THE decision by the President of the United States, Joe Biden, not to seek another term in office was “dignified” and demonstrated an Elijah-like strength of character, the Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Revd Philip North, has said.
President Biden, 81, announced that he was pulling out of the election in a statement on social media on Sunday evening, after weeks of speculation and pressure to step down over concerns about his health and capabilities.
“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he wrote.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Speaking on Thought for the Day on Radio 4 on Monday, Bishop North said that the President’s short statement ended “one of the great political careers. Joe Biden has offered to his nation over 50 years of public service. During the course of his career, he has faced huge challenges, a serious stutter, complex brain surgery, and, worst of all, the death of his son. Whatever view one takes of his politics, he is a man of determination and strength.”
Strength, Bishop North said, had become the keyword of the campaign; but strength was not simply about physical strength, heroism, or “the capacity to hang on at all costs”. It was having “the strength of character to know when to step aside and let someone else take over”.
The prophet Elijah, he said, was “a man of great strength and faithfulness. . . Elijah had the strength to know that the priority was not his own role but the work of God.”
Bishop North concluded: “It’s easy for anyone to hang on to a job for too long. A role can become so much part of a person’s identity that they find it impossible to let go. But, as Elijah demonstrates, what matters is not personal legacy, but a vision of the common good which goes beyond an individual. . .
“In a long career, maybe yesterday was Joe Biden’s greatest act of strength.”
Ms Harris, after thanking President Biden for his service, said: “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
President Biden later posted a longer letter confirming his decision, setting out his achievements in office, and thanking the American people.
Among the leaders in other countries who responded was Sir Keir Starmer, who said: “I respect President Biden’s decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency. I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, he will have made his decision based on what he believes is best for the American people.”
President Biden’s rival, Donald Trump, said in a statement that the President “was not fit to run . . . certainly not fit to serve — and never was”.
Mr Trump, who, in May, was found guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to influence the 2016 election illegally through hush money — he was the first US President to be convicted of a felony — went on to call President Biden “crooked” and “the worst President of all time”.
Read more on this story in Angela Tilby’s column here