The 2024 presidential campaign was one of the most bitter and personal in American history, marked by intense animosity between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The rhetoric was harsh, with Biden describing Trump as a threat to American democracy, accusing him of undermining the nation’s bedrock values and freedoms. Trump, in turn, derided Biden as feeble, mentally unfit, and, at one point, the worst president ever. This acrimony came to a head during their only debate in June, where both men exchanged sharp barbs. Trump mocked Biden’s age and mental clarity, at one point saying, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said, either,” after Biden struggled to finish a thought. Biden, in response, dismissed Trump as a whiner and took aim at his election denialism, saying, “This guy has no sense of American democracy.”
However, the campaign, and their relationship, took a dramatic turn following the election. Just months after publicly calling each other enemies of democracy, Biden confirmed he would honor one of the most sacred traditions of American democracy: attending Trump’s presidential inauguration and standing by as he takes the oath of office. This was especially significant given that Trump had skipped Biden’s inauguration in 2021, a direct snub after refusing to concede the election. It was an act that Biden, despite their differences, was determined to respect, reaffirming his commitment to the peaceful transition of power.
Biden’s decision to follow this tradition came after a brief but significant moment of diplomacy when he hosted Trump at the White House following Biden’s November victory. In a rare moment of cordiality, the two men met in the Oval Office, where they vowed to ensure a smooth transition. The White House described the meeting as cordial, with Trump later calling it a “really good meeting.” This exchange was in stark contrast to the absence of such a gesture from Trump to Biden in 2020, when Trump had refused to meet or offer assistance to Biden during the transition period.
Allan Lichtman, a historian and professor at American University, underscored the importance of Biden’s actions. “Biden is the preeminent institutionalist, someone who believes deeply in the importance of these rituals in maintaining the health of American democracy,” Lichtman said. He added that Biden was striving to uphold the basic norms of governance, avoiding pettiness or vengeance despite the personal and political attacks. The peaceful transition of power, he argued, was not just symbolic; it was essential to the functioning of democracy.
As the inauguration drew nearer, the antagonism between Biden and Trump resurfaced, particularly as the two administrations worked together on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. While their cooperation on foreign policy issues like the ceasefire was a sign of governance above partisan divide, Trump took issue with some of Biden’s final actions in office. He particularly criticized Biden’s ban on offshore oil drilling, claiming that the policy was designed to make it harder for him to implement his agenda should he win in the next election.
Trump’s frustration came to a head in a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate earlier in the month, where he argued that the outgoing administration was intentionally sabotaging the transition. “We are inheriting a difficult situation from the outgoing administration, and they’re trying everything they can to make it more difficult,” Trump complained. “Biden’s promises of aiding the transition were all talk,” he added, signaling that the animosity from the campaign trail was far from over.
In his farewell address, Biden issued a pointed warning to Americans about the dangers that lay ahead. While he did not explicitly name Trump, the parallels were clear. He expressed concern about the rise of an oligarchy in America, where extreme wealth and political influence threatened the nation’s democracy. Biden warned that the concentration of power in the hands of a few wealthy elites—many of whom were closely aligned with Trump—posed a direct threat to the country’s basic rights, freedoms, and the fair shot everyone should have to succeed.
Biden also raised concerns about the growing power of the executive branch, criticizing the expansion of presidential powers under the Trump administration. He made it clear that the presidency should not be a position of unchecked authority. “The president’s power is not unlimited. It’s not absolute, and it shouldn’t be,” Biden declared, advocating for a constitutional amendment to ensure that no president, including Trump, would be immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office. This was seen as a direct response to the Supreme Court ruling of the previous year that had granted presidents broader immunity.
Despite their bitter rivalry, Trump, in a show of respect for tradition, prepared to take the oath of office on the following Monday at noon. As he swore to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States,” the peaceful transition of power Biden had long hoped for would be complete. It was a moment that symbolized the resilience of the nation’s democratic traditions, even in the face of deep political divides.
In the end, the election and the transition represented not just the conclusion of a contentious chapter in American politics but also a reminder of the enduring importance of tradition and institutional stability. Whether Biden and Trump could reconcile their differences or whether the rifts of the campaign would define the years ahead remained to be seen, but for now, the oath of office marked a return to a fundamental ideal: the peaceful handover of power, grounded in the Constitution and the promise of democracy.
