Former President Joe Biden left office and went dark. But reports are he’s staging a comeback.
And Joe Biden’s return has dropped jaws and left Democrats to bite their nails.
Democrats Worried Sick About Joe Biden Returning To Campaign Trail
Joe Biden’s presidency ended with a thud, leaving Democrats scrambling to distance themselves from a leader who once promised unity but now feels like a liability. As the former president prepares to deliver his first public speech since leaving office, the party he led is recoiling, wary of the damage his presence might inflict. Biden’s planned address in Chicago, focusing on Social Security, has sparked unease among Democrats who fear his reemergence could reopen old wounds and remind voters of a turbulent era they’d rather forget.
On Tuesday, CNN host Jessica Dean pressed Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna on whether Biden’s speech would benefit the party. Khanna’s response was telling—a sidestep that spoke volumes. Rather than endorse Biden’s return to the spotlight, Khanna pivoted to criticize the Trump administration’s handling of a deported MS-13 gang member, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. “I know that you have repeatedly recently said about the Democratic Party that the old guard isn’t cutting it,” Dean noted, before asking, “Do you think it’s helpful for former President Biden to be speaking right now?” Khanna’s non-answer was diplomatic but clear: Biden’s voice isn’t what Democrats need.
“Well, he’s a former president. He certainly can speak. And hopefully he’ll speak out for due process of the law,” Khanna said, quickly shifting focus to Trump’s defiance of a Supreme Court ruling on Garcia’s deportation. The Trump administration’s error in sending Garcia to El Salvador, followed by its refusal to facilitate his return, gave Khanna an escape hatch from praising Biden. The subtext was unmistakable: Democrats like Khanna are more comfortable attacking Trump than embracing their former leader.
Biden’s fall from grace has been swift and brutal. Once hailed as the steady hand who defeated Trump in 2020, he’s now a pariah within his own party. NewsNation political contributor Chris Cillizza predicted a grim future for Biden as early as March 27, warning of a “really bad” two-month period fueled by unflattering portrayals in upcoming books. Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House, published on April 1, and the forthcoming Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, set for May 20, promise to paint a damning picture of Biden’s final days in office. These exposés threaten to cement his legacy as a leader who overstayed his welcome.
Despite his tarnished image, Biden has signaled he’s eager to stay in the fight. Sources close to the former president told NBC News in March that he reached out to Democratic leaders, offering to campaign, raise funds, and do “whatever it took” to counter Trump. He even met with newly elected Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin in February to pledge his support. But the party’s response has been lukewarm at best. Democrats, battered by Biden’s low approval ratings and the chaotic end to his presidency, seem to view his offers as more burden than boon.
Cillizza’s assessment captures the mood: “I don’t think anyone’s clamoring to have Joe Biden campaign for them right now. But I think by the end of May, he will be someone that no one wants around … Joe Biden may want to come back onto the campaign trail to help Democrats, but I don’t think there’s much appetite for it now.” The bluntness of this prediction emphasizes the depth of Biden’s fall. Democrats are not just indifferent—they’re actively wary of being tied to a figure whose name now evokes division and defeat.
The Chicago speech, meant to champion Social Security, risks becoming a painful reminder of Biden’s diminished stature. Party strategists worry it could shift focus from their efforts to rebuild and rebrand ahead of critical elections. The Democratic Party is in a delicate transition, seeking fresh faces and new messages to counter a resurgent Trump. Biden, with his baggage of controversies and missteps, threatens to anchor them to a past they’re desperate to leave behind.
As Biden steps back into the public eye, Democrats face a dilemma: how to handle a former president who refuses to fade quietly. His insistence on remaining relevant, coupled with the party’s clear desire to move on, sets the stage for an awkward and potentially damaging clash. For now, Biden’s speech may be tolerated, but the message from his party is unmistakable—stay out of the way, or risk becoming the black eye that never heals.
🚨 Joe Biden is spending his first speech since leaving office saying he didn’t have to grow up around black people
“I remember watching a bus go by… it was full of colored kids… I had never seen those.”
The face of the Democrat party 🤣🤡 pic.twitter.com/4keCWCep8O
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 15, 2025
According to recent polls, Democrats are left without a clear leading candidate for the 2028 election cycle. Kamala Harris, who is largely considered to be political poison after her hilariously bad 2024 election campaign, has been topping some of the polls. Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been topping others. What this effectively shows is that the Democrats have lost any real sanity and trust from the American people.
If the Democrats put up Kamala Harris or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2028, you can be almost certain that their campaigns would fail spectacularly in a general election. Simply put, voters already told Kamala Harris they didn’t want her word salads anywhere near the office of the President and virtually no average voter is going to be able to stomach radical socialism from someone like AOC.
NEW – 2028 Democratic Primary poll
🔵 Harris 28%
🔵 AOC 21%
🔵 Buttigieg 14%
🔵 Newsom 6%
🔵 Shapiro 5%
🔵 Kelly 4%
🔵 Pritzker 3%
🔵 Cuban 3%
🔵 Whitmer 3%
🔵 Beshear 3%@YalePolling 4/15 (4100 RV)— Zachary Donnini (@ZacharyDonnini) April 15, 2025
The rest of the Democrat bench is also weak. Pete Buttigieg comes across as a somewhat normal guy, but he also buys into the most extreme Democrat radicalism as if it’s a religion. That won’t sell well in a general election against whoever the GOP puts up (likely DeSantis or Vance). Some of the Democrat wokeism has to be let go or the likes of Pete Buttigieg won’t see any success in a national election. All this not to mention Americans may not be ready for a President who isn’t straight.
And then the other elephant in the room is Gavin Newsom. Newsom has been trying to file down some of the rough edges of the Democrats and their radicalism for them. He recently implied in an interview with conservative Charlie Kirk that the Democrats went way too far on issues like transgenderism. It would not be surprising if he eyed a 2028 run as he certainly has some of the swagger. But again, he’s a distant California radical who may not be able to connect with the critical swing voters in the Rust Belt.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
