Joe Biden’s entire goodbye speech was one long and unsubtle jab at Trump

For all its historical significance, President Joe Biden’s address to the nation last night regarding his decision not to stand in this year’s presidential election held no real surprises – but that’s no bad thing. His official “farewell” has been a long time coming and was much needed – for Biden himself, as well as the US.

Sitting behind the desk of the Oval Office, the president placed himself squarely in that historical context by quoting other great Americans. He reminded us that “George Washington showed us that presidents are not kings” – a none-too-subtle jab at Trump, who has previously said that he plans to be a dictator on “day one” of his next term in office.

In fact, the entire address was one long, fairly obvious jab at Biden’s boisterous, tangerine forebear/potential successor: “America is at an inflection point”, he said, and must choose whether it is to “move forwards or backwards”.

The whole speech was really about the impossibility of moving forwards with somebody so backwards in charge – not just a reference to the 78-year-old Trump, for whom “backwards” is one of the milder descriptors that could be used to describe his politics, but for the 81-year-old Biden too, who after weeks of speculation about hit fitness for office is finally ready to admit the need for “new voices, fresh voices – yes, younger voices”, and to “pass the torch to a new generation”.

It can’t come soon enough. Up until recently it seemed that American politics was in serious danger of becoming a real gerontocracy – some would argue that it may have reached that point already. But the appointment of Kamala Harris to Democratic candidate at least presents the chance that the next administration will be headed by somebody who