Biden Accepts Lifetime Achievement Award in Boston

Former President Joe Biden accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston during the institute’s 10th‑anniversary celebration; former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and retired Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti were also honored and John Kerry served as an honorary chair. In his first public address since completing a round of radiation therapy for an aggressive form of prostate cancer, Biden urged “optimism,” reaffirmed his belief that democracy remains a sacred cause amid deep political divisions and a federal government shutdown, and called on Americans to challenge the Trump administration while stressing the need for bipartisanship and invoking the example of the late Ted Kennedy. The event drew roughly 600 attendees and—by some accounts—notably lacked sitting senators, governors and the Boston mayor. The ceremony, which the institute streamed live, also served as the Kennedy Institute’s major annual fundraiser; Biden’s wife Jill was expected to attend.