USA Bitter end for Biden
Joe Biden's departure from the White House could hardly be more bitter. The fact that the Democrat will have to hand over the reins of office to his Republican predecessor Donald Trump on January 20 is extremely painful for the 82-year-old. He of all people, who drove Trump out of the presidency in 2020, paved the way for his return. His opponent is also likely to use his second term in office to dismantle Biden's political legacy - or what is left of it after his inglorious departure.
30.12.2024, 03:35
SDA
The political balance sheet
Biden could have gone down in history as the president who replaced Trump after one term in office and stabilized the country, who led the US out of the coronavirus crisis, revived the economy, initiated unprecedented investment in climate protection and infrastructure and generally pursued a fairly progressive agenda.
In terms of foreign policy, Biden repaired damaged relationships with a number of allies, mended international alliances and tried hard to expand the USA's influence in the Indo-Pacific region. However, he is also responsible for a chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan and was unable to prevent two new wars from starting during his term of office: in Ukraine and in the Gaza Strip.
Biden was instrumental in coordinating massive international support for Kiev in its defensive battle against Russia - but too hesitant according to critics. He did not succeed in helping Ukraine to victory or ending the war in any other way. The most powerful man in the world was also unable to stop the bloodshed in the Middle East.
The Democrat leaves behind a mixed record. He cannot achieve much in the remaining days. And many substantive successes have already been overshadowed by something else for many months of his presidency.
The age thing
Biden's age was an issue from the very beginning of his term of office. He entered the White House as the oldest US president of all time. Embarrassing slips of the tongue, bloopers, missteps, stumbles and falls increased steadily over the years and ended up completely dominating the media coverage of him. The fact that it took a public rebellion by his party to force him out of the election campaign for a second term made the whole thing an unworthy spectacle.
Biden will now go down in history as someone who stumbled badly in the end, yet refused to let go - and thus ultimately played a decisive role in Trump's return to the White House. As a consequence, this also means that many of his initiatives and projects will not survive. Trump is likely to reverse or stall many of them as soon as he is in power.
The one goal
Biden has dedicated a large part of his life to politics. He was a senator for more than three decades and vice president for eight years. It was only on his third attempt that he made the leap to the highest office. Perhaps the fact that it was so hard to get there made it harder to let go. The Democrat himself claimed that he had only decided to run for re-election out of a sense of responsibility. Until the very end, he claimed that there was no one in the whole country who was better suited to the job and could defeat Trump. This turned out to be presumptuous and reverberated for a long time.
The political blame
It is Biden's personal fault that his party had no alternative candidate ready and, after his last-minute withdrawal, had to rely on his running mate Kamala Harris, who could not win against Trump. In 2020, Biden ran as the candidate of the transition - to beat Trump and then pass it on to the next generation. But he did not relinquish power, clung to his office and failed to systematically build a successor. That took its revenge.
It was only after his withdrawal from the election campaign that Biden remembered his promise from back then and described himself as a "transitional president" in an interview in September. Regarding his withdrawal, he said: "I am at peace with my decision." Not a trace of self-criticism.
Yet the very man who likes to talk publicly about virtues such as a sense of responsibility, decency and political integrity has to put up with the accusation that he lost sight of all of these in himself towards the end. This is also evident elsewhere.
A controversial decision at the end
Shortly before leaving office, Biden surprisingly pardoned his son Hunter in order to spare the 54-year-old a last-minute sentence after two convictions. The president's son had been found guilty of violating gun and tax laws. For months, Biden had claimed that he would not intervene in the justice system and would not pardon his son under any circumstances. He broke that promise.
Biden referred to his role as a father and issued an unusually far-reaching pardon for his son. This protects Hunter Biden from ever being charged with possible federal offenses over the past almost eleven years. The pardon thus goes far beyond the specific charges that have been brought against him to date. This raises additional questions as to what Hunter Biden may still be hiding.
Biden's move at the end of his presidency earned him a lot of criticism - and accusations of hypocrisy. His argument that political opponents had used the justice system as a weapon against his son and thus against him was also strikingly reminiscent of Trump's reactions to any criminal prosecution against him. The pardon leaves a bitter aftertaste.
What now, Joe Biden?
After a decades-long political career and a finale in a high-paced job on the world stage, Biden is unlikely to find it easy to wind down. The 82-year-old recently said in an interview that he wants to continue his political work - at two universities and in a foundation. Above all, however, Biden is a family man. He has seven grandchildren, with most of whom he has a close relationship. His eldest granddaughter lived with him in the White House for a time and is expecting a baby. The outgoing president will soon become a great-grandfather for the first time. That should help to distract him.
