A Reflective Biden Harbors Some Regrets as His Term Winds Down

President Biden will seek solace and “relief” during a visit with Pope Francis next month, according to people familiar with his plans. His public comments have offered a glimpse into what is on his mind.

President Biden has less than a month to go until his one-term presidency ends, and he is feeling reflective.

He is voicing regrets about his decision not to sign his name to Covid relief checks and about his longtime reputation — once considered a virtue — of being the poorest lawmaker in Congress. And now, with a planned visit to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican next month, the president is signaling that he may have additional issues on his mind.

The visit, White House officials said as they issued a readout on Mr. Biden’s call with the pope last week, is officially to discuss world peace. But according to a person familiar with his plans for the trip, Mr. Biden is also going to the Holy See to seek solace and “relief” as he exits the world stage. Pope Francis, that person said, has become an ally and sounding board, trading occasional phone calls with Mr. Biden. Some of those conversations have been casual check-ins of the “Hey, how you doing?” variety.

Throughout his long career, Mr. Biden’s penchant for narrating his life experiences has shaped how the public understands him. We know the stories: Childhood struggles with a stutter created a scrappy, bully-fighting neighborhood crusader. Mistakes and bad timing upended earlier attempts at the nation’s highest office. And the devastating losses of his first wife and two children created a wellspring of resilience.

Despite being described by his allies as in a pensive, sometimes angry, mood as the end of his term approaches, Mr. Biden has not made himself available to answer many questions about his recent actions.Yuri Gripas for The New York Times

But the regrets he has let slip in the lame-duck portion of his presidency are different from the traditional Biden lore he spun on his way up the ladder. As he makes his way down, his recent comments and actions reveal more about Mr. Biden’s thoughts on the current political landscape, one that is drastically different from the one he entered after winning his first Senate election in 1972.