COMMENTARY By not stepping aside, President Biden risks displaying the egotism he rightly condemns in Trump 鈥� and which American leaders supposedly warn Latin American leaders against.
I know this is a longshot 鈥� but if Joe Biden won鈥檛 drop his age-addled re-election bid for the good of America, he might consider stepping aside for the good of 鈥� Latin America.
I say this as a citizen of Latin America鈥檚 capital 鈥� Miami.
I say this as someone who cares about the positive political example America still sets for the Americas. (Yes, since you ask, I did type that last sentence with a straight face.)
And I say this on the 4th of July 鈥� a day when American leaders like Biden ought to be especially aware of that example.
An example that rests on one premise more than any other: No one person is more important than the nation. No one person is indispensable to the nation.
I don鈥檛 expect a sociopathic narcissist liar like former President Donald Trump to understand that. But I do expect an honorable statesman like President Biden to get it.
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Biden supporters and Trump opponents believe America鈥檚 two-and-a-half-century-old democracy depends on Biden winning in November 鈥� especially since, if Trump wins, the Supreme Court's new ruling on presidential immunity gives him virtual license to be Orange Caligula.
Well, guess what? After the 81-year-old president鈥檚 painfully foggy debate performance last week, it鈥檚 painfully probable the sociopathic narcissist liar will win the presidential election. So their save-American-democracy-with-Biden strategy is falling apart.
But here's what also matters: the last thing Latin America鈥檚 decades-old democracies need at this moment is to see America鈥檚 honorable statesman-in-chief succumb to the 鈥渋ndispensable man鈥� delusion.
I don't care if Biden insists he鈥檚 staying in for the honorable statesman reason of keeping Trump, who has delusionally proclaimed himself an indispensable man, out of the White House.
For Biden to selfishly persist as his party鈥檚 candidate 鈥� after shows almost three-fourths of the electorate feels he鈥檚 too old for a second term 鈥� smacks of the same egotism he rightly warns would run amok if Trump is elected again.
Just as important: it鈥檚 also reminiscent of the sort of stubborn self-importance that so often rears its head inside presidential palaces south of America鈥檚 border.
By pridefully digging in 鈥� by not admirably bowing out 鈥� Biden risks signaling the U.S. isn't serious about its nation-before-the-man principles.
In fact, since Biden is President of the United States, it has the potential effect of validating Latin America鈥檚 populist proclivities.
Look around the region.
Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador, aka AMLO, has restored what we once called Mexico鈥檚 imperial presidency. And although he adhered (surprisingly) to his country鈥檚 ban on re-election this summer, his uber-victorious National Regeneration Movement, or Morena, is restoring Mexico鈥檚 imperial one-party rule 鈥� with AMLO as the indispensable emeritus running the works.
Toxic shadow
In El Salvador, indispensable President Nayib Bukele had no compunction whatsoever this year about trashing his country鈥檚 prohibition on re-election to consecutive terms, and he鈥檚 set up his own imperial reign.
In Nicaragua, we鈥檝e got indispensable dictator and geriatric thug Daniel Ortega. In Venezuela, indispensable dictator and middle-aged thug Nicol谩s Maduro, who鈥檒l no doubt in the coming days cancel the July 28 presidential election he鈥檚 sure to lose.
In Brazil, there's the toxic shadow of indispensable former President and Trump amigo Jair Bolsonaro, who encouraged his followers 鈥� like Trump 鈥� to try to violently overturn the presidential election he lost in 2022. And in Argentina, wannabe 鈥� and unhinged 鈥� indispensable man, President Javier Milei.
I鈥檓 certainly not comparing Biden to those autocratic jerks. He鈥檚 a good man and a good president.
My point instead is this: By pridefully digging in and doing what鈥檚 best for him 鈥� by not admirably bowing out and doing what everyone publicly or privately has now concluded is best for the country 鈥� Biden risks sending a signal to Latin America and the rest of the world that America really isn鈥檛 all that serious about the nation-before-the-man principles it claims to exalt.
That claim will ring doubly hollow if Biden stays in the race and loses to Trump 鈥� the man-before-the-nation candidate.
However: if Biden lets a younger, more viable replacement face Trump 鈥� and especially if that contender defeats Trump 鈥� then America鈥檚 political ethos will be doubly affirmed.
Biden鈥檚 loyalists will ask: What if he stays and wins? I鈥檇 reply: Granted, another Trump presidency could be worse 鈥� but given Biden鈥檚 cognitive decline, is a second Biden term really the best thing for America?
Or, for that matter, Latin America?
