Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., the 46th president of the United States, stepped out of the 2024 election so that the Democratic Party could try to ensure in the four short months between now and November that Donald Trump does not become the 47th.
In a shambolic, dangerous political era in which Trump, shrouded in a haze of faux patriotism and strength, has vaulted anarchy, venom and gibberish onto the global stage, Biden’s act of selflessness and grit is welcome — and, in its own way, epic.
It also opens the door to the creation of a Democratic ticket that could inject new life and energy into a campaign that has lost momentum and enthusiasm to Republicans in the weeks since Biden’s disastrous debate performance and an assassination attempt on Trump upended expectations about the race. The odds, polls, political and financial machinations and an endorsement from the president favor Vice President Kamala Harris to assume Biden’s mantle.