Staff Reports
President Joe Biden recently took a moment to wax poetic about the chaos of January 6, 2021, starkly painting it as a violent insurrection and opportunities for eulogizing American democracy. This op-ed in The Washington Post is less about introspection and more about keeping the crowd entertained with a tale of “what not to do” when transitioning power. Apparently, the president believes his good intentions should be treated like gospel, while the past should be treated more like a bad sitcom that everyone agrees to forget.
Biden recalled the shenanigans at the Capitol, casting a dramatic shadow over what happened that day. He claimed it was an “unrelenting effort” by some folks—presumably those wearing red MAGA hats—to downplay the “historic” mob that stormed the halls. While the president took a firm stance on ensuring that history remains intact, one can’t help but wonder if he prefers an easy script that showcases his side in a better light. It seems the call for historical accuracy is selective, given that Democrats have their own history to rewrite if we peek into the archives.
In this episode of political theater, Congress is set to comply with Trump’s “victory” certification—ah yes, this year’s version of “The Annual Transfer of Power.” Vice President Kamala Harris, who can hardly claim her own victory on the presidential stage, will preside over this celebration. Biden pointed out that the day would hopefully be marked by civility and order, as if that were the new normal after a chaotic past. After all, who wouldn’t want to turn the page after tossing history’s proverbial salad?
Surprisingly, Biden turned the spotlight on Trump’s unwillingness to accept defeat in 2020. In the same breath, he plunged into the topic of Trump’s musings about staying in power, claiming this was an example of democracy not being taken for granted. A delicate balance to maintain, one must tiptoe around the very real implications of a former president thinking out loud about a potential third term, while Biden himself seemed to overlook his own party’s antics in the 2020 election cycle.
President Joe Biden is decrying what he calls an "unrelenting effort" to downplay a mob of Donald Trump supporters overrunning the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to block certification of the 2020 election – seeking to contrast that day's chaos with what… https://t.co/ZZCNOQjKzK
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) January 6, 2025
Trump, meanwhile, fired back—figuratively, of course—taking a pop shot at the smooth transition Biden insists he’s facilitating. It must be inconvenient for the left to have to step over the various obstacles they’ve created while pretending they are merely paving the road to democracy. As for Biden’s offshore drilling ban, it appears Trump might be busy rolling back policies before the ink has dried on the election results. Such is the game of politics, where transitions aren’t just about passing the baton but about throwing hurdles down the racetrack.
Once again, Biden’s insistence on keeping traditions alive looks suspiciously like he’s directing a carefully curated show of bipartisan charm. He frames his outreach to Trump in a way that assumes goodwill, even while he spends part of his year branding the former president as a “genuine threat to democracy.” That’s quite the juggling act—throwing more awards and medals at people who led congressional investigations into the purported threats all the while labeling the soon-to-be successor as detrimental to the nation he now oversees. In this drama of political shadows, one thing is crystal clear: no matter how many medals Biden hands out, the play of power will always carry its own script.
