Joe Biden on the Many Faces of Joe Biden at SOTU

How the VP worked harder than the president on State of the Union night.

ByABC News
January 22, 2015, 5:38 PM

— -- Sure, everybody fawns over the president on the night of his State of the Union address. But according to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, it’s the veep who does most of the heavy lifting.

“The president has a teleprompter,” Johnson said just before Biden’s remarks to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Thursday. "There's no chance he's going to mess up too bad."

“The real pressure is on the vice president, who in every single TV shot is responsible for assuring that he has the appropriate reaction.”

Sitting behind the president during the speech helped him understand what his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, goes through every time he delivers remarks, Biden said.

The vice president said he told his wife, “’you know, the camera’s on the whole time.’”

“‘You know,’ I said, ‘It’s hard to keep the appropriate look,’” Biden told the audience.

Here’s what Johnson dubbed the “patriot strong” look:

Here’s “pensive and thoughtful:”

PHOTO: President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 24, 2012.
President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 24, 2012.

And here’s the “hey boss, I think you nailed that one!”

Biden responded to the jokes with a smile: “I tell you what man, there’s nothing like sarcasm to know you’re welcome!”