Several Democrats have begun to criticize President Joe Biden for what they describe as “quiet quitting” with just over a month left in his term. The 82-year-old president has drastically reduced his public appearances, stopped taking questions from the press, and has refrained from criticizing President-elect Donald Trump, whom he had previously labeled as a “threat to democracy,” according to Daily Mail.
On the December 17 episode of the Pod Save America podcast, host Tommy Vietor quipped, “Yeah, that seems like what he’s doing,” in reference to Biden’s noticeable absence from the political spotlight. “Quiet quitting” is a term used to describe employees disengaging from their jobs, performing only the minimum required tasks without going beyond expectations.
Vietor, a former aide to President Barack Obama, continued, “It’s just odd that, you know, he talked about Donald Trump being an existential threat to democracy for so long.” During the podcast, Vietor and his fellow hosts, Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett, discussed a Politico article titled, “Biden shrinks from view ahead of Trump’s return to Washington,” which explored Biden’s recent disappearance from the public eye.
A Democrat close to senior lawmakers told Politico, “There is no leadership coming from the White House. There is a total vacuum.” Another source added, “In conversations that I’m having, they don’t even mention the president. It feels like Trump is president already.”
Interestingly, Biden has yet to schedule a post-election press conference, with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre not committing to the traditional Q&A session. Politico noted that during his recent international trips to Peru, Brazil, and Angola, Biden said just seven words to the press.
Sources told Politico that Biden’s reticence is due to two main factors: his recognition that few are eager to hear from him and his belief that he doesn’t owe much more to a party that “unceremoniously pushed him aside.” Despite these concerns, Biden announced his reelection bid in April 2023, though he dropped out after a poor debate performance in July 2024, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
While Biden has remained largely silent, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates defended his actions, stating, “He is making every day of this term count” and “leading by example for the sake of American democracy.”
However, netizens were quick to mock the president, with some criticizing him for his perceived lack of engagement and others arguing that Trump will “do a 100% better job than Biden.” Some social media comments questioned his commitment to the country, with one person stating, “Biden never cared about this country or its citizens. It was always about the power and perks of the office.”