{"id":2392881,"date":"2025-01-20T18:12:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T23:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-lament-the-end-of-bidens-term-that-focused-on-himself-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-01-20T18:13:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T23:13:11","slug":"democrats-lament-the-end-of-bidens-term-that-focused-on-himself-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-lament-the-end-of-bidens-term-that-focused-on-himself-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats lament the end of Biden&#8217;s term that focused on himself &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-lament-the-end-of-bidens-term-that-focused-on-himself-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2392881&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reflects on Joe\u200d Biden&#8217;s presidency as he leaves office following \u200bDonald trump\u2019s inauguration. After a turbulent\u200b term marked by strained political relationships and low approval\u2063 ratings, \u200bBiden \u200bspoke \u200bdefiantly\u2062 during his farewell address \u200bat Joint Base Andrews. He \u2063emphasized\u2062 the challenges \u2064ahead\u200b and expressed \u2063gratitude \u2064towards his aides \u200bfor \u200ctheir\u200d support throughout his political \u200ccareer. Biden&#8217;s presidency saw \u200csignificant legislative actions, including \u2062the American \u200cRescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act,\u2063 yet it\u200d is overshadowed by\u200c failures \u2064like the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and rising inflation.<\/p>\n<p>As Biden considers his post-presidency \u200dplans, including potential charity work and a\u2063 book deal, his legacy is clouded by his controversial\u200b decision to run\u2064 for\u2064 reelection\u2064 despite acknowledging he would \u200dbe\u2063 a bridge to the next generation.\u2062 There\u2062 are concerns within the Democratic\u2063 Party \u200bregarding Biden&#8217;s age and effectiveness,raising questions about the party&#8217;s future leadership. Some democratic\u200c officials believe a different candidate might have fared better\u2063 in the elections,signaling a desire for \u200dnew leadership as \u2063the party navigates\u2063 its \u2064current challenges.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Democrats lament the end of Biden&rsquo;s term that focused on himself<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1940454\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Joe Biden<\/a> departed Washington, D.C., as a former president after President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s inauguration, leaving behind strained political relationships, low <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/polling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">approval ratings<\/a>, and a legacy of ending his reelection bid after a visible decline.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Nonetheless, during his farewell address at Joint Base Andrews, the one-term president, at 81 years old, appeared defiant regarding his record as he thanked his aides for the last four years of his presidency and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/activist-investors-are-seizing-companies-to-push-social-justice-measures\/\" title=\"\u2018Activist Investors\u2019 Are Seizing Companies To Push Social Justice Measures\">past half-century<\/a> in D.C.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3284826\/inauguration-day-2025-donald-trump-jd-vance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">INAUGURATION DAY 2025: EVERYTHING TO KNOW AHEAD OF TRUMP TAKING OFFICE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve a lot more to do,&rdquo; Biden told the crowd Monday before he and former first lady <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jill-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Jill Biden<\/a> flew to California. &ldquo;We heard the inaugural&nbsp;address today. We have a lot more to do.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Mark my words: History is going to judge what you&rsquo;ve done as the most significant contributions that&rsquo;s been made for all of America,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the day, as he waited to welcome Trump at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">White House <\/a>for tea with their wives, Biden told reporters his message to his predecessor and successor would be one of &ldquo;hope&rdquo; and joy,&rdquo; parroting former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/barack-obama\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Barack Obama<\/a> and former Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Kamala Harris<\/a>&lsquo;s respective campaign slogans.<\/p>\n<p>Biden&rsquo;s address at Joint Base Andrews capped a day in which he sought to emphasize the importance of a peaceful transition of power, a courtesy that was not provided to him by Trump.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Welcome home,&rdquo; Biden told Trump publicly on the White House&rsquo;s North Portico.<\/p>\n<p>As Trump signs his first executive actions, Biden&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">post-presidency plans remain unclear<\/a>, except for a book deal and the assumption he will continue his academic and charity work, including through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/beau-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Beau Biden<\/a> Foundation, named after his son who died from brain cancer in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going anywhere,&rdquo; Biden said Sunday, his final full day as president, during a service at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church in South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>However, Biden&rsquo;s presidency will likely always be overshadowed by how it ended as opposed to what he considers to be his legislative and policy accomplishments, including the American Rescue Plan Act, the&nbsp;Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act. He&rsquo;s also touted appointing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Supreme Court<\/a> Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ketanji-brown-jackson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ketanji Brown Jackson<\/a>, leading an international coalition in support of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ukraine<\/a>, and brokering a ceasefire and hostage deal between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Israel<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hamas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Hamas<\/a>. That list excludes some of his administration&rsquo;s more notable failures, including the deadly withdrawal of U.S. troops from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Afghanistan<\/a> and his inability to counter rising <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/inflation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">consumer prices<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Biden sought to run again in 2024 despite promising to be a &ldquo;bridge&rdquo; to