Maddow on Biden Stepping Down: ‘The Old Man in the Race Now Is Donald Trump’

MADDOW: “They have been so sure. President Biden, perhaps candidly, waiting until the supremely self-confident Republican side locked in their ticket, waiting until Trump picked the most radical, the most ideologically extreme and even eccentric choice for his running mate, waited until that was locked in, and then today, 1:46 P.M., boom. Today, Donald Trump’s remarkable recent run of political good luck came to an end with the crash. The old man in the race now is Donald Trump, 78 years old and only occasionally coherent, with a record as president that is viewed by historians as the worst in the history of the country, a tenure that ended in violence, and he refuses to promise that there won’t be more violence to come from his supporters. He is the old man in the race by a mile. Dragging that legacy from what happened the last time he was in office, and now a national abortion ban, and maybe his own prison sentence, with him to the polls. And as of today, we know that his opponent will not be a man older than him. As of today, we know that his opponent will be a 59-year-old former prosecutor, attorney general, U.S. Senator, and vice president to Joe Biden, who cemented his legacy today with a decision that will go down in history as one of the most selfless, patriotic sacrifices of any sitting president ever. 1:46 P.M., Joe Biden changed everything today in an instant.”