In a historically diverse field of Democratic presidential candidates, whose ages ranged from 39 to 79 and backgrounds ranging from Black, to Hispanic, to Asian, it was unfitting for many to see Biden as the nominee. Nonetheless, the former vice president is one of the most qualified people to seek the presidency in history.

In politics since age 29, Biden was a senator for 36 years, and served as Former President Barack Obama’s Vice President for two terms.

In this time, he accumulated swaths of experience in both the legislative and executive branches of government. As senator, he chaired both the Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees, two of the most powerful within the body. Those two posts exposed him to both domestic and international issues, ranging from criminal justice to overseas conflict.

As chairman of Judiciary, he authored the Violence Against Women Act and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which laid the groundwork for further progress on the two issues.

As vice president, he assumed office amid the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Though working under Obama, he was instrumental in rebuilding the U.S.’s then paralyzed economic system.

On healthcare, Biden also played a key role in passing the Affordable Care Act, which insured millions of Americans who lacked coverage.

When the two left office in 2017, unemployment hovered around 5%, nearly half of what it was seven years prior. However, the progress made by the Obama-Biden administration was scuttled by Trump.

In the past four years, America has lost more jobs than it has created. Gross Domestic Product has shrunk by 32%. There are more than half the number of prescriptions for opioids in the U.S. as there are people in the country – killing more Americans than any other drug.

By the end 2020, COVID-19, per a model from the University of Washington, will be the third leading cause of death in the U.S., outnumbered only by cancer and disaster in the U.S. since the Civil War.

The problems these statistics illustrate fail to fully quantify the peril the U.S. finds itself in. Social unrest is rampant, with dozens of American cities engulfed in violence from both left and right wing extremists. Though the pandemic and subsequent economic fallout is not directly Trump’s fault, the American government’s failure to adequately respond to both is. The indebted businessman and reality TV host has been given his chance to “Make America Great Again.” He failed. Biden’s experience is what the U.S. needs to rebuild it’s fractured society.