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When Joe Biden<\/strong> withdrew from the presidential race last month, officially passing the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris<\/strong>, he announced the news while isolating with COVID\u2014in a brief, almost anticlimactic letter. No cameras, no speech, no audience. But on Monday night, Biden took the opportunity to perform a proper swan song at the Democratic National Convention, where he delivered a poignant address that cemented his legacy as a president who led an administration of immense consequence\u2014and one who (eventually) chose to end it with a kind of Washingtonian grace. \u201cDemocracy has prevailed,\u201d he said at the podium, after wiping tears from his eyes while taking the stage. \u201cAnd now democracy must be preserved.\u201d<\/p>\n The president began by recalling the devastation of January 6, which occurred weeks before his inauguration. \u201cIn front of me was a city surrounded by the National Guard. Behind me was a capitol that just two weeks before had been overrun by a violent mob,\u201d he says. \u201cI knew then in the bottom of my heart what I know now. There is no place in America for political violence.\u201d<\/p>\n On the issues themselves, Biden took several swings at Trump\u2014and was particularly forceful when it comes to abortion. \u201cMAGA Republicans found out the political power of women in 2022,\u201d he said, referring to the highly anticipated red wave that never was<\/a>. \u201cDonald Trump<\/strong> is going to find out the power of women in 2024. Watch.\u201d As for foreign politics, the president also reiterated his concerns about Russian’s invasion of Ukraine\u2014as well as Israel’s war in Gaza. \u201cEnd the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people,\u201d the president said, adding, \u201cthose protestors out there in the street have a point.\u201d<\/p>\n Biden’s remarks came less than a month after he bowed out from the race amid longstanding concerns about his mental fitness to campaign and serve. Those concerns reached fever pitch following the president\u2019s dismal June debate performance against Trump, who by the next month was polling well ahead of Biden in seven<\/a> swing states. Mainstream media pundits shortly began painting the president as a lion in the winter, while Democratic heavyweights\u2014including Nancy Pelosi<\/strong>, Chuck Schumer<\/strong>, and Barack Obama<\/strong>\u2014privately<\/a> expressed<\/a> concerns<\/a> around his bid. For weeks, Biden resisted calls to step aside, accusing political and media \u201celites<\/a>\u201d of bucking popular will, until finally caving under the pressure.<\/p>\n While Biden on Monday largely eschewed sour grapes over his tumultuous withdrawal, he did at one point let his feelings slip: \u201cAll this talk that I\u2019m angry at all those people who said I should step down,\u201d he expressed, \u201cthat\u2019s not true.\u201d For the most part, though, the president touted his historic achievements on labor, healthcare and infrastructure. \u201cDonald Trump promised infrastructure week every week, for four years. And he never built a damn thing,\u201d he said. \u201cBut right now, we\u2019re giving America an infrastructure decade.\u201d On several occasions, the crowd even chanted \u201cThank you Joe,\u201d to which the president responded, \u201cThank you, Kamala,<\/em>\u201d carefully highlighting her role in his political braintrust.<\/p>\n It was a gracious ad lib\u2014but, of course, hardly one Harris herself needs. Her elevation to the top of the ticket instantly invigorated rank-and-file Democrats, ended infighting among party leaders, and boosted enthusiasm among average voters. Her running mate, Tim Walz<\/strong>, the straight-talking Democratic governor of Minnesota, has also breathed new life into the ticket and could prove a key factor in winning over midwestern swing voters in battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan. Perhaps most notably, the Harris-Walz ticket has completely upended the Democrats\u2019 previous electoral map, with Harris now pulling ahead<\/a> of Trump in five out of seven battleground states. \u201cThey\u2019ll continue to lead America forward,\u201d Biden said of Harris and Walz. \u201cKamala and Tim will protect your civil rights.\u201d<\/p>\n Biden’s remarks Monday night were no doubt tinged with a bittersweet undercurrent. After all, the president has spent half a century in public life\u2014and has vied for the presidency for decades, only to have been stripped of a potential second term by his own political allies. All things considered, his decision to bow out was wise, both personally and politically. But, as First Lady Jill Biden<\/strong> recalled in her own speech, it was not one he made lightly: \u201cI saw him dig deep into his soul.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n