When President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, he quickly endorsed his VP, Kamala Harris, for the 2024 election. It must have been extremely difficult for him to learn that she lost to the same person that Biden himself managed to defeat just four years ago. A couple of days after Election Day, Biden addressed the United States, but his demeanor surprised everyone. He didn’t wear an expression of defeat on his face that most of us would have expected.
Instead, though many Democrats lacked hope at that moment, Biden told the nation on November 7th that although “Setbacks are unavoidable, giving up is unforgivable.” He stayed away from panic and fear in his rhetoric. Since many supporters were already filled with dread, the sitting president chose to stick with a message of hope instead.
However, many people online believe Biden isn’t just putting forth a manufactured message about hope—they think he’s actually happy and feeling good.
Someone on X captioned a clip of Biden speaking to the crowd and smiling, saying, “Joe Biden looks so happy right now.” Others said that Biden was relieved and happy to be leaving the White House during this divisive and controversial moment in US history.