Even though Joe Biden is deeply unpopular and most Democrats do not want him to run for another term, it looks like he will run for re-election. One reporter for AP tries to make the argument that Biden is leaving wiggle room in that decision.

It makes for a fun chat over coffee for political nerds but does anyone at this point think that Biden isn’t going to run? Jill Biden insists he is going to do it and we all know she’s the boss. She’s willing to drag her 80-year-old husband through another presidential campaign and four years in the White House to satisfy her ambitions. It’s elder abuse, given his mental and physical decline, but she doesn’t care. She has trips to Africa to make and speeches to make in the United States about how much her husband has accomplished. He is saving democracy, you know.

Biden has bonded with presidential historian Jon Meacham over a shared belief. They both believe that “Biden is a historically consequential figure in the fight to preserve American democracy.” That is according to Axios. Biden’s huge ego and Meacham’s slobbering devotion to Biden have blended to ensure Biden’s legacy. This brings us to the AP reporter’s argument that Biden may decide against running in 2024. He may do so to protect his legacy as it stands now.

There are Democrats out there, besides Jill, who think that Biden is doing a historically superior job as president. It’s hard for me to understand but I’m not a Democrat.

During last month’s State of the Union address, he lured unruly Republicans into agreeing with him that federal entitlements should be protected. He’s intensified travel outside Washington, trumpeting job-creation in Wisconsin and steep federal health care spending to Florida seniors while touting a trillion-dollar public works package that he says can do everything from revitalize Baltimore’s port to easing train tunnel congestion under the Hudson River.

And he used spy-thriller tactics to sweep into war-scarred Ukraine.

For most presidents, these are powerful elements to include as the centerpiece of a reelection campaign — pledging to protect people and the economy at home and democracy in the heart of Europe. But with the famously fickle 80-year-old Biden stopping short of officially declaring his 2024 candidacy, he’s leaving just enough room to back out of a race and focus instead on using such moves to cement his legacy.

Hmm. So, spending trillions of dollars we don’t have and doing a little traveling outside of Washington, D.C. is enough to create a legacy that will be described as one that saved democracy? Am I doing this right? As for his “spy-thriller tactics” to get into Ukraine, well, what? All presidential visits to war zones are top-secret operations. they have to be. Biden is someone who embellishes stories and he had his visit with Zelensky in Kyiv embellished with air raid sirens that no one believes warned of an actual threat, not even a CNN reporter who has been covering the war for several months. Biden and his press secretary think it made him look brave, though, so that’s the story right there.

Biden is all about his legacy. Meacham is helping him with that, as is Princeton historian Sean Wilentz. He is joining Meacham in helping “conceptualize some of Biden’s speeches — particularly ones about democracy.” Biden held a two-hour meeting with historians, including Wilentz, last August. They warned him the republic was at “a tipping point.” Save us, Obi-Wan Kenobi. As a matter of fact, Biden tried to bring Meacham into the White House to join the administration but that looks like it won’t happen. Meacham did go to Camp David with other aides last month to help him prepare for the State of the Union address.

See, if he doesn’t run for re-election, he secures his legacy now. Another historian, this one in Dallas, said his place in history is all set.

“I look at Biden from the outside, as a historian, and say, ‘Boy, if he stepped away now, his place in history is secure and extraordinarily positive,’” said Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “That’s how a normal person thinks about these things. That’s not how a president thinks about these things.”

Those around him say he’ll announce his campaign after the first quarter campaign fundraising period ends this month. Biden has the support of some who would have been potential rivals, like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. He also has the support of the DNC. The DNC isn’t scheduling any debates during the primary. So far the only challenger is Marianne Williamson and no one is taking her candidacy seriously.

Why is it taking so long for Biden to announce his candidacy? Those who know him say he takes a long time to make the decision. There isn’t a rush for him to do so. He has said all along he “intends” to run and Jill always says that he is running so that’s that. He wants to beat Trump again. Trump is the only Republican he would beat so if Republicans are determined to make Trump the candidate, we will lose again. Biden wants a re-match but most voters do not. The only hope for a Republican victory in 2024 is with a different candidate. Voters look forward, not backward.

Biden’s giant ego will not allow him to step aside now. He truly thinks he is a historical figure. He’s a historical figure to those of us who are Republicans, that’s for sure, but not for the reasons he thinks he’s a historical figure. He’s historically bad.