Biden promises ‘24-7’ help to Pence after leaving office

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, hosted Vice President-elect Mike Pence and his family for lunch at the Naval Observatory on Wednesday, a gathering that culminated in Biden pledging to be “available to him 24-7” after leaving office.

The get-together, which included Pence’s wife, Karen, and daughter Charlotte, featured a tour of the house and grounds that the Pences will occupy starting Jan. 20. Afterward, Pence told reporters he had received a “cook’s tour” of the residence and appreciated the Bidens’ hospitality.

Biden, for his part, said he was not worried that Pence and President-elect Donald Trump would dismantle the legacy he and President Barack Obama had forged over the course of eight years.

“No, I’m not worried about it,” the vice president said. “Look: They ran on a platform they’re gonna try to move. I think there’s a lot of things that were done where [people] can reach some accommodation … It’s a whole new world.”

In the wake of Trump’s victory, Obama has privately and publicly lobbied the New York businessman to consider backing off some of his campaign pledges to undo the administration’s landmark policies. Biden, who said he and Pence discussed foreign policy matters during their time together, has now adopted the same stance.

“I also said although I had been a senator for 36 years, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee for a decade, in the end I had been [on the] national security apparatus for a long time, there’s a lot in town here that I’m aware of,” he said.

“So I plan on being available to Mike as senior staff for him as he moves,” Biden added. “He’d be smart to reject most of my ideas, but I think he’ll listen.”