Since becoming president, Joe Biden has faced calls to step down and not run for re-election over concerns he is too old for the job. And from his disastrous debate performance, those call there is only increased loudly.
What could be pressing him forward? something advised A president who feels an overwhelming sense of duty to serve his country and believes that stepping down would be a cop-out. Others have theorized that he remains in the race because he feels he is one of the few people — If not the only one – who can beat Donald Trump. as Biden told supporters“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I would have run.”
In this case, it’s also hard to ignore the obvious: walking away from power is an extraordinarily difficult thing. Take it from a former president who voluntarily chose not to run for re-election.
“Power has allure,” Written by Harry Truman In 1950, two years earlier, he publicly announced that he would not seek another term. “It can get into a man’s blood just as gambling and money lust have been known to.”
Power can distort someone’s view of reality, making them believe they are invincible or not bound by basic laws of biology. But while that makes power all the more seductive, it’s not impossible to break its spell. After all, for more than a century before term limits existed, American presidents tended to know when to resign: unless they were assassinated or voted out, they voluntarily returned after serving two terms—that is, Franklin. Roosevelt was elected in 1932 and won four consecutive terms until Delano.
Notably, two more recent presidents, Harry Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson, opted out of the job. Here’s what we can learn from them.
Why Harry S. Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson did not run for re-election
If Biden drops out of the race, he wouldn’t be the first incumbent president to know when it’s time to go.
Truman, a Democrat, was the last president to serve as many terms; The 22nd Amendment, which still limits our president’s term today, applies only to presidents who go on to serve. Truman won only one full term in office in 1948, but he served almost the entirety of FDR’s fourth term after Roosevelt’s death.
Truman had his fill. “In my opinion eight years as president is enough and sometimes too long for any person to serve in that capacity.” he wrote. “When we forget the examples of men like Washington, Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson, all of whom could have continued in office, we will descend on the path of tyranny and destruction.
“I know I can be re-elected and continue to break the old precedent as it was broken by FDR,” he continued. “It should not be done. That precedent should be continued — not by constitutional amendment, but by custom based on the respectability of office holders.”
After facing several setbacks, including declining popularity and losing the New Hampshire primary, Truman announced in March 1952 that he would not seek re-election. The Democrats held a brokered convention later that year and ultimately chose then-Governor of Illinois Adlai Stevenson as their presidential nominee. (Stevenson also became Truman’s preferred candidate.)
In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson also decided not to seek re-election. Johnson’s administration was mired in the Vietnam War, and he was rapidly losing domestic political support. He faced serious challengers in the Democratic primary and realized his road to re-election would be rocky. The Democratic Party also seemed divided, with many preferring someone like Robert F. Kennedy to lead the country forward. He also had concerns about his health, unsure whether he would survive another term in office.
So Johnson focused the remainder of his presidency on protecting his legacy.
“America’s boys are far away in the field, America’s future is at stake here at home, with our hopes and the hopes of the world hanging in the balance every day, I don’t believe I should spend an hour or a day.” time for any reason of personal bias or for any duty other than the menial duties of this office – the President of this country.” Johnson said on March 31, 1968, when he announced that he would not seek re-election. The party nominated his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, as the next Democratic candidate for president.
Neither Johnson nor Truman could be considered wildly courageous for their decisions. Both was Tanking approval ratingAnd for anyone watching, the writing was on the wall: re-election was highly unlikely.
The results of their decisions can be seen in different ways. Both Democratic presidents have seen their parties suffer crushing defeats after withdrawing from their party. Then again who is to say that they would have been different if they were in the election?
But that they knew when to let go is remarkable and commendable in itself. And it turns out, both men see a bounce inside their approval After withdrawing from the competition.
So, what should Biden do?
Biden may well wonder: Should he follow in their footsteps if Johnson and Truman don’t save the party’s chances if they drop out? more than that, Post-presidency for Johnson under his leadership Pain, depression, and self-pity – Yet another personal reason Biden might want to plow through.
There is more to the story of Truman and Johnson than the subsequent political outcome. That they were able to walk away from the most powerful office in the land rather than being forced into it was an admirable display of humility: a willingness to realize that there is more to life than politics or their legacy.
There is no question that leaving the presidency is not easy. One of Johnson’s daughters told the former president’s biographer, historian Robert Dallek, that her father’s career was essentially his entire identity. “My father committed political suicide for that war in Vietnam,” he said. “And since politics was his life, it was a real suicide.”
Johnson may have been angry on his way out of the White House, but he was looking forward to life on his Texas ranch without the burden of the presidency. “By God I’m going to do what I want to do,” he said said. “If I want to drink a glass of whiskey, I’m going to drink a glass of whiskey. And if I want to misbehave, I’m going to misbehave. I have some freedom to do what I want to do.”
Truman entered the post-presidency similarly forward-looking. In his farewell address to the nation, he proudly reflected on his years in politics and was certain of his decision to step down. “So, when I empty these desk drawers, and Mrs. Truman and I leave the White House, we have no regrets,” he told the nation in January 1953. service.”
At 81, Biden has a lot to gain in his personal life since he left. Exceeding the average life expectancy of the average American, he has the option of spending the rest of his time with friends and family, especially after a five-decade career in national politics.
Like any president, however, his main concern seems to be his legacy, and he likely believes that sending his party into a tailspin in the fall could doom it, whether he’s on the ticket or not.
like Johnson And TrumanBiden lost political support because of it His participation in foreign wars. But he has struggled with voters because of his age. after all, More panic sets in Among Democrats after Biden’s poor debate performance this week compared to the Gaza or campus protests The protest is a “pointless” campaign During the Democratic primaries.
However, the survey at press time suggests that Biden is on the verge of losing In November, it’s certainly within the realm of possibility that Biden could pull off a victory because he’s running against a weaker candidate with extraordinarily heavy baggage. It’s also possible that if Biden drops out, the Democratic candidate to replace him will lose.
But if Trump beats Biden, the postmortems will likely say that the writing was on the wall before the campaign began and that Biden handed democracy over to a dictator because he had too much pride to give up.
Short of winning, Biden can do only one thing to prevent his legacy from being defined by his ego: He can give someone else a chance.
Flawed as their tenures were, Johnson and Truman realized that the presidency was not theirs to hold, and that power, however tempting, was fleeting. Biden would be wise to remember that.
