Joe Biden Hugging Son of Parkland Shooting Victim in Viral Video Resurfaces Amid Projected Presidential Win

After several news outlets including the AP and CBS projected Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 [...]

By Tania Hussain

After several news outlets including the AP and CBS projected Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 Election, a viral video of the President-elect hugging the son of the sports coach killed in a school shooting has resurfaced. Accompanying language "decent" and "kindness," the clip, which was shared by Stranger Things actor David Harbour, made its way to his Instagram on Sunday afternoon with many in awe over the tender moment.

"We have a decent human being in our highest office. It has and will continue to lift us up," Harbour wrote alongside the video, which has racked up nearly a million views. "Decency, kindness, inclusion, prudence, caution, gentleness, love, patience, fairness, justice, peace, peace, peace, peace. Let these words echo through the 4 years ahead. Truly, for ALL and with new meaning — let freedom ring." While Harbour originally had the comments section opened up on the post, he shut it down hours later following a wave of cruel and evidently wicked responses from a number of individuals arguing over the simple comprehension of tolerance.

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The footage, which was taken in 2018, shows the now President-elect at a memorial service in Parkland, Florida following the tragic Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting that left 17 people dead, including sports coach and former military veteran Chris Hixon who was killed while attempting to disarm gunman — and former student — Nikolas Cruz. During the visit, Biden is approached by Hixon's son, Corey, who runs over to hug the former vice president while his mother, Debra watches. With the teenager evidently distraught and heartbroken, Biden embraces him, asking how he's doing.

"Thank you for hugging me," the 46th projected president replies in the viral footage as he kisses the boy on the head and continues hugging him. "Are you okay? It's going to be okay. We're going to be okay. I promise." While the video was posted to Instagram today, it has been floating around for weeks now on Twitter, with many social media users admitting the moment left them in tears. Meanwhile, others applauded the empathy shown by the U.S. leader, like Brooklyn Nine-Nine actress, Melissa Fumero, who reposted the footage a little more than two weeks ago, which has received more than 8 million total views. "This. A return to decency. To humanity. To love. To holding each other up in our darkest moments," she wrote.

As the youngest of the couple's two sons, Corey was born without the left side of his heart and with bleeding on his brain. The teenager, who recently had the chance to vote for the first time in the 2020 Election, has the rare genetic disorder Kabuki Syndrome, which includes distinctive facial features, growth delays, varying degrees of intellectual disability, skeletal abnormalities, and short stature, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

While in conversation with shooting victim and congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, Hixon said while she doesn't have it in her a lot of times to give her son Corey comfort, she expressed her gratitude to Biden for his compassion. "It meant a lot for someone else to give him — to take that time and to care enough about him. My older son calls him 'Uncle Joe.' He can be that person that can comfort our nation and bring us together."

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