Though former Vice President Joe Biden, now a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2010, has been running as a working class candidate, his lifestyle shows he’s anything but the everyman.
According to a new report by The Washington Post, Biden is raking in millions of dollars through a combination of speeches and book deals.
Public documents reveal that Biden was paid as much as $200,000 for some of his speeches. His campaign has tried to downplay reports of the massive payouts, saying that Biden has attended fewer than 50 of these paid events, per The Post.
By my math, that’s still a pretty sweet side-hustle.
When doing his speaking gigs, the former VP partook of a variety of expensive perks which included stays at luxury hotel suites, personal chauffeur on call and attaining lucrative reimbursements, according to the report.
Biden’s also received a financial boost when he and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, signed a book deal in 2017 worth a reported $8 million.
But it gets better.
Biden’s new home, estimated by Zillow to have a $5 million price tag and cost around $20,000 per month in rent, is something to behold. With nearly 12,000 square feet of space, the mansion is the perfect candidate for the front cover of Luxury Home magazine.
Take a look at the tour of the stunning residence below.
In the real estate video, Sotheby’s agent Mark Thomas says the property has “an incredible provenance firmly placed in the higher echelons of American political history” and displays “all of the architectural importance you would expect for a property situated in such a prime location surrounded by the Washington elite.”
He added that “this property makes an imposing statement with parking for over 20 cars.”
Biden has often campaigned as “Middle-class Joe,” an attempt to brand himself as a politician for blue-collar workers and the average American family.
During a 2017 interview with Megyn Kelly, the former vice president claimed that he’s more popular among those in the Rust Belt than President Donald Trump, according to The Washington Times.
“You’ve already run twice and lost,” Kelly said. “You’d have to promise that it would be one term only. And the blue-collar Rust Belters who you’d need to get elected already love Donald Trump.”
“They love me more, but you’re right — all the first part is correct,” Biden replied. “I understand the Rust Belt. Donald Trump has no notion what those people are going through.”
Biden’s statement is puzzling given that Trump, a billionaire celebrity, won the rust belt with relative ease. Even though he’s worth many times what Biden is, Trump was, in fact, able to relate to blue-collar America to help win the White House.
“They call me ‘Middle-class Joe,’” he continued. “Well, it’s not meant as a compliment in Washington. It means I’m not sophisticated, but I understand. I understand what built this country, and the only thing I know I know is the middle class, their hopes, their aspirations, because it’s where I come from. It’s what I am.”
With his newfound wealth and his opponents dialing in on punishing the rich and powerful in America, selling his “Middle-class Joe” persona may prove difficult for the Democratic front-runner.
http://www.cuzzblue.com/2019/07/video-tour-of-palace-poor-joe-biden.html
“Though former Vice President Joe Biden, now a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2010, has been running as a working class candidate, his lifestyle shows he’s anything but the everyman.”
2010? Did we go back in time or something? Last time I checked it was 2019 and election was for 2020.