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It’s not often that a politician takes a step back.
They are often their own biggest champions. But in rare cases, when the writing is on the wall, because of age, health — or politics, they do.
In an address to the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday night, President Biden said he will serve out his term as president, noting there are still things he wants to accomplish. But he explained that he is not seeking reelection, in part, because he wants to “pass the torch to a new generation.”
Here are four takeaways from what Biden had to say:
1. Biden tried to send the message that no one person is bigger than the country — and that what America stands for is at stake.
“Nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy,” Biden said. “That includes personal ambition.”
It was a remarkable statement for Biden, 81, who has held public office for more than half a century and ran for president multiple times — unsuccessfully until Donald Trump came along — and was ushered into office at 78 years old, the oldest person ever to be elected president.
Biden invoked past presidents — Abraham Lincoln, he said, urged Americans to “reject malice;” Franklin Delano Roosevelt implored the country to “reject fear.” He cited George Washington, who, by stepping aside after two terms despite his popularity, “showed us presidents are not kings.”
“I revere this office,” Biden said, “but I love my country more. It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president, but in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it's more important than any title.”
In other words, Vice President Harris gives those who see former President Trump as an existential threat to that democracy the best chance to win because of Biden’s diminished capabilities to prosecute the case against him.
It's a case that Biden sees as necessary for someone to make effectively, considering Trump's unwillingness to accept the results of the 2020 election and his refusal to agree to accept the results of the upcoming election.
In Washington’s farewell address on Sept. 19, 1796, he also warned that “cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”
“The great thing about America is,” Biden said, “here, kings and dictators do not rule; the people do.”
Biden and others see that foundational American principle as lost on someone like Trump, who, when he visited Mount Vernon, Washington’s estate in Virginia, in 2019 with French President Emmanuel Macron, said of the nation’s first president, per Politico:
“If he was smart, he would’ve put his name on it. You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.”
2. Biden desperately wants to be seen as a uniter, but that’s been a struggle for him as president — and maybe one of his biggest personal disappointments.
The president cited the need for unity among Americans multiple times:
“America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.” “In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies, but as fellow Americans.” “The sacred cause of this country is larger than any one of us, and those of us who cherish that cause … a cause of American democracy itself, [we] must unite to protect it.” “So I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That's the best way to unite our nation.” “Let's act together, preserve our democracy.”
The idea of uniting the country is something Biden ran on in 2020. But it hasn’t worked out that way.
He’s been sharply criticized by the right and views of him — in this hyperpolarized environment where people get their information largely from sources that reinforce their previously held beliefs — are as partisan as any president before him, including Trump.
Just 43% said they had a favorable view of Biden, according to an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll taken before the debate between him and Trump. That included just 38% of independents and only 10% of Republicans.
3. This is the start of a review of Biden’s legacy — and that views of it may take a long time to set in.
Biden defended his legacy and laid out what he believes he’s accomplished and what he still hopes to do.
“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America's future, all merited a second term,” he said, “but nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition.”
The latest NPR poll, taken this week after Biden said he would not continue to run for reelection, tested what people think of his presidency. It showed most, right now, are unimpressed.
Despite the record of legislative accomplishments Biden cited, only slightly more than a quarter of respondents said he would be remembered as an above average president or one of the best presidents in U.S. history. Half said he would be remembered as below average or one of the worst.
Those views can change with time, especially when a president is no longer in the political arena. President Obama’s favorability, for example, has improved since leaving office and views of his signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act, have hit record highs.
A 2022 survey of historians found Biden rated as the 19th best president of the 46 that have served. Trump was in the bottom five at No. 43. But, at this point, Americans overall, feel differently.
4. After seeing Harris for a few days, the contrast with Biden is clear.
Biden could have made the determination years ago, after saying he would be a “transitional” president during the 2020 election, that he would not run for reelection.
But the realities of his personal limitations after his dismal debate performance last month, and how his political support had cratered in swing states led to this moment.
For years now, Democrats have been holding their breath with every public appearance he made. They crossed their fingers that he would acquit himself at least decently well, but they knew one bad speech, interview or… debate… could sink his — and their party’s — chances to hold onto the White House.
After watching Harris' first couple of days of campaigning, from her first speech before staffers to her first official campaign rally in Wisconsin, Democrats have been breathing a bit easier.
She has spoken clearly and coherently, and there has been energy from the grassroots. Whether that lasts or if it resonates with swing voters is still to be decided.
Biden didn’t explicitly lay out Wednesday night why he stepped aside, but watching what was an, at times, halting address, the contrast was like night and day.
It was very much a moment in history with a president, who appeared in many ways, to be delivering something of his own farewell. He was recognizing he cannot be as effective a campaigner as he would have liked, so he is taking a step back from the public eye, handing over the reins of the campaign to his vice president for the next 103 critical days in American democracy.
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