President Joe Biden recently opened up about some of the darkest moments in his life during a candid interview with radio host Howard Stern.
In the emotional conversation, Biden reflected on the profound grief he experienced after losing his first wife, Neilia, and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, in a tragic car accident in December 1972.
Their tragic deaths came just weeks after Biden won his first election to the U.S. Senate.
Neilia Hunter was a teacher born in Skaneateles, New York, in 1942. She met the future POTUS while they were both students at the University of Delaware, and they married in 1966.
Following their wedding, Neilia supported Biden's political career while also raising their three children - Joseph "Beau", Robert Hunter, and Naomi.
During the interview with Stern, Biden revealed that he had contemplated taking his own life in the wake of the devastating loss.
"Just a brief moment, I thought maybe I just go to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and jump. But I had two kids," he shared, highlighting the immense pain and turmoil he grappled with during that time.
Amid the overwhelming despair, a tee-total Biden also disclosed that he contemplated turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism. "I don't drink. That's not a virtue. I just never drank," he explained.
"I used to sit there and think to myself, I think I'll take out a bottle of Scotch. We always had liquor in the house ... and I was going to just drink and get drunk and I could never bring myself to do it," Biden added.
The interview took place during Biden's visit to New York City. It was not listed on his public schedule.
Biden had spent the previous night in the city after attending a fundraiser hosted by actor Michael Douglas in Westchester County.
In addition to discussing his personal struggles, Biden also touched on his romantic life during the interview. He recounted receiving attention from admirers after he was listed as one of the "ten most eligible bachelors" - but ultimately decided to put a halt to his romantic pursuits when he was introduced to his current wife, Dr. Jill Biden.
"I got a call from my brother. So I have a girl here at Delaware – Jill is nine years younger than I am. He said you'll love her. She doesn't like politics," Biden shared, recalling the events that led to his second marriage to Dr. Biden.
Despite their romance blossoming, Jill was initially hesitant to accept Biden's proposal.
In an essay for TIME, she revealed that the first time Biden proposed, it was a simple and understated moment.
"The first time Joe proposed, he simply said, 'I want us to get married,'", she wrote. "It wasn’t a big deal — just an ordinary conversation on an ordinary day. I already knew how he felt, so it didn’t come as a surprise. I also knew I couldn’t say yes."
"But unbeknownst to me, Joe wasn’t just asking on his own accord. Beau and Hunter had recently cornered him in the bathroom one morning while he was shaving," the First Lady continued.
"'Beau thinks we should get married,' six-year-old Hunter told him. With their father understandably confused by this pronouncement, seven-year-old Beau explained, 'We think we should marry Jill.'"
Dr. Biden then asked: "Hearing that story later, I had to laugh — how often do our children understand the obvious answer before we do?"
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