When Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race last month, officially passing the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, he announced the news while isolating with COVID—in a brief, almost anticlimactic letter. No cameras, no speech, no audience. But on Monday night, Biden took the opportunity to perform a proper swan song at the Democratic National Convention, where he delivered a poignant address that cemented his legacy as a president who led an administration of immense consequence—and one who (eventually) chose to end it with a kind of Washingtonian grace. “Democracy has prevailed,” he said at the podium, after wiping tears from his eyes while taking the stage. “And now democracy must be preserved.”
The president began by recalling the devastation of January 6, which occurred weeks before his inauguration. “In front of me was a city surrounded by the National Guard. Behind me was a capitol that just two weeks before had been overrun by a violent mob,” he says. “I knew then in the bottom of my heart what I know now. There is no place in America for political violence.”
On the issues themselves, Biden took several swings at Trump—and was particularly forceful when it comes to abortion. “MAGA Republicans found out the political power of women in 2022,” he said, referring to the highly anticipated red wave that never was. “Donald Trump is going to find out the power of women in 2024. Watch.” As for foreign politics, the president also reiterated his concerns about Russian’s invasion of Ukraine—as well as Israel’s war in Gaza. “End the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people,” the president said, adding, “those protestors out there in the street have a point.”
Biden’s remarks came less than a month after he bowed out from the race amid longstanding concerns about his mental fitness to campaign and serve. Those concerns reached fever pitch following the president’s dismal June debate performance against Trump, who by the next month was polling well ahead of Biden in seven swing states. Mainstream media pundits shortly began painting the president as a lion in the winter, while Democratic heavyweights—including Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Barack Obama—reportedly coordinated a behind-the-scenes effort to force him out. For weeks, Biden resisted calls to step aside, accusing political and media “elites” of bucking popular will, until finally caving under the pressure.
While Biden on Monday largely eschewed sour grapes over his tumultuous withdrawal, he did at one point let his feelings slip: “All this talk that I’m angry at all those people who said I should step down,” he expressed, “that’s not true.” For the most part, though, the president touted his historic achievements on labor, healthcare and infrastructure. “Donald Trump promised infrastructure week every week, for four years. And he never built a damn thing,” he said. “But right now, we’re giving America an infrastructure decade.” On several occasions, the crowd even chanted “Thank you Joe,” to which the president responded, “Thank you, Kamala,” carefully highlighting her role in his political braintrust.
It was a gracious ad lib—but, of course, hardly one Harris herself needs. Her elevation to the top of the ticket instantly invigorated rank-and-file Democrats, ended infighting among party leaders, and boosted enthusiasm among average voters. Her running mate, Tim Walz, the straight-talking Democratic governor of Minnesota, has also breathed new life into the ticket and could prove a key factor in winning over midwestern swing voters in battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan. Perhaps most notably, the Harris-Walz ticket has completely upended the Democrats’ previous electoral map, with Harris now pulling ahead of Trump in five out of seven battleground states. “They’ll continue to lead America forward,” Biden said of Harris and Walz. “Kamala and Tim will protect your civil rights.”
Biden’s remarks Monday night were no doubt tinged with a bittersweet undercurrent. After all, the president has spent half a century in public life—and has vied for the presidency for decades, only to have been stripped a potential second term by his own political allies. His decision to bow out was wise, both personally and politically. But, as First Lady Jill Biden recalled in her own speech, it was not one he made lightly: “I saw him dig deep into his soul.”