Biden drops out. Democrats can finally focus on beating Trump.

Finally.

President Joe Biden finally dropped out. The angst and guessing are finally over. Democrats can finally focus on beating Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and rallying voters who have been waiting.

First, let’s not speed past this historic moment. An incumbent president has decided not to seek reelection as the nation watches his candidacy and health deteriorate.

This is not a small moment. It is a time to acknowledge and reflect on what it means for the state of American politics and our entire government. Historians will study this era and find us broken.

Today, though, we can realize that Biden has gifted us the opportunity to wake up and decide what we want for this country.

Biden dropping out is part of a historic moment we can’t ignore

Biden’s decision comes after three weeks of his campaign fighting off a mounting effort to unseat him.

His failed debate performance, the failed attempt to fix it, the polls that became overwhelming and, honestly, the iconic photo of Trump triumphantly raising his fist after literally dodging an assassin’s bullet was all too much for a Biden campaign.

Biden is the oldest president in our history who now joins a small list of incumbents who decided not to seek a second term.

Trump, the second oldest president, is a convicted felon who survived an assassination attempt and is leading a reimagining of the Republican Party that for decades has presented itself as the “Party of Reagan.” President Ronald Reagan also survived an assassination attempt, by the way, on the way to changing the party.

We’re living through history.

Biden dropping out lets liberals change their future

Democrats still have a chance to write how they’re remembered and prevent losing to one of the most divisive presidents in modern history who has made election lies and fear the core of his party’s movement.

Biden exiting the election stage gives Democrats what they’ve been asking for so loudly, a chance to course-correct at the back end of the race. Despite Biden's endorsement of her, I don't know if that should include Vice President Kamala Harris. She spent most of Biden's presidency relegated to obscurity.

Nonetheless, Harris has begun publicly growing her influence and appears ready to take control.

Harris can lead Democrats: It's time. Democrats can run a historic two-woman ticket.

What I do know is that Democrats have to handle the swap with a level of campaign savvy that has eluded them to this point.

Liberals have to see this as an opportunity. With one name change, they can inject their base with the renewed energy the campaign desperately needs. They can introduce a new focus on policy and messaging.

But more important, Biden stepping away lets Democrats deflect the age debate back on Trump and his stammering speeches.

Republicans who have wrapped themselves in criticizing Biden’s age no longer have the protection of those few extra years when talking about Trump. Now they will need to reflect on the aging of their own candidate, who would turn 80 in office if reelected.

Republicans, you see, now have to hear about how electing Trump is really just electing their younger vice president, JD Vance, for when Trump leaves office. And they have to realize that Democrats publicly questioned if Biden is still the future of the party. They publicly decided to put country over party. It wasn’t pretty, and it took too long. But they did what Republicans have been unwilling to do.

The Republican lie of unity: Trump speech calls for unity. So GOP is now cool with wokeness and drag queens, right?

Democrats will also need to start scoring some messaging wins

Still, Democrats have considerable work to do. They need to improve their campaign strategy and completely rethink the systems they have in place for reaching and communicating with voters.

Trump and Republicans have been winning on lies, and for whatever reason, liberals haven’t been able to combat that.

Contrary to what you might hear from Republicans, these things are not true:

• There is no spike in violent crime despite Trump’s obsession with saying otherwise.

• The economy has been doing well, and there are several signs of growth.

• Immigrants are not going on crime sprees, even if it’s one of the main Republican talking points right now.

• The 2020 election that sent Trump home was not stolen, no matter what leading Republicans keep trying to tell you.

The way forward without Biden

Biden dropping out could give the political fight against Trump a burst of energy. It could give Democrats the gift of recalibration behind a new candidate and message. It could help the party reach younger voters who are begging for somebody to believe in.

All of that will depend on how the party responds and on liberals showing a level of campaign competency we haven't seen from them yet.

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In the end, Biden had to leave, in part because of how poorly his campaign was run and how poorly his people responded.

Now, that’s all over. Democrats get a fresh start. Republicans get to tell a fresh set of lies. And the rest of us get to hope for a calmer campaign as we spiral toward November.

Louie Villalobos is the director of Opinion content for the USA TODAY Network.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden drops out of election, letting Democrats control their future