President of the United States Joe Biden has announced his withdrawal from the Democratic presidential nomination. For a long time, Biden asserted that he was the best candidate to defeat Trump.
In the end, the pressure on the president became too great. The now 81-year-old Biden will remain president for one term.
The researchers interviewed by tell what Biden will be remembered for.
1. Beating Trump
US researchers Oscar Winberg and Cordelia Buchanan Ponczek place Biden’s most important achievement as defeating the former president of the United States and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
– It seems funny to say, because it wasn’t the job of the presidency, but rather the fact that he entered the White House, Winberg says.
Winberg works as a research doctor at the John Morton Center of the University of Turku.
Winberg says Biden was the first president to take office amid violence.
– It was not a peaceful transfer of power, but there were soldiers in Congress to ensure Biden’s inauguration, Winberg says.
Cordelia Buchanan Ponczek, a researcher at the Foreign Policy Institute, says that after the victory, Biden was expected to restore “normality”, especially in relations with Europe.
– That’s what he did and that’s what he will be remembered for, says Buchanan Ponczek.
2. Massive economic and climate packages
Biden came to power in the middle of the corona pandemic. He leaves behind the United States, whose economy is in shambles.
Winberg highlights the 2021 post-corona stimulus package and infrastructure funding program, for which Biden will be remembered.
– They were both huge incentive packages, says Winberg.
According to Winberg, the US economy is now in significantly better shape than in other Western countries.
Buchanan Ponczek highlights Biden’s ambitious climate policy.
In the 2022 Congress, Biden pushed through the legislative package (IRA), which directs almost 400 billion euros to climate action.
– It was the largest and most comprehensive decision the United States has made to curb climate change and facilitate the energy transition.
– If Obama is remembered for Obamacare, then Biden will probably be remembered for the IRA, although it has a less sexy name, says Buchanan Ponczek.
Biden’s economic policy is called “Bidenomics”. The climate package is an integral part of that, says Buchanan. It also plays a big role in the great power struggle against China.
The economy has traditionally been a big election topic in the United States. Now, however, it has gained less space in the conversation. The biggest reason is the polarization of Americans, says Winberg.
– The Republicans will never accept that Biden would have somehow saved the economy, Winberg says.
Buchanan Ponczek has also noticed the change.
– The economy is no longer as important a topic in the United States as the European public thinks.
3. Support for Ukraine and withdrawal from Afghanistan
Biden was faced with a real situation after Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Biden’s reaction was strong, possibly against Russia’s expectations.
– This was a huge and significant part of Biden’s policy, that he took a very, very clear position regarding Ukraine, says Buchanan Ponczek.
Biden’s term will also be remembered for the US 60 billion aid package for Ukraine, which was stuck in the US House of Representatives for more than half a year.
The stalling of the package due to Republican disagreements significantly affected Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.
Buchanan Ponczek believes that Biden will be remembered for finally getting the package to the finish line.
– It was a big victory for him.
Another important foreign policy decision was the withdrawal from Afghanistan in the fall of 2021.
– Although the start was chaotic and the end humiliating, it was one of Biden’s most important actions, Winberg says.
Winberg believes that Biden’s decision to end the war in Afghanistan will be remembered in the history books as the right decision.
4. Strengthening NATO and connection to Europe
The relationship between the United States and Europe was tested during Trump’s 2016-2020 presidency. Trump threatened, for example, that the United States would not necessarily commit to the defense of all NATO countries.
Biden reversed the course and intensified NATO’s cooperation. The researchers emphasize that the US support for Ukraine was not only important for Ukraine.
– The leadership of the United States was very important for Europe. There is a reliable friend on the other side of the Atlantic again, says Winberg.
Buchanan Ponczek says that Biden also showed that Europe is a key partner for the United States.
– He will be remembered for his cooperation and respectful attitude towards European allies, says Buchanan Ponczek.
5. Biden’s legacy will be largely determined by who wins the election
Researchers emphasize that in the end, Biden’s legacy will be determined by the upcoming presidential election.
– If things go well for the Democrats, Biden will be remembered fondly.
– But if Trump wins, there will always be doubts: whether he should have stayed, whether he could have defeated Trump, and whether it was Biden’s fault that he did not step aside earlier, says Buchanan Ponczek.
The two-year-long debate about his age and his withdrawal from the presidential race “in the last few meters” are things that Biden will be remembered for, says Winberg.
– He is the most influential man in the world. It’s not the kind of dune that is usually left unfinished.