The president is a civil servant of the United States of America, and though his supporters have doubts about Trump’s plans as the incoming 47th commander in chief, especially considering his return after a polarizing four years as the 45th, President Joe Biden has reassured the American public that everything will be just fine.
“I’ve said many times: you can’t love your country only when you win,” President Biden said. “You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree. Something I hope we can do no matter who you voted for is see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans. Bring down the temperature.”
As Biden’s term drew to a close, he focused on leaving a legacy of hope and resilience. He launched several initiatives aimed at fostering bipartisan cooperation on key issues like climate change, healthcare and economic recovery. He also worked to solidify the reforms he had started, ensuring they would continue to benefit future generations.
Unfortunately, hesitations and speculations about the president’s cognitive abilities and overall health have remained rampant throughout his term. These concerns rose to a fever pitch when Biden went up against Trump in June for the first official presidential debate of the 2024 campaign season. In addition, several reports from the president’s staffers have made it clear that additional help, guidance and visual aids have been essential to escorting Biden to and from public appearances since the debate, suggesting that perhaps the then-81-year-old (he turned 82 this month) has indeed been out of his element during the final months of his administration.
“Biden seems to not be the one in charge,” Libby Schoenbauer (12) said. “It seems like there are people running the show behind the scenes. He seems too old to be president. I think he might be gone [mentally], like he is losing his mind a little bit. I feel bad for him. He seems so confused when he talks.”
This is what experts posit is the ultimate reason why so many democrats called for Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, which led to an official suspension of his campaign and a wholehearted endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s new nominee. Harris’s ascendancy to the top of the ticket happened just a few weeks later via a virtual vote by the Democratic National Committee, making history as the first woman of color presidential candidate for a major party in American history.
Then, on November 5, despite countless polls suggesting the contrary, Republican candidate and former president Donald J. Trump won the electoral votes necessary for taking the White House. He will be inaugurated on January 20, 2025.
“The election results reflect the racist and sexist undercurrents of our society, and I’m worried that those prejudices will be endorsed—rather than deconstructed—by a second Trump presidency,” Columbia Heights High School (CHHS) English teacher Ms. Rachel Mann said.
This will be a complete shift from what Biden and Harris have put into place as of now. President Biden’s administration will take swift action to tackle the climate crisis. To meet the demands of science, his team is mobilizing a whole-of-government effort to reduce climate pollution in every sector of the economy and increase resilience to climate impacts. One of the promises of our nation is that every American has an equal chance to get ahead, yet persistent systemic racism and barriers to opportunity have denied this promise for so many. President Biden will reform our long-broken and chaotic immigration system. President Biden’s strategy is centered on the basic premise that our country is safer, stronger, and more prosperous with a fair and orderly immigration system that welcomes immigrants, keeps families together, and allows people across the country—both newly arrived immigrants and people who have lived here for generations—to more fully contribute to our country.
A few days after the election, Biden hosted a welcome to the White House for Donald Trump. They shared sentiments on the difficulty of navigating the political landscape no matter what party you are, and Trump shared what he plans to do in office. Afterward, Biden held a press conference to address the transition of power.
“Yesterday, I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory, and I assured him that I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition,” Biden said. “That’s what the American people deserve.”
Biden made clear in his briefing, which featured Trump at his side, that there was paranoia about how fair the election was. Biden told his staff and supporters during his speech at the White House that the voting system and its procedures nationwide were honest and that the focus should instead be on his remaining days in office.
“Let us not be divided by our differences, but united by our common purpose,” Biden said. “Together, we can build a brighter future for all.”
With these words, the president aimed to inspire confidence in democrats, republicans and independent voters alike.
