'Milking tragedy for years': Biden slammed for revealing suicidal thoughts after wife and daughter's death

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: President Joe Biden, in an interview with Radio host Howard Stern, shared the dark times following the tragic death of his first wife and daughter in a car crash, revealing he even considered dying by suicide.

Biden's surprise interview took place during his visit to New York on Friday, April 26, where he recalled his despairing state of mind after the fatal accident.

The president's first wife, Neilia Biden, and his daughter Naomi Biden, who was 13 months old, died, and his two sons were critically injured when the car driven by his late ex-wife collided with a tractor-trailer in Delaware in December 1972, according to History.

Joe Biden on his life after first wife and daughter's death

"I don't drink. That's not a virtue. I just never drank," Biden said in the interview as per Daily Mail. "And 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."

The president, who was a 30-year-old newly elected Senator at the time, revealed that for a fleeting moment, he thought of taking his own life after the tragedy.

"And I actually thought about you know, you don't have to be crazy to commit suicide. If you've been at the top of a mountain you think it's never going to be there again," the octagenarian said to Stern. "And just a brief moment, I thought maybe I just go to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and jump. but I had two kids."

After surviving the crash, both Beau Biden and Hunter Biden were hospitalized for months, and their father was sworn into the Senate from the hospital room.

Biden married Jill Tracy Jacobs in 1977, two years after they met on a blind date.

During the candid interview at Stern's Manhattan studio, the president claimed that women used to send him "salacious pictures" after he became single. In addition, he also announced that he was "happy" to debate his GOP opponent, Donald Trump.

Internet reacts to Biden's revelations

Weighing in on Biden recalling his first wife and daughter's death, netizens criticized him for trying to gain sympathy.

A user wrote, "He thrives on the sympathy card with family and military and being a civil rights advocate that never happened. His writers and handlers are in a frenzy to resuscitate his relativeness."

"He is been telling stories for a very, very long time and he cannot keep them straight anymore so he comes up with new ones. I am actually looking forward to listening to some new ones," another remarked.

A third user added, "I know the pain but the man is too narcissistic to take his own life…just looking for sympathy points. I will give him sympathy points but not get out of jail free card." Meanwhile, a fourth response read, "Biden has been milking tragedy for years."

"That does break my heart. He has experienced incredible tragedy in his life, I’d imagine losing a child and spouse in one fell swoop would be devastating. It’s sad that he contemplated suicide. That doesn’t make him a good person or a good president," another one weighed in.

Someone else said, "Such a sad excuse for a President. For those like me that want to respect the person in the role, regardless of party, this guy is pitiful." An individual added, "We all have heartaches throughout life, the difference is we cherish those that have gone, they are not a prop to garner sympathy and attention. He is despicable."

"He has told so many stories we believe nothing! He is like the little boy that cried wolf over and over. No believers if he ever tells the truth once in his life," another argued.

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