President Joe Biden‘s historic decision not to seek re-election — putting an end to his storied 50-year political career — stands as the greatest example of his life-long selflessness.
Amid personal adversity and political challenges, Biden decided to prioritize the unity and future success of his party. As well, his endorsement of Vice-President Kamala Harris stands as an honourable choice, offering Harris the opportunity to potentially make history as the first female president.
Biden resisted calls for him to step aside for weeks, which makes sense: throughout his life he’s always been resilient and eager to prove doubters wrong.
The commander-in-chief has endured a confidence-shattering childhood stutter, the tragic deaths of his first wife and one-year-old daughter and later, his 46-year-old son. He’s persevered through it all.
One of the most compelling examples of Biden’s character lies in the aftermath of the 1972 car-accident deaths of his wife Neilia and daughter Naomi. Despite being overwhelmed and suicidal, Biden persevered: he commuted every day for years from his home in Wilmington, DE., to his office in Washington to ensure time with his sons, returning before nightfall each evening.
Biden’s selflessness has been demonstrated one last time with his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
The president knows he isn’t as fast or young as he used to be. Despite this acknowledgement, he could very well have refused to step aside, taking the Democratic Party down with him in the 2024 election.
For a while, it looked that way — he appeared dead set on staying in the race, even after a ghastly debate performance against Former President Trump and a poor NATO summit question-and-answer segment, where he confused Trump with Harris and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, Biden eventually did what was best for the country. He gave up the most powerful job in the free world to ensure his party had a better chance at beating Trump on Nov. 5.
Polls conducted by the Biden campaign following his poor summit showing displayed that Harris was polling higher than Biden head-to-head against Trump. Knowing he wasn’t the most favourable candidate likely played a part in the 81-year-old’s decision to step out of the race.
Though his career ended with a drawn-out ejection from his own party, Biden’s journey serves as a testament that true strength emerges not just from overcoming challenges, but from using personal struggles as fuel to drive oneself forward and put others first.
While Biden will be remembered for his mental decline and many gaffes, he should also be remembered for his resilience and final move as commander-in-chief. True leadership is realizing when it’s time for someone else to lead, and that’s precisely what Biden did.
Featured image via Gayatri Malhotra/Unsplash.
