In the early days of his presidency during the pandemic, President Joe Biden brought concerns about young people’s loneliness to the surgeon general.
Biden questioned how young people could “make love” during the pandemic, according to the Washington Post. Two aides heard Biden use the phrase multiple times in the first year of his presidency. He asked Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to prioritize the problem of loneliness, particularly since Murthy had written a book about it, after speaking with his grandchildren on the topic.
Biden often relies on casual, personal interaction with the public to bring their concerns to his office. Biden uses conversations with fellow churchgoers and his grandchildren to break himself out of the Washington bubble.
Biden aides have said they brace themselves for Monday mornings, when Biden has returned from his usual weekend trip to his home in Delaware. They said he comes back with tidbits of information from people he spoke with. Biden often wants his aides to provide an answer to their concerns.
The younger generation has guided Biden through many of his political positions. When he was vice president, Biden announced his support for legalizing same-sex marriage before then-President Barack Obama had announced his support, frustrating Obama aides. Biden’s aides said at the time that his grandchildren were particularly influential in his decision to embrace the policy.
Current Biden aides said he “rarely” goes a day without talking to his children or grandchildren. They said if he is not reading a brief prepared by his aides or scrolling the Apple News app on his iPhone, he is usually found talking to family.
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Additionally, aides said he spends about two hours each day reading briefings, ranging from 100-300 pages.
“Biden is not a recreational reader,” said Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff. “He’s a voracious reader of briefings.”