CNN
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President Joe Biden is turning 80 this weekend, but the big bash at the White House will be for an entirely different and more youthful occasion. Naomi Biden, Biden’s oldest granddaughter, is set to marry Peter Neal on the White House South Lawn on Saturday.
One day following the nuptials, Biden will mark his spot in American history as the only octogenarian president, a numerical milestone that shines a spotlight on a primary issue plaguing Biden with his opponents: his age. Despite a spate of recent wins – better-than-projected midterm elections for Democrats, a relatively gaffe-less trip to Egypt and Asia, and a lackluster presidential announcement from his old rival, Donald Trump – Biden cannot shake being the oldest commander-in-chief America has ever had.
But a glossy wedding of two twenty-somethings, kicking off a fresh life chapter with music and dancing and revelry, could put a youthful spin on the 80th birthday weekend. Two people familiar with the planning of the wedding say it was not a coincidence Naomi Biden’s wedding weekend coincides with the president’s day – noting the “age issue” is never something Biden wants to highlight.
“The wedding gives some cover,” says one of the people.
The wedding, which CNN is told includes the extended Biden clan on the guest list, as well as friends and family of the couple, will also mark a kickoff of sorts for the tight-knit Bidens to begin earnest discussions over whether Joe Biden should run for a second term.
Shortly after the wedding, Jill Biden and Joe Biden will travel to Nantucket, Massachusetts, for the Thanksgiving holiday; Christmas follows quickly on its heels, as the clock ticks toward Biden’s need to say whether he will be in for 2024, or out. Both the president and the first lady have said they will weigh the pros and cons of a second run, something Biden has previously said he “intends” to undertake.
The wedding itself will consist of three parts, a person familiar with the planning tells CNN. The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. ET on the South Lawn – a location that in the history of White House weddings has never before been used. There will be no tent, the source confirms, which could make for a chilly outdoor morning; temperatures for Saturday are forecast in the mid-40s. Following the exchange of vows, a smaller, family-and-wedding-party-only luncheon will take place in the White House, and later, in the evening, guests will return for an evening reception of dessert and dancing, also to be held indoors.
In a way, Naomi Biden, 28, is experiencing a White House wedding thanks in large part to her own gumption. Biden, an associate at the Washington, DC, law firm Arnold & Porter, pushed her grandfather to run the first time.
Though the patriarch, Joe Biden has always included his larger family circle, including his five oldest grandchildren when weighing life choices. His sensitivity to their feelings, and the invasive nature of a nasty political battle weigh heavy on his mind.
“I don’t think there’s been any decision, no matter how big or small, that we haven’t decided as a family,” said Naomi Biden in a video interview played at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
Though typically called by the elder Biden family members, it was Naomi Biden who convened the most critical, in-person, all-hands-on-deck family meeting, the one that would have the most impact on Joe Biden’s future. Biden was concerned – they, however, were not.
“He thought we were calling a meeting sort of to discuss whether or not we wanted him to [run,] but really were calling it to be like, ‘Get in that race! Hurry up!’” said Naomi…
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