Biden’s heroic sacrifice, according to the NYT

Joe Biden “never stopped believing” he could beat Trump, but dropped out of the presidential race to avoid “an intraparty war that would run counter to the fabric of who he is”, according to a front-page story in the New York Times.

The article, which relies on the accounts of the President’s close advisors, reframes the final days of Biden’s candidacy in heroic terms and makes little mention of the other possible motivations for his exit, such as his advanced age and possible Parkinson’s diagnosis. “You could still win,” staff reportedly told him. “But it would be a herculean climb.”

This is the closest Biden has come to giving a reason for his exiting the race in the nearly four weeks since the announcement. With five months left in his term, admitting to age-related health issues might be unwise…