Last Updated Jan 13, 2017 10:45 AM EST
President Obama surprised Vice President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday by awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, paying tribute to Biden in a speech and calling him \u201cthe best vice president America has ever had.\u201d
\u201cTo know Joe Biden is to know love without pretense, service without self-regard and to live life fully,\u201d Mr. Obama said, noting he was bestowing the award on him \u201cfor your faith in fellow Americans, for your love of country and for your lifetime of service that will endure through the generations.\u201d
Biden, who was visibly emotional during the speech and wiped back tears as he accepted the award, praised Mr. Obama as a man of \u201cintegrity\u201d and \u201cdecency.\u201d
\u201cI can say I was part of the journey of a remarkable man who did remarkable things for this country,\u201d he said.
Biden credited his record as vice president with Mr. Obama\u2019s willingness to trust him with important responsibilities, which is rare for presidents to do to the extent that Mr. Obama did.
\u201cEvery single thing you\u2019ve asked me to do, Mr. President, you have trusted me to do,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that is a remarkable thing.\u201d
Biden said he had \u201cno inkling\u201d this would happen, adding that he thought the afternoon would be spent with \u201ca couple senior staff to toast one another and say what an incredible journey it\u2019s been.\u201d
Biden, Mr. Obama said, is \u201ca lion of American history,\u201d referring to him as a \u201cbrother.\u201d
Mr. Obama spoke about Biden\u2019s ability to connect with anyone he meets, calling him \u201ca resilient and loyal humble servant, a patriot and most of all a family man.\u201d
The speech was lighthearted, with Mr. Obama referencing Biden\u2019s famous aviators, his love of Amtrak and his overuse of the word \u201cliterally.\u201d
Mr. Obama quipped that Biden\u2019s legacy in office is, \u201cAs Joe once said, a big deal\u201d — a reference to the time in 2010 when Biden whispered to Mr. Obama that the passage of the Affordable Care Act was a \u201cbig f***ing deal.\u201d
\u201cFolks don\u2019t just feel like they know Joe the politician,\u201d he said. They feel like they know the person.\u201d<\/p>\n

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