brother. We make up for each other’s shortcomings.' Well, he makes up for a lot more of my shortcomings than I do his."
A True Friend
"He's genuinely my friend. I'd do anything for him, and I think he would for me."
As Close As Family
"Mr. President, you know as long as there’s a breath in me, I’ll be there for you. My whole family will be. And I know, I know it is reciprocal."
Being There
"He was there for my son. He was the only one, when my son was dying, that I was able to be completely candid with."
Respect And Integrity
"I’ve never known a president — and few people I’ve ever met my whole life, I can count on less than one hand — who’ve had the integrity and the decency and the sense of other people’s needs like you do."
Coming Through In The Clutch
“When Beau had what we thought was a stroke two years before it got diagnosed as cancer, Barack came running down the hall saying, ‘Joe, is Beau OK? Joe, is he all right?’ ... Barack was emotional. He said, ‘Joe, don’t [sell your house to pay for Beau's treatment], don’t do that! You love that house. Don’t do that. I’ll give you the money.’”
Genuine Admiration
"He's the embodiment of honor, resolve and character."
Brothers For Life
"A brother to me, a best friend forever."
Obama and Biden's time in the White House may be over. But their friendship isn't going anywhere.
