Before exiting the presidential race on July 21, President Biden insisted he was the best candidate to defeat his rival, Republican nominee Donald Trump. For three weeks following his disastrous debate performance, the president and his inner circle seemed to be in denial of the evidence that the Democratic incumbent’s mental disintegration was greasing the slide to a humiliating defeat in November.
As for the former president, despite losing the 2020 election and egging on a mob to attack Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, to go along with a litany of legal problems including the first felony conviction of a former American president, he refused to walk away from politics. Instead, he extended his dominance of the Republican Party, survived an assassination attempt, and cruised to a third consecutive GOP nomination.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump refused to heed public opinion polls showing widespread dissatisfaction with their candidacies. Rather, each man insisted he was the best candidate to defeat his rival and, in the process, save the republic from ruin.
In this episode of History As It Happens, historian Joseph Ellis reminds us of the example set by the first president. After two exhausting terms, George Washington stepped away from power when he could have held onto the presidency for life. He was an “aficionado of exits,” Mr. Ellis said.
Moreover, in his Farewell Address, Washington urged his countrymen to beware of factionalism and selfish interests that did not prioritize the nation’s interests.
“His greatest characteristic was his ability to step away from power. He did it twice,” said Mr Ellis, the author of “His Excellency: George Washington.” “Caesar didn’t do that. Cromwell didn’t do that… No president in American history did not want to be president more than George Washington.”
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