President Biden bows out after term. He is not the first.

On By Littum

George Bush lamented in 1993 that “losing is never easy—believe me, I know,” after losing to Bill Clinton. Gerald Ford in 1977 allowed the possibility of a political comeback after being defeated by Jimmy Carter (“This report will be my last – maybe.”) Donald J. Trump was defiant in defeat four years ago, declaring that “we will be back in some form.”

As far back as the 18th century – when George Washington warned the young republic of the dangers of partisanship and called for national unity – presidents have used their twilight days in office to reflect on their records and achievements, imploring the nation to build on their legacies for generations to come.

That farewell message has at times been complicated by the outgoing commander-in-chief being succeeded by a political rival — particularly when he was knocked out of a second term.

The challenge President Biden faced Wednesday night was similarly delicate as he touted his accomplishments and reflected on America’s future — even as he hands the reins of government to Mr. Trump, an opponent that Mr. Biden has declared as a threat to democracy and who has promised to undo many of his policies.

Against this background, Johnson delivered a final “State of the Union” address to Congress the week before Nixon’s inauguration. In a particularly emotional speech to a joint session of Congress, Johnson spoke of his efforts to seek a negotiated end to the Vietnam War, and he ticked off an expansive list of legislative accomplishments he had overseen from the Oval Office, framing the new social programs like “promises to the American people” that must be kept.

“A failure to implement them,” Johnson said of his legislative agenda, “would be a tragedy for our country.” Much of the legislation called the great society of Johnson, stands today.

President Gerald R. Ford holds a peculiar place in the history of the American presidency, and his farewell address reflects his unique and shortened tenure in the Oval Office. He is the only person to serve as president without being elected president or vice president, as he was appointed to the vice presidency by Nixon. He also served the shortest term of any president in the last century—holding office for just two years and five months after Nixon resigned from the presidency in the summer of 1974.

But even as Ford told lawmakers that “I look forward to the status of a private citizen with joy and gratitude,” he did not hide his hopes for a political redemption and a return to the White House.

“This report will be my last—perhaps,” said Ford, incited uproarious laughter in the hallas he departed from his prepared remarks to tease a later run for the presidency. Ford in the end dropped out of contention for a run in 1980and supported Ronald Reagan.

Speaking at the US Military Academy at West Point two weeks before Bill Clinton’s inauguration, President George Bush made it clear that his loss to Mr. Clinton had hurt him.

“Losing is never easy. Believe me, I know something about it.” Bush told thousands of Army cadetsthere was laughter – perhaps a little longer and louder than he had expected. “But if you’re going to lose, this is the way to do it: Fight with everything you’ve got. Give it your best shot. And win or lose, learn from it and get on with life.”

But before moving on, Bush issued a warning to future military leaders about the state of global affairs. He had just presided over the end of the Cold War and overseen the birth of nations and democratic governments in Eastern Europe such as the Soviet Union and its sphere of influence fell apart during his presidency. He had that too waged war in Iraq to counter an invasion of neighboring Kuwait.

Declaring that the United States was the world’s only remaining superpower, Bush called on the country to engage in world crises and “promote a democratic peace.” But he also called for restraint and acting only with the support of allies.

“The United States should not seek to be the world’s policeman,” Bush said. “There is no support abroad or at home for us to play this role, nor should there be. We would exhaust ourselves in the process and waste precious resources needed to solve the problems in the import and abroad that we cannot afford to ignore.”

The warning was prescient of the crises that would dominate American foreign policy. Mr. Clinton would preside over muscular military interventions in Haiti and in the Balkans. President George W. Bush, Bush’s son, would go even further in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, launching a second U.S. invasion of Iraq and waging what would become a two-decade conflict in Afghanistan—costing thousands of American lives and trillions of dollars in military spending.