Conservatives told the truth about Biden. Democrats failed to listen.

If I were a Democrat, I’d be furious right now.

As an American, I’m appalled at the way President Joe Biden's exit from the 2024 election, announced Sunday afternoon, has played out. It’s far from democratic.

Biden should have made this announcement last year, ahead of his party’s primaries, when Democratic voters could have had a say about who they want to run against former President Donald Trump.

Democrats voted for Biden in large part because there wasn't a robust competition, and Biden’s advisers, family and many in the media tried to hide the president’s true condition from the public.

Even though there were plenty of warning signs, as I’ve written about for months, the majority of the country didn’t see Biden’s decline for themselves until the disastrous debate he had with Trump in late June.

After that, the facade was ripped away, and there was no coming back for Biden, no matter how many interviews, news conferences and other appearances he made. In fact, those just made it worse.

Apparently, Biden finally saw that reality for himself, after a growing chorus within the Democratic Party called for him to step down – and a growing number of polls showed Trump gaining steam in vital battleground states.

Trump's triumph: Trump's triumphant night at RNC comes amid calls for Biden to get the boot

Republicans are unified while Democrats flounder

We’re just a week past the attempted assassination of Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, and days from the end of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where the GOP resolutely stood behind Trump as their nominee.

Democrats are only four weeks away from their convention in Chicago, and now they head into that event without the incumbent president atop their ticket.

It’s hardly ideal.

Biden offered an endorsement for his vice president, Kamala Harris, and while many Democrats think it would be easiest if she would take the reins, it’s hardly a done deal.

Convention delegates will have to agree on nominating Harris. Plenty of other Democrats have positioned themselves for this opportunity, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Republicans can beat Kamala: Biden is out, but Trump, GOP won't have to change their message. Harris isn't much better.

Democratic leaders likely hope that the delegates have forgotten how wildly unpopular Harris has been as vice president, usually polling as even less popular than her very unpopular boss.

I’m not sure it will be so easy to forget the past four years in the next four weeks.

If Biden can't campaign, is he still fit to serve?

Republicans are not surprisingly questioning whether Biden is fit to serve out the rest of his presidency.

If he can’t campaign – and his very real decline is preventing him from the duties required of him – then it’s a fair question to raise.

"If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement. “He must resign the office immediately.”

I’ve heard the same sentiment from several other Republicans in the wake of the announcement.

Biden's blunders: Biden's rehabilitation tour won't change what we've seen. He's not fit for the job.

And actually, if Biden resigned the presidency, it could put Harris in a better position going into the Democratic National Convention as the de facto commander in chief.

Regardless, expect even more chaos ahead of and during the convention.

Biden was let down by his advisers

I’ve disagreed with pretty much everything Biden has tried to do during his presidency, and it’s been obvious to me he wasn’t up to the task of president.

Yet, on a human level, this is all very sad for Biden. His family and close advisers clearly gave him bad advice and failed to tell him the truth about his chances come November.

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"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," Biden wrote in a letter to Americans. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the rest of my term."

Biden could have been spared the indignity of the past few months if he had stepped down from the race last year.

Now, this late-in-the-game acceptance of reality will define his legacy. And that's on Democrats.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden finally drops out. But it's too late for Harris to defeat Trump