Vice President Joe Biden turned heads and greeted fans during an afternoon visit to a downtown Minneapolis coffee shop to discuss the Affordable Care Act.
Biden, who is visiting Minneapolis for a private fundraiser, touched down at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport at 3:30 p.m. A few minutes later, he exited onto the Tarmac wearing a navy scarf, navy suit and striped tie. He saluted an airman who stood at attention before he warmly greeted a staffer.
The motorcade headed toward Minneapolis in deserted northbound lanes of I-35W north while southbound traffic slowed to gawk.
Office workers hung out of windows and snapped photos on an unseasonably warm day as the motorcade rolled through downtown Minneapolis, arriving at Moose & Sadie's cafe shortly after 4 p.m. Biden greeted cafe staff and customers before sitting down with Rachel Lozano, Julie Peck, Karen Kepple and Anna Olson Racer, all who have either benefited from the Affordable Care Act or are helping others get signed up.
"Don't get up," he said when they stood to greet him.
Biden sat down and leaned in, speaking quietly, his hoarse voice difficult to hear over the din of the cafe.
"Look, thank you for what you're doing," he told them, adding that between a serious car accident and brain anuearyam, "I've been a significant consumer of healthcare, and I'm not bragging about it."
During those hospital stays, "All I kept thinking about was 'Thank God I had all this insurance.'"
Biden added that the goal is to sign up seven million people by the March 31 deadline.
