Soon-to-be-former President Joe Biden is a “legend,” a “leader who acts with the best interests of America in mind,” and a man who “put America first.”

You’d think the 81-year-old president had done something really heroic, like safely pulling American troops out of Afghanistan or quickly turning around the inflation problem plaguing America’s families. But no, these words from late-night hosts, Democratic donors, and media figures came in response to the octogenarian dropping out of the presidential race. 

In truth, Biden succumbed to overwhelming donor and media pressure to drop out once Democratic bigwigs and journalists realized that pretending Biden was perfectly hale had become too much of a bald-faced lie. The beginning of the end was the debate with former President Donald Trump, which was followed by incessant media leaks about top Democrats who were just sure Biden would drop out soon. Despite all this, some Biden staffers reported that they found out about Biden’s retirement via his announcement on social media. 

Biden, to the extent that he was even aware of the statement released from his X account, is obviously stepping down not because he is a good person but because he was forced out. He and his family have been chasing power since the beginning of Biden’s half-century-long political career. Biden recently stated that “if the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me” to drop out, he “might” consider doing so. This is not a man who has put his own preferences aside for the good of the country. Biden’s incurable narcissism led him to repeat endlessly that “I’ve got to finish this job.”

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Considering no one in the Secret Service has yet resigned for the agency’s failure to protect Trump from an assassination attempt earlier this month, the Biden administration is accustomed to riding out political scandals. With a sympathetic press, it’s not too hard to do. But Biden finally faced one news cycle he couldn’t escape. His choice to step down doesn’t make him more moral than Trump (or Democrats more moral than Republicans).

Perhaps God did appear to Biden on Sunday to tell him to drop out. But the most likely explanation is that he was hemorrhaging support from his base, a base that has quickly coalesced around Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden was forced out against his best efforts, and anyone who argues otherwise is lying to you. We need better standards for our presidents — and for our heroes.