Biden bears brunt of blame game among the Democrats

Fingers are pointing at the president after Donald Trump's sweeping victory - but some strategists argue other factors played a part in Kamala Harris's defeat, writes

- Kelly Rissman

As he became the Democratic frontrunner in 2019 and was favoured to defeat Donald Trump in 2020, a report claimed that Joe Biden was only going to serve one term if elected. His campaign swiftly dismissed it. Today, some are wondering if it would have been better if he had adhered to that report.

During the 2024 campaign season, Biden announced plans to run for re-election. That came despite concerns about his age and whether he could serve another four years. Then, Biden fumbled through his debate against Trump and Democratic panic ensued. The 81-year-old exited the race and endorsed his VP Kamala Harris to succeed him at the top of the ticket. The rest – namely Trump’s election win – is history.

The disappointing results for Democrats have prompted many to point fingers at Biden as the reason for Harris’s loss, with some even going so far as to say his ill-advised decision to run again overshadows his legacy entirely. They claim that his decision to run and then drop out prevented a primary for Democrats to choose their candidate. They also said it prevented Harris from running a full campaign.

“Joe Biden is the singular reason Kamala Harris and Democrats lost tonight,” one Harris aide said bluntly to Politico Magazine. “There should be accountability and Joe Biden should not have run for a second term,” Andrew Yang said on CNN. “He should have dropped out in January, not July.”

During the 2024 campaign season, Biden announced plans to run for re-election. That came despite concerns about his age and whether he could serve another four years. Then, Biden fumbled through his debate against Trump and Democratic panic ensued. The 81-year-old exited the race and endorsed his VP Kamala Harris to succeed him at the top of the ticket. The rest – namely Trump’s election win – is history.