Anatomy of a fall: Biden passes the torch

US President Joe Biden speaks about gun safety at Everytown's Gun Sense University at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2024. [AFP]

Four years ago, as he ran for the White House, Joe Biden saw himself as a one-term president, a savvy conduit from the chaotic years of Donald Trump to a new generation of Democratic leaders.

"Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else," Biden said at a campaign event in March 2020, with a group of much younger politicians vying to be his running mate -- including Kamala Harris, who ultimately got the nod.