While the United States is going through a major budgetary crisis and Donald Trump is preparing to take back the reins of power, Joe Biden, still president for a few weeks, seems to have deserted the public stage. At 82 years old, the democratic head of state, physically diminished, lets his administration manage the storm, but his silence calls out.
Since the failure of negotiations in Congress on the budget on Thursday, all eyes have been on the White House. However, Joe Biden did not speak out, either in a press release or in public appearances. It was its spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, who took over, denouncing during a press briefing the responsibility of the Republicans in this failure: “They blew up the budgetary compromise […] It’s up to them to fix the problem. »
Significant signs of fragility
However, journalists' attention focused on the president's absence. Visibly annoyed, Karine Jean-Pierre replied: “I speak for the President of the United States. […] I speak directly for him. » But this statement struggles to mask the erasure of Joe Biden at a critical moment for his country. Its withdrawal is also accompanied by worrying physical signs.
During a trip to Angola, he had to be supported to avoid a fall. In Brazil, a speech given in a rainforest ended in a disturbing way: the president turned his back on the cameras before slowly disappearing into the foliage. Its weak media presence accentuates this feeling of fragility. During his two recent international trips, he held no press conferences, a departure from usual practice.
A criticized and isolated presidency
Joe Biden is especially facing a growing stream of criticism, including from the media. The Wall Street Journal published an article describing an increasingly isolated president, protected by a slimmed-down agenda and surrounded by a team that protects him from moments of prolonged concentration. Some former supporters, like Chris Cillizza, admit to having underestimated the importance of his health. “I should have insisted more, and sooner, to have more information on the physical and mental health of the president,” he explained.
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Joe Biden now appears to be turning to his family and his personal legacy. He granted a controversial pardon to his son Hunter Biden, who was being prosecuted, and visited the grave of his first wife and their daughter, who died in 1972. During a ceremony for his son Beau, a man in the audience wore “Make America Great Again” hats, a reminder of the hostility that still surrounds his tenure.
