The conclusion of a political career spanning more than fifty years came to pass on Monday for Joe Biden. However, rather than acknowledging defeat gracefully, he insisted with the claim, ‘We’re not leaving the fight.’ True to his form, Biden was fleeing from the presidency and making his way to California to rejoin his family and recede back into private life.
His rhetoric continued momentarily after watching his successor, Donald Trump from the Republican Party, vow in his inaugural address to ‘completely and totally reverse’ all the deeds of his Democratic predecessor. Amid Biden’s last-ditch power flex before the noontime power turnover, he exhibited pleasantry toward President Trump, the individual he had ousted from the Oval Office four years earlier.
Despite the fact that Trump vehemently disputed the loss in the 2020 election, he encountered no such courtesy from Biden during his own inauguration in 2021. As the bone-chilling day unfolded, Biden, alongside his wife Jill, received Trump and his wife, Melania, at the White House for a conventional Inauguration Day meet-up over tea.
‘Welcome home,’ Biden greeted Trump, with a noticeable hostility hiding behind his diplomatic appearances. Subsequent to their meeting, the opponents sharing a legacy of political rivalry proceeded in a limousine to the Capitol, where Trump was inaugurated as the 47th president.
The recent election serves as a command to entirely overturn a ghastly deception, Trump announced his mission referring to Biden’s administration’s undertakings as he uttered these lines. Biden remained unemotional, seated at the front row, his stoic demeanor unbroken as he listened to Trump’s address.
Following Trump’s speech, the staff at the White House commenced the process of evacuating Biden’s belongings, preparing to facilitate Trump and his family’s re-entry to their rightful home. The Oval Office was set up for a much-needed makeover as part of the transition process.
Post his inaugural address, Trump and his wife accompanied the Bidens outside the Capitol where a Marine helicopter was waiting for them. The aircraft was prepped to transport them to Joint Base Andrews, where they were to have a farewell event with Biden’s staff.
‘We couldn’t have done anything we did without you,’ Biden offered his team. ‘No president gets to handpick the moment they step into history, but they get to choose their team,’ he stated, ignoring the fact that his tenure was marked by such tumultuous events. He also claimed that they had chosen ‘the best damn team in the world’, despite the end result telling a completely different story.
In an attempt to console his staff who might be feeling ‘knocked down’ by this series of events, he highlighted the perceived importance of their swift rebound. ‘We’re leaving office. We’re not leaving the fight,’ Biden defiantly told them, subtly urging them to remain in diplomacy.
Subsequently, Biden and the first lady proceeded toward the familiar blue-and-white Air Force plane that had served as his transportation during his lackluster tenure. This time, however, he was to take the flight not as the president, but as an ordinary citizen returning to California, marking the end of an era riddled with contentious decisions and often lackluster strategies.