Joe Biden’s reemergence this week is stirring frustration among Democrats who had hoped the former president would quietly step away from public life. During a wide-ranging interview on The View alongside former First Lady Jill Biden on Thursday, Biden acknowledged his role in Donald Trump’s return to power while defending his decision to remain in the 2024 race as long as he did. But if he anticipated a warm reception, it hasn’t materialized.
Many within the Democratic Party are eager to move on from Biden’s presidency, yearning for new leadership and fresh voices as they seek a path out of their current political struggles, POLITICO reports. “It’s time for Joe Biden to go away with all due respect and let the next generation of Democrats take the mantle,” Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha told the outlet. “Every time he appears on a show or says something, it’s just another week or a month that we have to defend him and remind everybody that we got beat by Donald Trump, again.”
“For those of us trying to rebuild the brand, it does no good when you’re constantly reminded about the old brand that won’t go away,” Rocha said, adding that the only good thing about the interview is that it was quickly overshadowed by news of the selection of a new pope. Biden’s return occurs as the Democratic Party seeks to overcome its current challenges—being excluded from power in Washington and entangled in a heated debate regarding the party’s direction and strategy against Trump.
Although many Democrats may find it unwelcome, Biden is a topic that cannot be avoided. Allies of the former president are preparing for the possible release of audio from Joe Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents and raised concerns about his cognitive fitness. Adding to the pressure is an upcoming book by two prominent journalists, Original Sin, which is set for release on May 20. According to promotional materials, the book will explore Biden’s decision to seek reelection “despite evidence of his serious decline” in mental acuity — which, by the way, the same media reporters now writing books new about and refused to cover.
For many Democrats, both events are bringing up past issues—not just related to Biden’s age, but also inflation and how the party has dealt with cultural matters, POLITICO further noted. “Every interview that Biden does drags us backwards and reminds people of the older generation of Democrats that got us into this mess — when attention is our scarcest resource, we need to prioritize hearing from the next generation of leaders who could excite and rebuild the party,” Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run For Something, a left-wing group that helps young people run for office, told the outlet.