In a public service career spanning six decades, former US vice president
Joe Biden has developed a folksy style with a reputation for speaking off the cuff, which has occasionally landed him in hot water. Since being elected to the
Senate for Delaware in 1972, Mr Biden has espoused the working class values he learned in his youth in Scranton,
Pennsylvania. But the everyman persona has at times exposed “Uncle Joe” to accusations of
racism and sexism for unguarded comments. In one off-script moment from the presidential campaign trail last year, Mr Biden said “poor kids are just as talented as white kids”, when he presumably meant to say rich kids. President
Donald Trump tried to exploit Mr Biden’s gaffes, repeatedly questioning the mental acuity of his 77-year-old rival and labelling him “Sleepy Joe”.