Joe Biden Wore His Ray-Ban Shades Like It Was a Civic Duty

Joe Biden is officially out of the race. On Sunday afternoon, the 46th President of the United States confirmed he wouldn’t seek reelection to the office he’s occupied since 2020, amid mounting pressure to step aside. (Biden has since endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his party’s presumptive nominee.) In the words of GQ columnist Chris Black: It’s Joever.

There is no shortage of pressing national implications to consider in the wake of the President’s announcement—but, mercifully, it’s not our job to explain a single one of them. (If you’re curious, the KHive has a lot to say on the topic.) The remit of our political coverage at GQ Recommends is a little more specific, and a lot less wonky. Right now, we’re thinking about the enduring Biden policy we’ll never chastise him for, one we’ll miss dearly when he formally exits 1600 Pennsylvania: his commitment to Ray-Ban shades.

Biden has been wearing Ray-Ban since he was a teenager. Over the course of a long, storied career in the public spotlight, his signature aviators have become a visual shorthand of sorts for the man himself—which makes a whole lot of sense given Biden’s hardscrabble, son-of-Scranton persona.

A quick history lesson: Aviators were first developed in the 1930s for Air Force pilots, designed as a lightweight, fog-resistant alternative to the bulky goggles they’d been using. Eventually, Bausch & Lomb, an early contractor for the military, started marketing the style to civilians, trademarking them as Ray-Bans.

These days, of course, you can find dozens of aviator variations in a grip of materials, colors, and lenses, from affordable gas-station joints to high-end precious metal renditions. But you'll only find the originals on the President—and if you’re eyeing the Oval Office specials (or just want to go full Maverick), the classic gold-frame-black-lenses combo is the best place to start. Wherever Joe Biden heads next, we sincerely hope he brings them along.