But it was Biden’s insistence that he could beat Trump again that led to the painful eclipse culminating in Wednesday’s farewell address. He made the decision to run despite polls that showed Americans believed he was too old and testimony of voters who consistently gave the same message.

With only days left in the White House, President Joe Biden was saving a few surprises for his farewell address Wednesday evening. Instead of simply summing up his term in office, he used the opportunity to issue dire warnings about the future and call for deep changes to the country’s foundational document.