Joe Cool: Biden slips on shades during campaign speech

Sophie Tatum
By Sophie Tatum, CNN
1 minute read
Published 3:08 PM EDT, Wed November 2, 2016
Joe Biden reacts to a question during the 2012 vice presidential debate with Republican Rep. Paul Ryan at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Click through the images to see Biden being Biden.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
Joe Biden reacts to a question during the 2012 vice presidential debate with Republican Rep. Paul Ryan at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Click through the images to see Biden being Biden.
Charlie Neiberga/AP
Biden gets ready to pay for an ice cream cone after a campaign rally for Sen. Jeff Merkley in Portland, Oregon, on October 8.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
Biden gets ready to pay for an ice cream cone after a campaign rally for Sen. Jeff Merkley in Portland, Oregon, on October 8.
Don Ryan/AP
Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally at Lorain High School in Ohio in October 2012.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally at Lorain High School in Ohio in October 2012.
Mark Duncan/AP
Joe Biden talks to customers, including a woman who pulled up her chair in front of where he was sitting, during a campaign stop at Cruisers Diner in Seaman, Ohio, in September 2012.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
Joe Biden talks to customers, including a woman who pulled up her chair in front of where he was sitting, during a campaign stop at Cruisers Diner in Seaman, Ohio, in September 2012.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Joe Biden, with wife Jill, reacts to the crowd as they walk down Pennsylvania Avenue during the 2013 inaugural parade.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
Joe Biden, with wife Jill, reacts to the crowd as they walk down Pennsylvania Avenue during the 2013 inaugural parade.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Joe Biden listens as President Barack Obama speaks to members of the media in the Cabinet Room of the White House in August 2013.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
Joe Biden listens as President Barack Obama speaks to members of the media in the Cabinet Room of the White House in August 2013.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Joe Biden laughs while speaking at the UAW National Community Action Program Conference in Washington in February 2014.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
Joe Biden laughs while speaking at the UAW National Community Action Program Conference in Washington in February 2014.
Cliff Owen/AP
Joe Biden watches the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia in December 2012.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
Joe Biden watches the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia in December 2012.
Matt Slocum/AP
Joe Biden removes his sunglasses as he arrives for a campaign event with President Obama in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in September 2012.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
Joe Biden removes his sunglasses as he arrives for a campaign event with President Obama in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in September 2012.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Joe Biden smiles on the steps of the State House in Concord, New Hampshire, in September 2012.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
Joe Biden smiles on the steps of the State House in Concord, New Hampshire, in September 2012.
Cheryl Senter/AP
After attending a private fundraising event in Florida, Joe Biden made an unscheduled stop at Allen's drugstore and S&S Diner in Miami in February 2014, where he held an impromptu discussion on Obamacare with a group of women.
The many faces of Joe Biden —
After attending a private fundraising event in Florida, Joe Biden made an unscheduled stop at Allen's drugstore and S&S Diner in Miami in February 2014, where he held an impromptu discussion on Obamacare with a group of women.
Alan Diaz/AP
The many faces of Joe Biden

Story highlights

"Sorry, I'm doing this because maybe when I need a job, Ray Ban may have me as a sponsor," Biden joked

Biden and his sunglasses have become somewhat iconic over the years

Washington CNN  — 

Vice President Joe Biden took a moment in the middle of a campaign speech Wednesday to stump for something a little less political: his Ray Ban sunglasses.

The November sun was apparently shining in the vice president’s eyes, leading him to put on his signature shades while speaking about Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in Tampa, Florida.

The vice president received some cheers from the audience as he put the sunglasses on, to which he jokingly replied: “Sorry, I’m doing this because maybe when I need a job, Ray Ban may have me as a sponsor.”

Biden and his sunglasses have become somewhat iconic over the course of his eight years in the Obama administration – even making an appearance in a White House video for the 2016 White House Correspondents Dinner.