Joe Biden can’t accept that his political career is over.
His wife Jill is pushing him to return to the spotlight.
And Jill Biden forced her husband into a desperate comeback attempt that left Democrats horrified.
Biden wants back in the political game
Former President Joe Biden refuses to fade quietly into retirement after his disastrous single term in office ended with him being forced to drop out of the 2024 race.
Despite leaving office with approval ratings in the basement, Biden is now making moves to insert himself back into Democratic politics ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
According to an exclusive NBC News report, Biden has been quietly meeting with Democratic National Committee leadership and offering to campaign and raise funds for the party.
This shocking political resurrection attempt comes as Democrats are still reeling from their November election defeat and trying to find a path forward without reminding voters of the failed Biden agenda.
Biden’s wife Jill is the driving force behind his comeback attempt
Sources close to the situation reveal that former First Lady Jill Biden is the primary force pushing her husband back into the political arena.
“She recognizes that serving in the capacities that she served is an honor and it comes with responsibilities to the party. And she’s prepared to help in any way she can,” a source familiar with Jill Biden’s thinking told NBC News.
Jill Biden was notoriously resistant to her husband stepping aside during the 2024 campaign, fighting tooth and nail against Democrat leadership who orchestrated the effort to force him out after his disastrous debate performance.
Many critics have long maintained that Jill Biden enjoyed the trappings of White House power and effectively served as a shadow President as her husband’s cognitive abilities declined throughout his term.
Now she appears unwilling to relinquish her grip on Democratic Party influence, pushing Joe to remain politically relevant despite his unpopularity.
Democrat elites want nothing to do with Biden
Biden’s comeback aspirations face one major obstacle – the Democratic Party wants nothing to do with him.
“Who’s going to want Joe Biden back in the game?” a top Democrat donor bluntly told NBC News.
Party strategists recognize that Biden’s presence on the campaign trail would be politically toxic for candidates trying to distance themselves from the failures of his administration.
Any Democrat who appears with Biden would immediately be forced to defend his record of sky-high inflation, the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, and the wide-open southern border that defined his presidency.
The last thing vulnerable Democrats need is to be photographed with the face of policy failures that voters decisively rejected in November.
Democrat officials are now facing the awkward position of figuring out how to politely decline the former President’s offers of assistance without creating additional party division.
Biden met with the new DNC chairman
Despite the reluctance within Democratic circles, Biden has already begun his comeback campaign by meeting privately last month with Ken Martin, the new Democratic National Committee chairman.
“Biden privately met last month with the new Democratic National Committee chairman, Ken Martin, and offered to help as the party struggles to regain its viability amid polling that shows its popularity has been sinking,” NBC News reported.
The meeting signals Biden’s determination to remain a force within the party despite being unceremoniously pushed aside last summer.
Party officials now face the delicate task of managing Biden’s expectations without alienating his remaining supporters.
Polling shows Democrats in serious trouble
Biden’s comeback attempt comes as the Democratic Party faces its lowest popularity ratings in decades.
Recent polling from CNN shows Democratic congressional approval at a dismal 27% – the lowest in the history of the poll.
Meanwhile, President Trump’s approval ratings continue to climb as his administration moves quickly to implement popular policy changes on issues like border security and energy production.
Democrats recognize they need a fresh start and new messaging to rebuild their brand with voters.
Having Biden as the face of their comeback strategy would only remind Americans why they rejected Democrat leadership in the first place.
Republicans would welcome Biden’s return
While Democrats cringe at the thought of Biden campaigning for their candidates, Republicans would enthusiastically welcome his return to the political stage.
Nothing could better reinforce the contrast between the successful Trump administration and the failed policies of the Biden years than having the former President himself stumbling through campaign events as a reminder.
Biden’s cognitive issues, which became impossible to hide during the 2024 campaign, would once again be on full display, providing endless fodder for Republican candidates.
GOP strategists are reportedly hopeful that Biden will ignore the warning signs and forge ahead with his comeback plans, creating an additional advantage for Republicans in the midterm contests.
Biden facing the harsh reality of political irrelevance
For a man who spent over five decades in Washington politics, the sudden irrelevance of post-presidential life has clearly been difficult for Biden to accept.
Unlike former Presidents who gracefully transition to humanitarian work or quietly enjoy retirement, Biden appears unwilling to release his grip on political influence.
His situation is complicated by the fact that unlike most modern Presidents, Biden left office deeply unpopular and widely viewed as having been mentally unfit for the job during his final years in office.
The uncomfortable reality for Biden is that his political legacy is already sealed in the minds of most Americans, and no amount of campaigning for midterm candidates will change that fundamental assessment.
