Former President Joe Biden spent Tuesday congratulating Democrats by phone after staying notably away from the campaign trail.
The 83-year-old watched the election returns from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and made several calls throughout the evening, according to a source familiar with the former commander-in-chief’s whereabouts who spoke to the Huffington Post.
Among those he contacted was Georgia Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former member of his administration and a longtime political ally.
Biden also called several Democrats who scored major victories over Republican opponents in what became known as a “blue tsunami.” They included Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Ohio Governor-elect Amy Acton, Nevada Governor-elect Aaron Ford, Illinois Senator-elect Juliana Stratton and Paige Cognetti, the former Scranton mayor who was elected to Congress after flipping Pennsylvania’s 8th House District, the source said.
The former president has largely stayed out of public view during this election cycle as he continues to battle prostate cancer.
Biden disclosed his diagnosis in May last year, fewer than four months after leaving the White House.
In August, his son Hunter said in an interview that the disease had spread to his father’s bones, describing it as “really sad to watch” his elderly father endure.
“It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects,” Hunter said in an interview with the BBC.
Former President Joe Biden, pictured with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, at a September 11 memorial, was notably absent from the midterm campaign trail as he battled prostate cancer
The former commander-in-chief called Democratic winners on Tuesday, including Georgia Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, who served in his administration
Former first lady Jill Biden previously told Today that her husband would “live with cancer the rest of his life.”
“I think if he had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, that’s one thing because that can be cured, but the fact that it metastasized to his bones, that makes it a whole different story,” she said in June.
“So I think Joe will live with cancer till the rest of his life.”
Biden has undergone radiation and hormone treatment. He also underwent surgery in September to remove cancerous skin cells.
Hunter has said his father remains “out there,” continuing to speak publicly about the causes and issues he considers important.
“He’s still doing his thing,” Hunter said. “He so believes in this country.”
Even so, Biden did not campaign for Democrats during this year’s midterm elections.
Instead, former President Barack Obama campaigned for Sherrod Brown in Cleveland and Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit on October 24. Four days later, he traveled to Georgia to rally support for Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Barack Obama campaigned for Democrats in several key races during the final weeks of the election
Obama blamed President Donald Trump for rising gas prices during the war in Iran
During his appearances, Obama blamed President Donald Trump for high gas prices amid the war in Iran.
He also criticized Trump’s proposal to build a ballroom at the White House and attacked the president’s redecoration of the historic building.
“He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” Obama told supporters in Ohio, comparing Trump’s gold-heavy decor with the restaurant chain’s lavish interiors.
Trump responded by defending both the renovations and the restaurant chain. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also entered the dispute during a television interview outside a Cheesecake Factory in Washington.
The feud continued into election night, when White House staff ordered Cheesecake Factory takeout for their watch party as the results came in.
Democrats ultimately won both chambers of Congress, flipping six Senate seats and at least a dozen Republican-held House districts in a major blow to Trump with the final two years of his presidency approaching.
One of the night’s biggest surprises came in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico defeated Trump-backed Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Democrats also won Senate seats in Kansas and South Carolina, ending decades-long Republican winning streaks in both states.
Republicans suffered further setbacks in gubernatorial races. Texas Governor Greg Abbott lost to Democrat Gina Hinojosa, while Vivek Ramaswamy was defeated in his bid to become Ohio’s governor.
In Georgia, Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson to become the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history.
Following the results, Obama said the Democratic victories delivered a “clear message” to the White House.
Americans “want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them,” Obama said in a statement posted on X.
The former president praised the “outstanding candidates” who won, saying they were “united by shared values, a belief in public service, and a commitment to putting the people of their districts and states first.”
Obama said: “While this administration has another two years in office, our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future.”
Trump, however, attempted to separate himself from the sweeping Republican defeat. “I wasn’t on the ballot, and if I was, we would have won in a landslide,” he wrote on Truth Social.