Arriving at 11:24 a.m. for his scheduled 11 a.m. remarks, "President" Joe Biden addressed reporters, staffers, and a jubilant nation from the White House Rose Garden. He was chipper and bright — more so than he has seemed in months, maybe even years. (For what it's worth, I watched the broadcast on the Fox News YouTube channel, and the live comments feed to the right of the screen was rife with sarcasm, MAGA, and hilarity. You can re-watch the brief speech on their channel here.)

After taking a moment to say "Good morning" a few times and give a shout-out to his granddaughter, who was sitting in the audience (Finn, not Navy), Biden launched into his remarks, speaking for about eight minutes.

"For over 200 years, America has carried on the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world. That's not hyperbole, that's a fact. We're the people. The people vote and choose their own leaders, and they do it peacefully, and we're in a democracy. The will of the people always prevails." Yeah, right — tell that to the Swamp, which did everything it could to demolish President Trump's first term.

"Yesterday, I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory, and I assured him that I directed my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition," Biden related. It wouldn't be his only self-righteous allusion to how decent and superior Democrats are about handing over power (as opposed to — you know — Nazi Dictator Trump).

Biden laughably lauded Kamala Harris for her character. "Yesterday, I also spoke with Vice President Harris. She's been a partner and a public servant. She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much: her character. She has a backbone like a ramrod." (As you can imagine, the "backbone like a ramrod" remark was especially well-received by the trolls in the comments stream.) "She has great character, true character. She gave her whole heart and effort, and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran."

Related: Harris's Husband's Ex Dishes Details About the Slap in Cannes

"You know," Biden continued, "the struggle for the soul of America since our very founding has always been an ongoing debate and is still vital today. I know for some people, it's a time for victory, to state the obvious. For others, it's a time of loss — campaigns or contests of competing visions. A country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made." One can only wish he and his fellow Democrats were sincere when they say these things. "I've said many times, you can't love your country only when you win. You can't love your neighbor only when you agree, something I hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, [is] to see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans — bring down the temperature."

In what is shaping up to be an important theme of the new administration, especially the Trump DOJ, Biden pre-emptively defended the integrity of the American election system: "I also hope we can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose. Also, if we can restore the respect for all our election workers who busted their necks and took risks at the outset, we should thank them — thank them for staffing voting sites, counting the votes, protecting the very integrity of the election. Many of them are volunteers who do it simply out of love for their country, and as they did, as they did their duty as citizens."

As Vice President Harris did in her Wednesday concession speech, Biden harped yet again about how virtuous he would be with the "peaceful transition of power" — a phrase Democrats now wield with as much gravitas and righteousness as they did "Our Sacred Democracy" for the past three years. "I will do my duty as president. I'll fulfill my oath, and I will honor the Constitution. On January 20, we'll have a peaceful transfer of power here in America."

Biden then gave a brief and dignified farewell to his administration colleagues: "To all our incredible staff, supporters, cabinet members, all the people who've been hanging out with me for the last 40 years: God love you, as my mother would say. Thank you so much. You put so much into the past four years. I know it's a difficult time. You're hurting. I hear you and I see you, but don't forget."

Unfortunately, this decent moment soon morphed into laying the groundwork for taking credit for Trump's future successes: "Don't forget all that we accomplished. It's been a historic presidency … because [of] what we've done, what you've done, a presidency of all Americans. Much of the work we've done is already being felt by the American people, with the vast majority of it will not be felt — be felt over the next 10 years. We have, we have legislation we passed. It's just only now, just really kicking in. We're going to see over a trillion dollars worth of infrastructure work done, changing people's lives in rural communities and communities that are in real difficulty, because it takes time to get it done, and so much more. It's going to take time, but it's there." 

"The road ahead is clear, assuming we sustain it," he said, a neat trick that claims for himself any successes while assigning to the Trump administration any failures. "There's so much, so much we can get done, and we'll get done, based on the way the legislation was passed, and it's truly historic."

He made a jaw-dropping claim: "You know, we're leaving behind the strongest economy in the world." He allowed, "I know people are still hurting, but things are changing rapidly. Together, we've changed America for the better."

There followed a pep talk, and then the man took his leave:

Now we have 74 days to finish the term, our term, let's make every day count. That's the responsibility we have to the American people. Look folks, you all know it. They're lies. Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my dad would say, is how quickly we get back up. Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up. That's the story of America for over 240 years and counting. It's a story for all of us, not just some of us. The American experiment endures. We're going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going, and above all, we need to keep the faith. So proud to have worked with all of you. I really mean it. I sincerely mean it. God bless you all. God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

In a way, it was the fond and dignified sendoff Biden had been denied at the Democrat National Convention last summer, when schedulers allowed speakers to run long, pushing his primetime speech into the late hours. I, for one, was thrilled to see the backside of him as he departed the stage.