After Train Ride Home, Thousands Welcome Biden Back To Delaware
By David Madden and Natasha Brown
WILMINGTON, DEL (CBS) -- Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill received a warm welcome home at a rally in Wilmington after rolling in to the train station named after him.
After the 90-minute ride on Amtrak from Washington that Biden took daily as a six-term senator, he was greeted by Delaware Air Guard members, bands, a choir, elected officials and a couple thousand well-wishers at the Chase Center.
Eyewitness News caught up with Biden on board asking what advice he would share with President Trump. "I don't give advice to presidents except," Biden said laughing. "I learned to do that privately."
After the serving the last eight years as the vice president for the Obama administration, and 36 years as a U.S. Senator representing Delaware, he's logged 8,000 round trips on Amtrak.
He urged people to give President Donald Trump a chance.
"This is a man who has never been engaged in public life before," Biden said. "And so one of the things I'm going to try to do and Barack and I have talked about it, we're going to try to be of assistance in any way we can, because it's in the best interests of the country."
Biden is a private citizen for the first time in almost 50 years, but he's hardly retiring. He'll lead his battle against cancer from the University of Delaware and headquarter international studies at Penn.
His thank you to the people of Delaware got emotional at times, particularly when he remembered the words of 20th century literary giant James Joyce.
"I know I'm always quoting Irish poets but Joyce said, and I'm going to paraphrase him, when I die...when I die, Delaware will be written on my heart."
The Bidens remained in the auditorium for more than an hour after the rally, making sure they met with everyone who wanted a moment with him.
"He was Joe. Joe just speaks from the heart, tells you how he feels and makes you feel with him," said Jim Matlack.
