It’s no secret that President Obama and Vice President Biden are friends. They’ve had their differences, as Obama can come across as somewhat humorless and a little stiff, and Biden has a tendency to drop F-bombs on hot mics.
But through eight years of an enormously popular administration, they have remained undeniably close.
— Vice President Biden (@VP) August 4, 2016
The most recent evidence of this is Biden’s tweet in honor of Obama’s birthday, sharing a photo of side-by-side friendship bracelets bearing the names Joe and Barack.
Biden referred to the president as "A brother to me, a best friend forever."
While it’s tempting to imagine Biden weaving bracelets into the wee hours while consuming a six-pack and binge-watching Quentin Tarantino movies, the photo appears to have been made earlier this summer, and is featured in a voter registration advertisement Obama made for BuzzFeed.
— Darryl Coulon (@dxcoulon) August 4, 2016
— Richard Lee-Sam (@RLeesam) August 4, 2016
Social media exploded over the heartfelt message.
— kaylynn (@kaylynnalexis) August 4, 2016
The VP wasn’t the only one to wish Obama well. The First Lady also shared a message for her husband, and Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton shared a candid photo.
— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) August 4, 2016
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 4, 2016
Biden, an off-the-cuff sort, has a history of gaffes. In 2008, he made the cringe-worthy mistake of encouraging a wheelchair-bound senator to “stand up.” During his first appearance as the president’s running mate in that same year, Biden misspoke the future president’s name as "Barack America." As the White House attempted to change gun control laws in the wake of the Newtown shooting, Biden publicly encouraged his wife to "buy a shotgun."
This time, at least, he seems to have struck the right chord.