Joe Biden has revealed that he contemplated suicide after his first wife Neilia died alongside their daughter Naomi in 1972.
The US president said on a radio show that following the car crash tragedy, the then tee-total senator almost reached for a bottle of Scotch before stopping himself.
Mr Biden, who is seeking a second term in the White House, revealed the insight into his private life during an interview with Howard Stern on Friday.
He shared his feelings about the crash that killed his wife and 13-month-old daughter on December 18, 1972.
Mr Biden said: “I don't drink. That's not a virtue. I just never drank.
“And I used to sit there and think to myself, I think I'll take out a bottle of Scotch. We always had liquor in the house ... and I was going to just drink and get drunk and I could never bring myself to do it.
The interview had been a surprise as Mr Biden does not often give extended sit downs.
He said his sons Beau and Hunter, who had also been in the crash but survived, were his motivation to keep going.
“And I actually thought about you know, you don't have to be crazy to commit suicide,” he said. “If you've been at the top of a mountain you think it's never going to be there again.
“And just a brief moment, I thought maybe I should just go to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and jump. But I had two kids.”
Mr Biden gave the interview in New York, where he had been for a fundraiser hosted by actor Michael Douglas.
The president also told Stern that he would welcome the chance to meet his likely rival Donald Trump in a head to head debate ahead of the election in November.
He added: “I don’t know when. I’m happy to debate with him.”
