Charles Lipson

Joe Biden delivers his own eulogy

Joe Biden concludes his address to the nation (Getty Images)

Joe Biden delivered a eulogy for his presidency and his political career from the Oval Office Wednesday evening. It was a sad, sluggish ending to a life in politics, decades in the Senate, two terms as vice president, and finally a single term as president.  

President Biden needed to accomplish three things in the speech: explain why he decided to withdraw from the race after months of insisting he would stay in and after receiving 14 million primary votes; convince the country that he is still fit to serve the remaining months of his term; and promote the candidacy of his replacement on the Democratic ticket, Kamala Harris.

Polls show most Americans are genuinely concerned about the President’s frail health

He certainly promoted Harris and indirectly attacked Donald Trump, effectively calling him a threat to democracy. But he did nothing to explain why he withdrew from the race and nothing to convince a worried country that he was still fit to serve as president.

Written by
Charles Lipson
Charles Lipson is the Peter B. Ritzma Professor of Political Science Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he founded the programme on International Politics, Economics, and Security.

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