--- title: Watch President Obama's Farewell Shout-Out to Joe Biden description: In his farewell address, the President said that choosing the "scrappy kid from Scranton" as his Vice President was his "best decision" canonical: https://time.com/4631086/president-obama-farewell-speech-joe-biden/ author: Kevin Lui article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-11T06:08:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T02:39:29.977Z article:section: Politics og:title: Watch President Obama's Farewell Shout-Out to Joe Biden og:description: "I gained a brother" og:url: https://time.com/4631086/president-obama-farewell-speech-joe-biden/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60764320411754a4/6988b513f887dcb39de98a78/obama-farewell-speech-joe-biden2017-01-11t033059z_284712676_rc110b894.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: U.S. President Barack Obama hugs Vice-President Joe Biden in Chicago og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch President Obama's Farewell Shout-Out to Joe Biden twitter:description: "I gained a brother" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60764320411754a4/6988b513f887dcb39de98a78/obama-farewell-speech-joe-biden2017-01-11t033059z_284712676_rc110b894.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'I Gained a Brother’: Watch President Obama's Farewell Shout-Out to Joe Biden > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Kevin Lui](https://time.com/author/kevin-lui/) ## Kevin Lui Jan 11, 2017 6:08 AM UTC  U.S. President Barack Obama hugs Vice-President Joe Biden after Obama delivered a farewell address at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. January 10, 2017. U.S. President Barack Obama hugs Vice-President Joe Biden after Obama delivered a farewell address at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. January 10, 2017. John Gress—Reuters by [Kevin Lui](https://time.com/author/kevin-lui/) ## Kevin Lui Jan 11, 2017 6:08 AM UTC In his reflective, sometimes emotional [farewell address](http://time.com/4631007/president-obama-farewell-speech-transcript/?xid=homepage) that [also called for citizen action](http://time.com/4631089/barack-obama-farewell-speech-analysis/) Tuesday night in Chicago, President Barack Obama set aside a few moments to give tribute to his political partner of eight years. After [thanking](http://time.com/4631041/barack-obama-farewell-speech-michelle-tribute-sasha-malia/?xid=homepage) his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, the President turned his attention to Vice President Joe Biden, “the scrappy kid from Scranton who became Delaware’s favorite son.” The crowd around the Vice President, including his wife Dr. Jill Biden, got up to their feet in applause right at the mention of Biden’s name. In [classic Joe Biden style](http://time.com/4591253/joe-biden-national-treasure/), the VP made finger gun gestures and smiled back at Obama. “You were the first decision I made as a nominee, and it was the best,” the President continued, “not just because you have been a great Vice President, but because in the bargain I gained a brother. And we love you and Jill like family. And your friendship has been one of the great joys of our lives.” The [rapport](http://time.com/4178517/cancer-state-of-the-union-joe-biden-obama/) between the President and the VP goes both ways, judging by what Biden [prepared](http://time.com/4439262/barack-obama-birthday-joe-biden/) for Obama’s 55th birthday in August. > [](https://twitter.com/VP/status/761253705341480962) Their heartwarming journey to becoming America’s greatest political bromance, beginning as the Democratic ticket in 2008, is [well documented](http://time.com/barack-obama-joe-biden-friendship-photos/). Obama and Biden hugged it out on stage after the President wrapped up his speech. 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