'When I Die, Delaware Will Be Written On My Heart': Biden Gets Emotional During Farewell Address In Home State
NEW CASTLE, Del. (CBS) -- A tearful President-elect Joe Biden got emotional during a farewell to Delaware before he left for Washington, D.C. Biden said goodbye at a place named for his late son, Beau.
"Excuse the emotion," Biden said. "When I die, Delaware will be written on my heart."
The send-off was streamed online as it was not a public event. Still, people gathered to watch and wave to the president-elect as he went by in New Castle.
Traveling by motorcade, Biden went to a final send-off Tuesday at the Beau Biden Armed Forces Reserve Center.
"I could see cops and I knew something was going on," Candy Boayue said.
Boayue left a work meeting to watch the motorcade go by.
"I could not miss this. I could never miss this. This is Joe Biden," she said.
"To have your neighbor be president of the United States is pretty exciting and there's a lot of people feeling that right now," New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer said.
A raw President-elect Biden made remarks during his farewell address before leaving Wilmington for Washington.
"To my fellow Delawareans, on behalf of the entire Biden family, I want to express how much you mean to me and to every one of us," Biden said.
Democrats in Congress, like Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, have no doubt Biden can bring both political parties together.
"I hope Republicans will help him move our country forward," Casey said. "I hope they won't continue to indulge in the lies and bizarre conspiracy theories of their soon-to-be ex-leader."
Biden is expected to make unity a theme of his inauguration speech Wednesday.
"As he reaches out and explains his vision to the American people as the new president, this is the speech of his career such far," said Dr. Jonathan Russ, an associate history professor at the University of Delaware.
Security was very tight around Biden's send-off and authorities are expected to continue to be on heightened alert through the next few days.
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