IN WHAT SOME are calling this generation’s Sermon on the Mount, Joe Biden stepped out of his reelection campaign with some of the realest stuff ever said by an elected official. For Americans caught in a never-ending haze of nightmarish self-gaslighting, his words come as a relief, offering hope that there may still be some sanity left in American politics after all. Our Cruel Times offers these full, unedited statements below:

“Over the past three and a half years, we've been toiling ceaselessly, like lost souls chasing after fleeting illusions. Today, America's economy stands as a grotesque monolith, its growth a hollow testament to the desperation and suffering beneath the surface. We've funneled unfathomable sums into rebuilding a fragile facade, slashed prescription costs with the ruthless efficiency of a scalpel, and provided fleeting relief to the masses with our inadequate healthcare reforms, because everyone is entitled to a momentary reprieve before the inevitable darkness.

We've also had our moments of grim irony, such as passing inconsequential laws like the one on safe pillow fights, a cruel jest amidst the real crises, and taking symbolic stances on climate change, offering hollow victories to a dying planet.

But none of this illusory progress would've been possible without you, the weary, disillusioned American populace. Together, we've endured a pandemic that ravaged us like a relentless plague and survived an economic collapse that made the Great Depression seem like a mere prelude to our ongoing torment. We've clung to a semblance of democracy and navigated our way through the global turmoil, our once noble aspirations now reduced to mere survival.

Serving as your President has been a grueling ordeal, and after deep reflection, I've decided to forgo the pretense of seeking reelection. I must devote my remaining energy to steering this ship of state through the encroaching abyss and dispensing what little wisdom I have left.

I'll address the nation later this week to elaborate on this decision. For now, my profound gratitude to those who supported my reelection. Acknowledgments to VP Kamala Harris for standing by me through these dark times. And to every American who still clings to hope, you are the true bearers of a dying light.

I have always believed in this country, a flickering beacon in an ever-darkening world. Remember, we are the United States—our potential is boundless, even as the shadows close in.

In despair and solemnity, Joe Biden”