For four years as president, and for almost a half-century more in public life, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. professed an optimistic, ironclad belief in the strength of America’s democracy.
But in the final moments of his presidency, Mr. Biden struck an uncharacteristically pessimistic note. Minutes before his successor was sworn in, Mr. Biden pardoned five of his family members, condemning political attacks by President Trump and his allies and saying, “I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.”
Hours earlier, Mr. Biden had pardoned others targeted by Mr. Trump, including Gen. Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci and former Representative Liz Cheney.
“These are exceptional circumstances,” he said in a statement, “and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”
It could not have been the coda that Mr. Biden imagined when he decided to make his third White House bid in 2019, telling friends and family that he felt compelled by Mr. Trump’s comments about the racial violence that had erupted in Charlottesville, Va.
That decision validated his decades-long pursuit of the presidency with a nail-biting victory in 2020 that ousted Mr. Trump from the Oval Office in the middle of the worst pandemic the nation had seen in 100 years. The political collision between the two men came to something of a close on Monday as Mr. Biden sought to prevent the retribution that he fears Mr. Trump might exact against his family.
It was a somber end to his long career in federal office, which began when he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972 at age 29.
Mr. Biden was fond of saying that America could be defined by one word: possibilities.
On Monday, as he departed Washington, his promise to “end this uncivil war that pits red against blue” remained unfulfilled. His efforts to rebuild the economy “from the middle out” face all-but certain dismantling. And he leaves the nation in the hands of the man he repeatedly called an existential threat to the country’s democratic future.
The lesson, after a single term in office, may be: possibilities are by no means guarantees.
Mr. Biden’s legacy will include his handling of the pandemic, distributing vaccines and lifting an economy teetering on disaster. He pumped money into fighting climate change, repairing aging infrastructure and creating incentives for high-tech chip manufacturers in the United States. He capped some drug prices, signed a rare piece of gun control legislation and forgave some student debt.
But his one term was also marred by the upheaval caused by wars in Ukraine and Israel and growing doubts about his ability to govern in his ninth decade, culminating with his party’s decision to push him out of the 2024 campaign in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office last week, Mr. Biden did not dwell on those challenges. He avoiding mentioning Mr. Trump directly, other than saying, “I wish the incoming administration success, because I want America to succeed.”
But in the address, he invoked the image of the Statue of Liberty, which he said was “built to sway back and forth to withstand the fury of stormy weather, to stand the test of time, because storms are always coming — she sways a few inches, but she never falls into the current below.”
He called the statue “an enduring symbol of the soul of our nation, a soul shaped by forces that bring us together and by forces that pull us apart, and yet, through good times and tough times, we’ve withstood it all.”
It could have been a metaphor for his own career, especially at the end. Battered by criticism from inside and outside of his party, Mr. Biden leaves the White House and the nation’s capital defeated yet pledging “a peaceful and orderly transition of power to ensure we lead by the power of our example.”
Before Monday’s inauguration, Mr. Biden hosted Mr. Trump for tea and coffee at the White House, telling his successor “welcome home.” After the swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill, Mr. Biden stepped for the last time onto the helicopter that served as Marine One during his presidency for the short trip to nearby Joint Base Andrews. Aides say he planned to travel to Santa Ynez, Calif., for a vacation as Mr. Trump settled back into the Oval Office.
Mr. Biden is likely to return to his home in Wilmington, Del., where he spent most weekends during his political career in Washington.
At the air base, many of Mr. Biden’s staff from the White House gathered to say goodbye. In brief remarks, the former president thanked them for “upholding the core values of honesty, decency and integrity.”
But he also urged them to stay in the fight against Mr. Trump and the agenda that his MAGA movement represents.
“We have more to do,” he told the crowd of supporters and staff members. Then, demonstrating his Catholic upbringing, he crossed himself and looked to the ceiling as he referred to Mr. Trump: “We heard the inaugural address today. We have a lot more to do.”
“We’ve always done our best as Americans,” he continued. “We never, never, never give up, ever. We’re leaving office. We’re not leaving the fight.”
It was the only time in his final remarks that Mr. Biden made a reference to his successor. Moments later, he boarded the blue and white 747 that had four the past four years been called Air Force One every time it carried the president. The plane would not get that name again until Mr. Trump was on board as president. This time, it was called Special Air Mission 46.
“I’ve been doing this for 50 years,” Mr. Biden said, with an eye toward how future generations will remember his administration. “History is going to judge what you’ve done as one of the most significant contributions that’s been made by all of America.”
