President Joe Biden participates in the first presidential debate against Donald Trump at CNN Studios in Atlanta, June 27, 2024. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"The way Biden handled his infirmity and his reluctant exit from the race will be devastating for his legacy," Tevi Troy, presidential historian and the former deputy secretary of Health and Human Services under George W. Bush, said in an email to Fox News Digital Thursday. "While Biden was once known as the person who slayed the dragon that Democrats see as Trump, he will now forevermore be known as the person who allowed the dragon to return."
Even after his rough debate performance, Biden dug his heels in and refused to immediately hand over the baton to another candidate. Initially, Biden, along with his White House and his campaign, said that ending his run for reelection was off the table, and that he wanted to face Trump in November 2024.
But after calls from Democrat leaders, including former Sen. Jon Tester of Montana and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Biden finally issued a statement claiming that he believed "it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."
BIDEN'S STUNNING EXIT, ONE YEAR LATER: THE DROPOUT HEARD AROUND THE COUNTRY
President Biden’s infamous debate performance changed the narrative about his fitness to serve another term. (Getty Images)
Since Biden pulled out of the race, multiple books have been written detailing Biden’s final days in office, his deteriorating mental faculties, and challenges within the Democratic Party as a result of his decision to withdraw from the election.
Additionally, multiple investigations are ongoing on Capitol Hill concerning Biden’s mental decline. For example, the House Oversight Committee is examining the cover-up of Biden’s cognitive decline and potentially unauthorized executive actions taken during his presidency.
Biden’s presidential approval rating reached a high of 57% from January 2021 to April 2021 after he first took office, but dropped to a low of 36% in July 2024, according to Gallup.
Even so, Keyssar predicted that time would soften public opinion toward Biden’s presidency.
"As an historian, looking further into the future, I can imagine that his legacy will become more positive, as historians and other analysts focus more on his achievements in office and his basic decency as a person," Keyssar said.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/few-presidents-have-bowed-out-like-biden-historians-explain-what-means