Joe Biden will look out at an adoring crowd from the podium at Monday night’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago and try his best to hide the bitterness he still feels about the betrayal by some in his own party.
Assured of an emotional sendoff as he passes the torch to his vice president, Biden is “still stunned and pissed about the way he was pushed out of his re-election race,” the president’s friends told Axios.
Biden loyalists see the sudden superstardom of Kamala Harris among the previously dubious party faithful as “an even more brutal rejection of Biden,” according to the report.
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And it is not just the party leadership that Biden feels betrayed by. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has spoken of her hopes their 50-year friendship can be repaired after he felt she played a major role in his ousting, and the manner of Biden’s departure has sorely tested his relationship with Barack Obama.
But the president and his stalwarts are still fuming over his treatment, both from the media and from within the party.
Morning Joe regular Mike Barnicle, a close friend of the president, reportedly met a former senior White House official at Fenway Park in Boston who said to him: “Isn’t it great that f****** guy finally figured out he had to quit?”
Barnicle is said to have replied: “You know something? F*** you! And f*** all your friends with their anonymous quotes in the papers. Put your name on it next time!”
Biden supposedly found the story hilarious, with one source familiar with his reaction telling Axios: “He might still be laughing.”
The anecdote illustrates the bittersweet nature of the president’s speech. There is no doubt he will get a rapturous ovation for his prime-time address outlining both his defining achievements in office and his blessing for Harris as the future of the party.
Nearing the end of a long road in Washington, Biden is said to be busy framing his legacy and seeking to make a splash before he leaves, perhaps with a U.S.-led peace deal in Gaza.
He will make the case at the DNC for Harris as president by touting her successes with him in the White House and making it clear how dangerous he believes it will be for democracy if Donald Trump returns.
Then he plans to leave Chicago with his family for a break in Santa Barbara without seeing any of the later speeches—including Harris—in person.
Despite any initial reservations about Harris’ ability to lead, Biden is under no illusions that she is the best bet to beat Trump in November, reports say.
His legacy will depend on how she fares in the ballot box.
If she loses, the party faithful won’t be talking behind their hands about how he waited too long to hand over the reins.
They will be shouting it from the rooftops.