the next generation and the visible signs of aging that White House aides repeatedly dismissed even after former special counsel Robert Hur assessed in an interview that Biden was &ldquo;a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>When pressure set in from Democrats after a disastrous debate against Trump over the summer, Biden bowed out of the race and gave Harris just 100 days to launch a presidential run. <\/p>\n<p>As Biden closes this chapter of his life after 36 years as one of Delaware&rsquo;s two senators and then eight years as Obama&rsquo;s vice president, Biden&rsquo;s average job approval rating is net negative 17 percentage points, 39% approve-56% disapprove, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/approval\/joe-biden\/approval-rating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>RealClearPolitics<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Although many may downplay the significance of the 46th president&rsquo;s popularity, it will, for instance, impede his ability to fundraise for his presidential library, a process already delayed because of his initial decision to seek reelection and deprive Democrats of a primary. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;President Biden&rsquo;s legacy definitely is probably diminished, which really is too bad,&rdquo; Iowa Democratic official Charlie Comfort told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;I almost wish he just hadn&rsquo;t run in 2020 so that we could have let a different generation step up and take the Democratic Party mantle. Maybe, just maybe, things would be different now.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Would we have won in 2020?&rdquo; asked Comfort, an at-large member of&nbsp;the Oskaloosa, Iowa,&nbsp;City Council&nbsp;and vice president of its school board.&nbsp;&ldquo;Who knows? But I think we would have won in 2024 if somebody other than Joe Biden had been the nominee in 2020. It&rsquo;s hard for me to say what his legacy is now because I just think the past couple years have really been a mess, which speaks not so much to him but to just the toxic nature of politics as it is now in the United States.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That ill-will was not helped by Biden, who continued to declare he could have beat Trump in last year&rsquo;s election. Biden&rsquo;s wife expressed her own disappointment with former House Speaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nancy-pelosi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Nancy Pelosi<\/a> for pressuring her husband to step down as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee after the Biden-Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/debates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">debate<\/a> laid bare concerns about his age, physical capabilities, and mental capacity.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When Trump was running again for reelection, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him,&rdquo; Biden told <em>USA Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>His wife added to the <em>Washington Post<\/em> of Pelosi, &ldquo;We were friends for&nbsp;50 years.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of his approval ratings, Biden reemerged after disappearing from the political spotlight following last November&rsquo;s election to use his executive power while he retained it. He forgave more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/student-loans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">federal student loan debt<\/a> amid legal challenges and protected more federal lands from Trump&rsquo;s desire to &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">drill, baby, drill<\/a>,&rdquo; even disregarding proper amendment procedure to declare the&nbsp;Equal&nbsp;Rights Amendment part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Constitution<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, after angering Democrats last December with his expansive, unprecedented pardon of his son <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hunter-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Hunter Biden<\/a>, the former president rankled them again with his announcement at 11:38 a.m., 22 minutes before the end of his presidency, that he was also pardoning his businessmen brothers, James Biden and Francis Biden, as well as his political adviser sister, Valerie Owens.<\/p>\n<p>In another act of defiance, Joe Biden contended his family has received &ldquo;unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me &mdash; the worst kind of partisan politics&rdquo; and that&nbsp;he had &ldquo;no reason to believe these attacks will end.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,&rdquo; the former president wrote. &ldquo;But baseless and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-issues-preemptive-pardons-to-family-members-in-final-act-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Biden issues preemptive pardons to family members in final act - Washington Examiner\">politically motivated investigations wreak havoc<\/a> on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families.&nbsp;Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He went on, &ldquo;That is why I am exercising my power under the Constitution to pardon James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden.&nbsp;The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the morning, Joe Biden also pardoned retired Gen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mark-milley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Mark Milley<\/a>, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dr. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/anthony-fauci\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Anthony Fauci<\/a>, one-time director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the members and staff of the House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/january-6\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Jan. 6<\/a> committee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1940454\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1940454\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats mourn Biden&#8217;s self-focused presidency as he leaves D.C<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2392882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/joe-biden-scaled-1024x682.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32431,3620,3685,33017,32076],"class_list":["post-2392881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2024-election","tag-biden","tag-democrats","tag-political-analysis","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/joe-biden-scaled-1024x682.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2392881"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2392885,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392881\/revisions\/2392885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2392882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2392881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2392881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2392881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}