Amidst new drama that Joe Biden potentially governed with an automated signature, Gallup released a poll revealing Biden as the least-liked of all former, living U.S. presidents. Since transitioning power to Donald Trump in January, Biden’s only update is that he, like former Vice President Harris, re-signed with his talent agency to maintain his likeness — no public appearances, project announcements, or news on his life.
We know where Biden went — back home to Delaware. But isn’t it strange how, for a figure discussed daily for the last four years, few people wonder what he’s up to now?
For any politician, the withdrawal from public life requires time, self-awareness, and a deep understanding of their record. Modern politics requires an “all-hands on deck” approach to stay competitive, but Biden is content to watch the party he once led from afar. Since 2008, Biden was on top of the Democratic party; now, he’s not even invited to the party.
Biden’s retreat is deliberate, and the embattled politician can finally rest. Because of the bad memories associated with his reign, everyone accepted his defeat and quietly let him go.
Biden’s presidential image could be described as a series of nonstop stumbles.
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Notably, he tripped up the stairs of Air Force One — three times — napped at a Trans-African summit, and forgot deceased congress members and when he served as vice president. These moments captured Biden’s fragility for all Americans to watch and forced a reckoning on his governing ability. Voters consistently voiced that Biden was too old and lacked confidence to seek another term, in part because of Biden’s mental and cognitive health. Even his Department of Justice described him as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”
All were outdone by Biden’s raw and unsettling performance at the June 2024 presidential debate. It confirmed most voters’ suspicions, fueled mass rebellion among Democrats, and led to Biden scrapping plans for re-election. It’s why Trump’s claims about Biden using autopen for last-minute pardons are catching fire now, too.
If poor optics weren’t enough, Biden’s main policies were riddled with repercussions for citizens.
A $1.9 trillion spending package, disguised as COVID-19 relief, contributed to the highest inflation in decades and more expensive lifestyles. Biden oversaw a historic Southern border crisis, with over 8 million illegal aliens encountered by border patrol and 5.6 million illegals being released into America. In foreign policy, Biden botched the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, resulting in 13 dead service members, and let the Russo-Ukrainian War and Israel-Hamas conflict spiral into global disasters.
The aggravation didn’t go unnoticed.
Voters overwhelmingly disapproved of the Biden administration, cratering to a low of 37% approval in April 2023. In one presidential primary, voters selected a low-profile Maryland businessman to be the party’s nominee over Biden. Even after his protege assumed the top of the Democratic ticket in November, Harris couldn’t distance herself from her boss’s missteps. Biden was then widely blamed for her loss.
For a half-decade-long political run, Biden will be judged by his final four years’s consequences. Through error and circumstance, Biden was on the defense, constantly struggling to regain control of his presidency’s narrative. The cacophony of dissent was too much to ignore, and Biden understood the inexorable currents of political change would sweep him away — in many ways, he welcomed it.
Biden significantly reduced his public appearances and news conferences, shortened his work schedule, and refused to campaign for Harris. Biden now had nothing to gain or lose, so he could get away with doing nothing. In other words, Biden quietly quit.
So why aren’t Americans fascinated with Biden’s post-presidency? Biden was a lame duck even before a successor was elected, and his political finale lacked excitement. His unpopularity made voters miss Trump and began to favor him, which only emphasized Biden’s lackluster performance.
A new Harvard CAPS/Harris survey found that 58% of voters feel Trump is doing a better job than Biden, with a 52% approval rating. From DOGE discoveries to a flurry of executive orders, pollsters argue that Americans love Trump’s pace of change. Trump restored energy to the presidency’s purpose and function, a characteristic that waned under Biden – he explicitly noted that in his recent joint address to Congress.
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It’s no wonder most American adults expect Joe Biden to go down in history as a below-average president.
Joe Biden’s escape from the public eye was inevitable and, much like his presidency, anti-climatic. While Biden hasn’t given the public much to work with, politics and voters alike are severely burnt out by him, and they moved on quickly. At least Biden can rest easy in knowing that, for the first time in years, not all eyes and scrutiny are on him.
To paraphrase the legendary T.S. Eliot, this is how Biden’s saga concludes: not with a bang, but a whimper.
Alex Rosado is a Professional Programs Assistant at the Alexander Hamilton Society. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect the official views or positions of the Alexander Hamilton Society. Follow him on Twitter/X at @Alexprosado.
