Joe Biden, unpopular, hopes to be rehabilitated like his predecessor

KENT NISHIMURA / Getty Images via AFP Joe Biden here in October 2024. The Democratic president leaves the White House on January 20, 2025, after just one term.

KENT NISHIMURA / Getty Images via AFP

Joe Biden here in October 2024. The Democratic president leaves the White House on January 20, 2025, after just one term.

UNITED STATES – He will say goodbye to his “dear friend”. Like all of America and the whole world, Democrat Joe Biden is preparing to say goodbye to former President Jimmy Carter who died on December 29 at the age of 100, whose funeral is scheduled for this Thursday, January 9 in Washington DC.

Joe Biden should on this occasion eulogy his predecessor. In any case, this is what he himself accidentally revealed to the media in March 2023, after visiting Jimmy Carter in his nursing home: “He asked me to give his eulogy… Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. » This will be one of the last opportunities for Joe Bien to speak publicly before leaving the White House.

In 11 days, Republican Donald Trump will indeed resume his quarters in the Oval Office four years after leaving it with a bang, not recognizing his opponent’s victory and infuriating his supporters who ended up invading the Capitol. So during the little time remaining before the end of his only term, the very unpopular Joe Biden is trying to restore his image.

Inflation, American hostages in Iran…

His situation echoes that of Jimmy Carter, who also left the White House soundly beaten by Ronald Reagan after only four years in service and with the reputation of being a weak president. In 1980, the Americans mainly blamed him for inflation, the energy crisis, and the high unemployment rate. The American hostage crisis in Iran and the failure to rescue them in the middle of the presidential campaign had left an indelible stain on the end of his mandate.

At the time of packing his bags, Jimmy Carter had only 45.5% favorable opinion according to the Gallup Institute. Only Harry Truman (1945-1952) did worse at the time, finishing with 45.4% favorable opinion. The ranking has since changed. The most unpopular president at the end of his term is now Donald Trump, with 41.1% favorable opinion. Which did not prevent him from being elected again.

But 45 years later, the reputation of the former peanut farmer has changed, for the better. The Camp David agreements between Israel and Egypt, the treaty on the control of the Panama Canal – which Donald Trump wants to shatter -, the creation of the ministries of Education and Energy, and the emphasis on human rights in international relations are all welcomed initiatives. He is even today one of the most respected presidents.

The semi-failure of “Bidenomics”

What about Joe Biden? As with Jimmy Carter, inflation and the loss of purchasing power are seen as the major points leading to the defeat of the Democrats. However, at the macroeconomic level, the unemployment rate is at its lowest. In addition, the effects of massive investments in infrastructure (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), the environment (Inflation Reduction act) and semiconductors (CHIPS Act) launched to revive the country in the post-Covid period are also beginning to be felt. to be felt.

Except that “Bidenomics” does not yet have a sufficient impact on Americans’ wallets, and Joe Biden is well aware of this. “Historians will say it had a big impact, but it didn’t have an immediate effect on people’s lives. I think we would have been much better off if we could have put a lot more effort into getting some of these projects up and running more quickly,” he declared to USA Today in an interview published this Wednesday, January 8. Much to his dismay, Donald Trump should be credited for this nascent economic momentum. At least if the billionaire doesn’t unravel everything in a few months.

It’s not just the economy. Opinion also criticizes the age of Joe Biden, his too late withdrawal from the presidential campaign, his hidden declining state of health, the pardon granted to his son, the progression of illegal immigration, or even the international crises in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Result: the latest Gallup poll conducted in December 2024 gives him only 39% favorable opinion.

The end of 50 years of political career

But as with Jimmy Carter and many other presidents before him, Joe Biden should see his legacy seen in a less harsh light in a few years. His efforts to contain the extension of the conflict in the Middle East, his unwavering support for Ukraine, his defense of the environment which places him in total contrast with climate skeptic Donald Trump, but also his economic policy which will have finally shown its effects are all strong points that could rehabilitate him.

The current Democratic president, however, leaves the White House with a serious handicap compared to Jimmy Carter, with whom he had been friends since the 1970s. Because if the former governor of Georgia is today admired by everyone, this It is not so much for his presidency as for all his post-mandate humanitarian commitments which also allowed him to obtain the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden during the 1980 presidential campaign

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive

Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden during the 1980 presidential campaign

In fact, Jimmy Carter left power at just 56 years old and had more than 40 years to build his legend. Conversely, Joe Biden, at 82, is the oldest president in office and already has more than 50 years of career behind him. His departure from Washington and return to his native home of Pennsylvania marked the beginning of the twilight of his life. And not just politics.

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