‘From the Role of Dragon Slayer to the Person Who Had Enabled the Dragon to Return’

Joe Biden entered the presidency after nearly half a century of wanting to be president. Although his party had only narrow margins in Congress, he pursued overly ambitious plans to reshape the American political system as FDR and LBJ had. Unfortunately for him, he lacked the majorities they had and in doing so appeared to overstep his mandate. Then, in one of history’s tragic ironies, by the time Biden got the role he had so long sought, he became manifestly too old for the role.

As the Biden presidency progressed, his advanced age made him vulnerable to a challenge from the very person he had vanquished to win the presidency, Donald Trump. Biden was forced out of the presidential race by his party before actually facing Trump, but the questions about his age had put the Democratic Party in a position where Biden had let the very person he took credit for defeating return to the presidency. In this way, Biden went from the role of dragon slayer to the person who had enabled the dragon to return.