55 years ago, before he stepped into politics, former Vice President Joe Biden worked another job that helped his community — he was a lifeguard. Back in 1962, the Scranton, Pennsylvania, native took a job in Wilmington, Delaware, to broaden his perspectives on race by working as a lifeguard in a predominantly African-American community. “I wanted to get more involved,” Biden said in a statement. “I’d turn on the television and I’d see and listen to Dr. [Martin Luther] King and others, but I didn’t know any black people. So, I wanted to work here.”
As the only white lifeguard at the Prices Run Pool at the time, Biden says his co-workers “treated me as an equal,” but he learned some valuable lessons that would later shape his views as a politician. On Monday, Biden was honored by the pool he once guarded. Its name was officially changed to the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Aquatic Center. At the ceremony, Biden hopped back onto his old lifeguard station, but this time, he was decked out in a suit and his signature sunglasses.
Given the fend-for-yourself ethos of the Trump administration, many Twitter users couldn’t help but remember the good ol’ days when Biden looked out for all of America. Biden was instrumental in saving lives through the passage of the Affordable Care Act and with his long-standing efforts to end violence against women.
Dear Joe Biden, the entire country needs a lifeguard. https://t.co/7haSjGrQyS
— Barbara Castro (@BabashanBarbara) June 26, 2017
ThInk we need this guy in a lifeguard chair overlooking the country right now. Don't be a stranger, Joe. https://t.co/ATfMa7KOX5
— Steven Beschloss (@StevenBeschloss) June 26, 2017
Metaphor for @JoeBiden saving America from drowning? https://t.co/qzODb2k7Sp
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) June 26, 2017
Some people just laughed at the idea of a lifeguard in a suit.
VP Joe Biden, now a lifeguard at the Scranton Municipal Swimming Center, ready for action in his breakaway Armani Swim Cover Up pic.twitter.com/2K7vXiLJQk
— Matthew Harkrider (@MHark) June 26, 2017
Here's a picture of Joe Biden, wearing a suit, sitting in a lifeguard chair. pic.twitter.com/XfJLi7Wgjf
— Adam Smith (@asmith83) June 27, 2017
While others couldn’t miss the similarity between Biden and Cameron from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
Joe Biden's new chair reminded me of something. pic.twitter.com/mx0axczj1D
— Rudy Hellzapoppin' (@RudyHellzapop) June 26, 2017
Don't do it Biden! pic.twitter.com/KURmHHPoy8
— Karl Hungus (@hesanihilist) June 26, 2017