After stepping back from the political spotlight following his standing down as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, Biden has spent the past couple of weeks trying to safeguard his legacy from his predecessor and successor, President-elect Donald Trump.

INAUGURATION DAY 2025: EVERYTHING TO KNOW AHEAD OF TRUMP TAKING OFFICE

With preemptive pardons for people at risk of retribution during Trump’s second administration still expected, Biden has taken more executive and clemency action, including disregarding the proper procedure for amending the Constitution and unilaterally declaring the Equal Rights Amendment to be part of it.

Some Democrats are disappointed Biden has not done more to protect people who may encounter problems under Trump, from immigrants, members of the LGBT community, even federal student loan borrowers. Others, such as Democratic strategist Jim Manley, concede Biden “has done just about as much as he can” — “but the reality is that his refusal to step aside after his first term and allow someone else to run has left many vulnerable populations at risk, which is stain that is never going away.

Biden has repeatedly defended his decision to seek reelection, including in his only exit interview with a print publication, USA Today, though he did concede he, himself, was unsure whether he would have been physically capable of completing a second term.

“When Trump was running again for reelection, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him. But I also wasn’t looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old. And so I did talk about passing the baton,” he told the news outlet last week. “But I don’t know… Who the hell knows?”

In that sit-down, in addition to his exit interview this week with a TV network, MSNBC‘s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, Biden described his biggest regrets as communication-based instead of policy, criticizing the rise of misinformation.

“Ironically, I almost spent too much time on the policy, not enough time on the politics,” he told the cable news channel. “Let people know who was responsible for this happening. But it just seems, I know it sounds so stupid to say it, almost bad taste.”

Manley, “at this point,” would prefer for Biden and his aides “to just go away,” adding that the president “is a good man, but his arrogant refusal to step aside has done enormous damage to this country.”

“I find it interesting that he never did a final press conference, which to me is just another indication that his staff feels he is not up to the task,” he said.

To that end, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stood up for Biden as reporters pushed her during her final briefing this week on why the president had declined to participate in a traditional end-of-administration press conference.

“He took questions on an array of issues, went back and forth, and he took questions today,” Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s been pretty consistent over the past couple of days in doing that, and that shows his performance.”

Mike Nellis, another Democratic strategist, was more satisfied with Biden’s closing message, citing his farewell address delivered during a primetime speech this week from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

“I thought President Biden hit a powerful note the other night in his address to the nation, warning about the oligarchy Trump is trying to create,” Nellis told the Washington Examiner. “These billionaires Trump is putting in his Cabinet, giving Elon Musk a White House office, they aren’t going to fight for ordinary Americans.”

Previewing the coming Democratic attacks against Trump regarding the economy, particularly if the president-elect cannot decrease consumer prices, Nellis alleged Trump, Musk, and the like are “going to steal from taxpayers to enrich themselves.”

“They aren’t going to make things more affordable or help people retire,” he said. “It’s theft. That was a powerful speech and an important part of his legacy.”

Fellow Democratic strategist Christopher Hahn agreed, reiterating Biden’s “warning about the technology industrial complex should be heeded.”

“They have the ability to dictate what we see and hear, and that power is being concentrated in too few individuals,” Hahn told the Washington Examiner.

During his farewell address, Biden warned the country of challenges concerning “misplaced power,” comparing tech CEOs to oligarchs and underscoring the significance of countering a tech industrial complex.

“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” Biden said. “In a democracy, there’s another danger to the concentration of power and wealth. It erodes a sense of unity and common purpose. It causes distrust and division. Participating in our democracy becomes exhausting and even disillusioning. We have to stay engaged in the process.”

Despite experiencing a polling improvement shortly after his withdrawal, Biden is leaving Washington with among his lowest approval ratings. A CNN poll this week, for example, found his approval was 37% and his disapproval was 63%, with an average net negative 18 percentage point rating, according to RealClearPolitics. Part of that can be attributed to Vice President Kamala Harris‘s Electoral College and popular vote loss to Trump in last November’s election, as well as his pardoning his son Hunter, regardless of pledging that he would not.

At the same time, Biden has been emphasizing his legislative achievements after being inaugurated amid the COVID-19 pandemic and weeks after Trump supporters ransacked the U.S. Capitol.

“Today, we have the strongest economy in the world and have created a record 16.6 million new jobs. Wages are up. Inflation continues to come down,” the president wrote in an open letter. “We’re rebuilding our entire nation — urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal communities. Manufacturing is coming back to America. We’re leading the world again in science and innovation, including the semiconductor industry. And we finally beat Big Pharma to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors.”

He added, “I signed one of the most significant laws helping millions of veterans and their families who were exposed to toxic materials, as well as the most significant climate law ever and the first major gun safety law in nearly 30 years. Today, the violent crime rate is at a 50-year low.”

After making a trip to South Carolina on Sunday, Biden is anticipated to attend a service at St. John’s Episcopal Church, opposite the White House, on Monday before having tea with Trump and heading to the Capitol for the president-elect’s swearing-in ceremony. Biden, then a former president, will travel to California before eventually writing a book, establishing his presidential library, and continuing his academic and charity work.