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The Washington Post Editorial Board has penned a hypothetical withdrawal speech for President Biden framed as if he gave it on the Fourth of July.
The speech discusses how the founders of the country knew there were "seasons to a life" and "seasons of service," which hypothetical Biden applies to his own life and time as president.
"They knew, too, that relying on a single individual, a king, might create the illusion of strength but would be at its core fragile," the speech reads. "Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on all this. My season of service is nearing its close. This was a hard truth to face. But it is the natural course of things — as evident as the progression from spring to summer, from fall to winter. This is why I have decided to withdraw from the campaign for president of the United States."
President Biden speaks during a campaign event in Philadelphia on April 18, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
As next steps, the WaPo editorial board proposes an open Democratic convention that would include debates between now and the August convention in which Vice President Kamala Harris would participate.
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"The Democratic National Committee, senior Democratic leaders and I have agreed on an orderly process to select our next nominee, which will include debates between now and our convention in August," the speech reads. "My vice president, Kamala Harris, has graciously and courageously agreed to participate. Though Democratic primary voters cannot be included at this late date, their delegates will make the final choice."
The speech also blames former President Donald Trump's "unique danger" in his claim that he is the only one who can lead the nation, but hypothetical Biden says he will "not make the same mistake" even if a large part of him "wants to stay in the fight."
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"But, at this moment, the nation needs something I cannot provide: a leader with the energy to run a vigorous campaign and then to work for America, at all hours, for the next four years," the speech reads.
President Biden speaks during the United Auto Workers union conference at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2024. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Between now and the election, hypothetical President Biden vows to support the next Democratic nominee, while touting his legacy as president in contrast to Trump's term four years ago.
"Americans, I invite you to search your soul as I have," the WaPo editorial board's speech reads. "Are we so unsure of ourselves that we will empower a would-be king, one who has been given expansive powers by an activist Supreme Court?
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"Or will we look back on Washington’s example, in the spring of American life, and recognize that our independence is built on service, sacrifice, a willingness to assume the best in one another and the belief there will be better seasons to come?" the speech concludes.
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