Former Vice President Joe Biden and former President Obama are taking two very different approaches to retirement, and these two approaches speak volumes about the former executives’ respective characters.

On Wednesday, Biden and his wife Jill announced that they are establishing a charitable foundation, which will focus on a number of initiatives, including the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, veterans’ rights, and affordable education, Politico reported.

“This is entirely unprecedented in modern presidential politics and violates the unstated decorum that generally has governed the conduct of presidents after leaving office.”

“The Biden Foundation is an educational foundation dedicated to exploring the ways that everyone — no matter their income level, race, gender, age, or sexuality — can expect to be treated with dignity and to receive a fair shot at achieving the American dream,” the official announcement read.

Biden has long been respected among politicians on both sides of the aisle, and it’s not difficult to see why. After a career of public service Biden has decided to enter a retirement of public service. Biden’s decision and his personal dignity stand in stark contrast to the petty behavior of his former boss.

Despite promising to give President Donald Trump a chance, Obama waited less than two weeks before engaging in a partisan skirmish and going so far as to egg on the radical and sometimes violent anti-Trump protests.

“President Obama is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country,” Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said in an official statement Monday. “In his final official speech as president, he spoke about the important role of citizens and how all Americans have a responsibility to be the guardians of our democracy — not just during an election but every day,” he continued.

“Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble, organize, and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake,” Lewis said.

“This is entirely unprecedented in modern presidential politics and violates the unstated decorum that generally has governed the conduct of presidents after leaving office,” Michael Johns, president and executive director of Tea Party Community and a former speechwriter for George H.W. Bush, told LifeZette reporter Brendan Kirby on Monday.

One only need look at the difference between former President George W. Bush’s behavior since leaving office to understand just how radically indecorous Obama’s behavior has been — and will likely continue to be.

Bush did not leave the White House only to dive headfirst into the swamp of partisanship. He has spent the last eight years making apolitical public appearances and doing charitable work.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

When Obama was in the early days of his presidency — conservative pundits and activists were positively baying for Bush to criticize Obama, to opine publicly about the dangers posed to the Republic by the new president. He stayed silent.

Bush’s sense of propriety and respect for the Office of the President never once wavered. Indeed, as recently as 2015 he was refusing to make any public statement that might undermine President Obama’s administration.

[lz_related_box id=”279530″]

In June 2015, Bush was asked for his thoughts on Iran in an interview with Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom. “You talk about Iran in your book and you write that you had three options: an agreement, aggressive diplomacy, or attack. So what do you think should be done with Iran?” the newspaper asked.

“This is a very delicate subject which I am not going to comment on,” Bush responded. “Every comment I make on this would be interpreted as undermining the president’s decision. Therefore I am going to let this issue rest.”

Throughout the Obama years, Biden had a public reputation of being a bit gaffe-prone, perhaps even a bit immature, while Obama was ostensibly the serious politician of the two. It is becoming increasingly clear that the truth is in fact the precise opposite. Having left office, Biden continues to act like a serious statesman — Obama instead chooses to behave like an ego-driven college activist.