To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Joe Biden’s presidency will likely be remembered as a time when the United States struggled to prevent the collapse of democracy and international order between the two administrations of Donald Trump.
Biden leaves office on Monday. His four years in the Oval Office seem to embody the struggles of the United States, which was buffeted by the changing times and vacillated between “America First” isolationism, a view typified by the president-elect, and the path of international cooperation.
Since taking office, Biden vowed to protect democracy. However, in his farewell address, he had to acknowledge that the situation is actually worsening, with an “oligarchy” taking shape in the United States in which a handful of people hold power.
Biden was clearly referring to such people as the heads of giant tech firms and billionaire Elon Musk. They are openly approaching Trump and trying to influence the running of the administration.
Biden also criticized a “tech-industrial complex” for spreading misinformation and disinformation and threatening democracy. This observation can be said to point to an issue of the time, as did the 1961 address by then U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower that warned of the “military-industrial complex.”
On the diplomatic front, Biden’s emphasis on international cooperation and his efforts to strengthen relations with allies, such as Japan and South Korea, can be considered praiseworthy. He also established multilateral cooperation frameworks that included such countries as India and made significant contributions to stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Regarding the war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, a ceasefire agreement was reached just before he was to leave office. However, Biden’s stance of criticizing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine while tolerating the Israeli military’s invasion of Gaza was seen as a double standard, fueling the international community’s lack of trust.
The COVID-19 pandemic was contained and the economy was brought to an unprecedented boom in the United States, but inflation accelerated. Biden was unable to withstand the public’s anger over the rising cost of living or criticism that he was allowing immigrants to enter the country, threatening employment and safety.
Near the end of his term, Biden ordered that the acquisition of U.S. Steel Corp. by Nippon Steel Corp. be blocked. He may have been trying to hold on to the support of the white working class which moved on to support Trump, but it is extremely regrettable.
Biden sought reelection in last year’s presidential race, but his declining health due to age forced him to withdraw. The Democrats continue to harbor resentment that his delay in making a decision led to Trump’s reelection.
However, is that the only reason for the Democrats’ defeat? Unless they calmly analyze the reasons for the increase in Trump supporters, including among Black people and women, who have traditionally backed Democrats, it will be difficult for liberal forces to rebuild.
