'Never give up hope': Biden reprises role as consoler-in-chief during South Florida visit

President Joe Biden, whose empathy amid loss is his chief political characteristic, traveled Thursday to console families in Florida enduring the excruciating search for loved ones inside a seaside condo that suddenly collapsed a week ago.

"Never give up hope," he told the anguished relatives of those still missing, who had gathered in a hotel ballroom to hear from a President whose own reckoning with grief has colored his personal and political lives. Later, Biden told reporters the families were "going through hell" as they question whether they'll ever be able to recover their loved ones' remains. The meeting with families was closed to the press, but some attendees posted about the event on social media. Biden, who spoke softly, had his words translated into Spanish.