Why Joe Biden’s Withdrawal from the Presidential Race Was the Right Thing to Do

It’s true that when Joe Biden was elected President of the United States, I was very happy both for America and the world. After a rollercoaster ride with Dolald Trump, the leader and main security provider of the whole West would be again in experienced hands who know what national interest and global affairs are about. In the middle of a novel and very deadly pandemic, Mr. Biden was inaugurated President of the United States with all the world watching and having high expectations from him. The Americans expected him to help them cope with the unexpected health, social and financial impacts of the virus in the homeland, while foreigners like me looked forward to him leading America back to the international arena and fixing the mess that Donald Trump’s inexperience had created.

However, Joe Biden’s stay in the White House has been proven more challenging than we all expected, as COVID-19 is still here and tensions in the world are only rising. And for someone whose dream of becoming U.S.A. President came true in his late seventies, holding that role must not have beeen that fun so far.

So, today’s post is about why I think that Joe Biden did the right thing by withdrawing from the U.S.A. presidential race.

The age problem

Biden’s age has been highlighted as a big obstacle to a second election for this veteran politician, since he is already 82 years old. For sure, despite his repeated efforts to become President, his ambition materialized at a quite old age. Of course, he had the right to claim a second period in the Presidency now that he is there, but regardless of his good intentions and long experience, his old age is an issue when it comes to the world’s top great power.

Old age has some severe cognitive effects, which have been observed during public appearances of Mr. Biden, such as memory loss, decreased processing speed of information, executive function decline, language difficilties (beyond Mr. Biden’s chronic stuttering issue) and attention deficits. Now, given the fact that the U.S.A. President is, among others, the county’s Commander-in-Chief, we see that America needs a leader whose brain is sharp enough to take strategic desicions that have a strong impact on the world order. Love it or hate it, the election of a President who is sharp enough does not only affect the U.S. citizens; it affects all nations of this world.

So, it’s time to make space for people who have enough sharpness and long life expectancy to lead the U.S.A. amidst the severe turbulence that the world is experiencing.

Slim chances of winning

It is true that governing parties and their leaders tend to suffer attrition in the course of their administrations. This is a phenomenon that occurs in all democracies, and it goes hand in hand with the political cost that critical decisions and unexpected events have caused. The world today is particularly vulnerable to polycrises and black swans, making it hard to safely steer a nation among the icebergs of the contemporary international arena. Despite the efforts that were made to relieve the middle class, Biden administration’s decision-making was often controversial, bringing frustration, economic hardship and polarization among the American people. The massive material and financial support to Ukraine and the tolerance of Israel’s disproportionate response to terrorism in the Middle East have spread doubt among a significant proportion of the American people, who would vote for Donald Trump convinced that one can reverse the impact of long-standing tensions overnight and uproot their deep causes in a matter of hours.

So, approval for Joe Biden kept decreasing rapidly, making it increasingly difficult for him to win the elections. A Gallup article refers to Biden being the first incumbent U.S. president to withdraw from his right for re-election since Lyndon Johnson, whereas the graph included in the article says it all about the speed in which the popularity of this very experienced politician went downhill:

What is more, large donors stopped donating funds to the Democrats in an effort to press Biden to quit the race. Big donors of the Democratic Party, including George Clooney, decreased or withheld their donations after Biden’s bad performance at the Presidential Debate against Donald Trump. Some of them even considered reaching out to the First Lady herself, hoping that she would convice the President to step aside, probably thinking that a wife’s influence might do the job. In any case, the big donors are entrepreneurs knowing that political campaigns survive on rich, continuous funding; funding that they cound provide to a charity or invest in the market. So, the options were the following two: securing a dignified exit for Joe Biden or taking their charitable business elsewhere. Wisely enough, Mr. Biden took the first one.

The decision to withraw as good legacy and favourable image for the Democratic Party

With a dignified, gracious withdrawal, Mr. Biden showed that his patriotism and moral values matter more to him than his ego and personal ambitions. This should be considered part of the great legacy that he leaves behind. In addition, his withdrawal can be used as a positive characteristic of the Democratic Party, which can use this move as evidence that its members are willing to sacrifice their personal agendas for their homeland’s sake.

Biden’s farewell letter, followed by a statement of endorsement to Kamala Harris, highlights the achievements of Biden administration, expresses gratitude to the people who believed in him and shows that he is a man with no insecurities when it comes to allowing space for the younger generation to step up. This letter and this statement of endorsement should not be underestimated as weapons in the presidential race. This is because it shows the selfless side of the leaders of the Democratic Party, who know how to put their personal ambitions aside for the sake of the community. I hope that Harris uses it.

At the age of 82 and after a long and successful political career, not much is left for Mr. Biden to prove. He has done his best for his country and his party and it is time for the next generation of U.S. politicians to prove that they are as capable as he is.