He was about to go out.
President Biden, who reluctantly abandoned his bid for a second term over the summer, had just finished making his first appearance in the White House briefing room on Friday when reporters asked him a question that many have been wondering for months: shouted.
“Do you want to reconsider withdrawing from the race?” the reporter asked, raising his voice above questions about Ukraine and other important topics.
The president stopped, turned around, and declared, “I’m back!” Then he smiled and waved his hand as if to say, “I wish.”
It’s been 75 days since Mr. Biden decided to end a nearly 50-year career in public service that saw him reign at the pinnacle of political power. He could have fought for four more years, but aides said the fight would cause chaos and division within the Democratic Party. It couldn’t be like that.
And while the spotlight is on Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden remains firmly in office for another 109 days. At the exact moment Biden appeared in the briefing room on Friday, Harris was giving her campaign speech — doing exactly what Biden would have done had things gone differently. .
Biden, who is almost 82 years old, has wanted to become president for most of his adult life. He ran and lost, ran again and lost, and finally won in 2020. Had deep concerns about his age not made his re-election campaign unsustainable, he would no doubt try again.
Instead, he is making the most of the time he has left in his term, not just by choice but because the world keeps him busy.
Friday’s surprise press conference came about for some good news. Last month, economic growth added more jobs than anyone expected, bringing cheers to the president. And intense negotiations by Biden’s staff helped quickly resolve a strike by longshoremen that experts predicted would last weeks, if not months.
“I want you to look at the overall results,” Biden told reporters. “The unemployment rate is down to 4.1 percent, and Vice President Harris and I have been in office every month and created jobs. Every month. This country is now creating 16 million jobs.”
But he also acknowledged Friday that he was concerned about the possibility of violence erupting if former President Donald J. Trump were defeated in November.
“I don’t know if there will be peace or not,” he said of the post-election period.
Despite the turmoil at home and abroad, including wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and threats from China and other countries, there was a lighthearted tone about Biden in the briefing room on Friday. He didn’t seem like a leader burdened with the weight of everything he faced.
Perhaps it was the knowledge that, somehow, the problem would soon become someone else’s burden. Or perhaps it was the recognition that the economy he presided over for about four years was on track to recover. The timing was perfect for the historians who would soon assess his accomplishments.
Or it’s possible that Biden was just in a goofy mood, as he was when he was younger, when he was known for goofing around with reporters, colleagues and even his opponents. These days, that happens less and less. He’s older and has a different role now.
But when he emerged from the press room on Friday, he couldn’t seem to contain his amusement, even if just for a moment.
