Donald Trump cannot burn all of Joe Biden’s legacy
senator Chris Coons talking fast. He needs to go to the Senate floor to confirm the final batch of Presidents Joe BidenU.S. judicial nominees, adding up to the largest number of appointments in a four-year term since the Carter administration. “It’s not just a record number. It will be a broad, diverse, experienced, qualified, younger federal judiciary, with hundreds of judges at the circuit court, district court and Supreme Court levels,” Coons speak to me. “These are lifetime appointments. Joe Biden’s legacy in the federal judiciary will last for a generation.”
But for now, Biden’s heaviest legacy appears to be a terrible one: a disastrous final year in office that set him back. Donald Trump to the White House. Last summer, as Biden clung to his party’s nomination, a senior Democratic strategist described to me the benefits of the president’s persistence: “Everything will be viewed as his fault. Every Senate seat is lost, every House seat is lost, every right that Trump has is taken away. You own everything.” Of course, Biden eventually dropped out of the race, but not until late July; timing, coupled with his widespread and deep unpopularity, helped push the Democratic Party into a political hole from which Kamala Harris Don’t climb out.
And now, Trump will seek to tear down many of the good things Biden has done during his term. The former and future president has spent a lot of time on the 2024 campaign vowing to reverse Biden’s policies and positions on everything from transgender rights to immigration restrictions. Trump could also try to roll back regulatory changes made in the final 60 days of Biden’s presidency. Yet for all the explosive things that may or may not turn into action, and for all the real damage that Trump will surely cause, there are still Biden’s major achievements that Trump vouches for. .
These three deserve special recognition because they will have an impact, to varying degrees, on existential issues. Most obvious: Instead of engaging in a strange posture of isolation and flattery towards Vladimir Putin, The United States strongly repelled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, organized international resistance, and sent billions of dollars in American aid. Can Biden defend Ukraine? than strongly? Maybe. “I think sending weapons systems piecemeal has become a real obstacle to greater success for Ukraine,” he said. Michael Allen, a White House national security expert under the former president George W. Bush. Then again, the escalating risks, especially given Russia’s nuclear arsenal, make a gradual approach cautious. Ukraine remains an independent country and thousands of its citizens are still alive today thanks to Biden’s presidency for the past four years. Buying them that time has real value, including the chance for a negotiated ceasefire, even if Ukraine’s next four years look bleak. “The situation in Ukraine is certainly desperate.” Ivo Daalder, Former US ambassador to NATO. “But let’s also look at the other side of the ledger. The Russian army was destroyed, literally destroyed. NATO has been significantly strengthened. I have no doubt that the world is a better place today because of Biden than it was under Trump.”
Closer to home, though also of global importance, is Biden’s successful fight in 2022 to pass a signature bill. Its name, the Inflation Reduction Act, is a bit political: Yes, the IRA includes meaningful changes to tax and health care policy designed to reduce costs. But the core of the bill is devoted to climate change. It pumps hundreds of billions of dollars in government subsidies for clean energy and climate programs, while also generating a wave of private investment by providing billions of dollars in tax credits. Trump has frequently criticized the IRA’s climate change provisions, and he could roll back some of its institutions. But it is impossible to recover the money that has flowed into green energy projects. The benefits will be felt across the country. “Together with the Science Act and CHIPS, that has resulted in nearly $1 trillion in public and private sector investment,” said. Gina McCarthy, who is the Biden White House’s first national climate adviser. “It should not be used to reject fossil fuels. It is meant to recognize that a clean energy economy will bring huge benefits, not just to the climate but also to putting people into good jobs. It was designed with a 10-year vision, and in three years we have exceeded expectations—new technology for manufacturing plants, new batteries to power, ground-source heat pumps, vehicles electricity.”
Where Trump is least likely to turn back the clock is, fittingly and ironically, where Biden is least likely to get credit. The president’s infrastructure push has built or rebuilt roads, bridges, sewers and rail projects from coast to coast. Back in 2014, when he was just vice president, Biden said LaGuardia Airport seemed more suited to “some third world country” than New York City. Governor of New York at the time, Andrew Cuomo, spearheaded the renovation plans, but Biden’s infrastructure bill allocated more than $113 million to advance the airport overhaul. Meanwhile, improvements are also underway to I-95 south of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which is personally owned by Coons, who holds the Delaware Senate seat Biden held for 35 years. “The interchange is nearing completion and it will significantly improve development in the area, while minimizing the huge impact on air quality and health caused by traffic,” he said.
Do all these unsavory wins on foreign policy, climate change and infrastructure outweigh the implications of Harris’ high-profile defeat, especially if Trump enacts a ban on nationwide or build mass detention camps? Probably not. But some of the accomplishments achieved by a man who served his country honorably for decades and is about to leave the White House will extend beyond his administration. At least someone should name an airport, a railroad or a stretch of interstate after him.
