If the US’s allies thought the era of Trump-style populism was over, the last few weeks have shattered that impression. When he became president, Joe Biden – elected under the premise of being a calm and experienced statesman – declared, “America is back”. But it hasn’t felt like that.
Trump’s term as president was deeply damaging to international relations, with many world leaders finding US policymaking unpredictable at best, and reckless at worst. This was most prominently seen in the random and chaotic way policy decisions were announced via social media, the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scrapping of painstakingly negotiated agreements such as the Iran nuclear deal and the way many previously trusted allies and institutions, such as the EU and NATO, were alienated.
Joe Biden’s actions echo Trump’s isolationism and populism
Trump’s policies set the bar very low for his successor to reassert the country’s status as a global superpower. So Biden won early praise for his soothing tones of unity and for returning the US to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Accord, both of which Trump had withdrawn the US from.
‘Not listening to sensible advice’
However, the Afghanistan debacle has offered a reality check, with Biden’s approach bearing a striking resemblance to his predecessor’s. While US presidents have been looking for a way out of Afghanistan for years, the way Biden handled the withdrawal has belied his reputation for steady competency and inclusive coordination with close partners.
This may be because Biden, like Trump, has heaps of self-confidence – or, as his detractors would more likely have it, an arrogant streak that stops him listening to sensible advice. Both his secretary of state and secretary of defence are thought to have been against an abrupt departure from Afghanistan.
Joe Biden’s top generals recently testified under oath in the Senate Armed Forces Committee that they had recommended keeping 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan, directly contradicting Biden’s statements that he received no such military advice.
The US also barely consulted their allies when, after 20 years, they withdrew from the country, despite there being 7,000 NATO allies wholly reliant on US infrastructure there. The sudden abandonment of the strategically important Bagram airport overnight is an example of this unilateral decision making, with the US leaving its biggest base in the country without even informing its Afghan partners, who woke up the next morning with no electricity. This lack of communication no doubt contributed to plummeting morale among Afghan forces, thus helping to accelerate the Taliban takeover.
Biden’s Afghanistan plan eerily echoed Trump’s.
While the timetable moved by a few months, the US government insisted upon following Trump’s departure blueprint, which had been negotiated with the Taliban. This is strange, considering the general tendency of most politicians is to quickly disown previous administration’s plans, as is often politically convenient.
‘Antagonising partners’
As the security situation rapidly deteriorated, Biden, having stayed quiet for days, eventually emerged and used Trump’s humility-free rhetoric to justify the withdrawal, dodging his own mistakes and squarely placing the security collapse on the lack of will from Afghan partners. These untruths were heavily criticised by veterans who praised the courage of local troops.
Biden has continued to follow in Trump’s footsteps in antagonising partners, recently infuriating France, a key NATO member, after quietly signing a new security partnership “AUKUS” between the UK, the US and Australia, which will include collaboration on Artificial Intelligence, nuclear-powered submarines and innovative defence technology.
This led to Australia ending a $66bn submarine deal it had signed with France, wrecking the latter’s geostrategic plans for the Indo-Pacific region.
France was so livid that they withdrew their ambassador to the US, a first in the history of the two countries, and also recalled their top diplomat from Australia. Their foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, accused Biden of behaving in a “brutal and unpredictable” manner reminiscent of the Trump era.
While the UK, freshly independent from the European Union, must be delighted at the strengthening of ties with the US, the EU is being forced to rally support for their member state France. EU calls for greater “strategic autonomy” have grown louder, as some member nations fear Biden is acting as dismissively as Trump did, fracturing Western unity in the process.
Despite having hugely benefitted from this deal, Australia was not spared Trump-style embarrassment, with Biden seemingly forgetting the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s name during a critical summit, referring to him as “that fella Down Under”.
Many countries lean heavily on the US for protection so the lack of an inclusive approach with traditional allies has implications for broader global security policy.
The US is one of the two biggest contributors to the NATO alliance, providing just more than 16 percent of funding. And it has tens of thousands of soldiers deployed in Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, and until recently, Afghanistan. Will Biden keep their long-term security guarantees intact, or will he continue to follow Trump’s path of loosening commitments, just as he has done with Afghanistan?
Targeting blue-collar voters
Biden has adopted Trump’s approach on economic issues, too, having retained much of the previous administration’s protectionist policies. For example, Biden has pushed reshoring initiatives such as “Buy American” and kept tariffs on steel and aluminium to protect the US’s domestic heavy steel workers.
These policies clearly target the same blue-collar voters who made the difference in Trump’s surprise win in the 2016 election but also help entrench anti-globalisation, and ignores calls from international institutions such as the IMF, to scrap them.
Despite this, the US will remain a global player. It is too wealthy, networked and militarily powerful to ignore. And with his personal poll ratings sliding, Joe Biden may learn from his early mistakes and turn his inclusive rhetoric into reality. But with US politics more polarised than ever, allies will have to decide whether America can be a reliable partner in the long term or whether the spirit of Trump will continue to be felt in the country’s policies.
‘SNL’ returns with a new Joe Biden, looking to unite Democrats
“Saturday Night Live” is back, and with it came a new President Joe Biden.
The NBC variety show returned for its season premiere Saturday and opened its 47th season with new cast member James Austin Johnson taking on the role of Biden.
“What’s cookin’, what’s good?” Johnson’s Biden said, kicking off the premiere. “How was everybody’s summer? Mine was bad.”
Johnson’s Biden added that on the bright side, he “went the entire summer without falling down the stairs once.”
Johnson’s Biden then brought out a bunch of fellow Democrats from different ends of the political spectrum. That included Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, played by Cecily Strong, and Sen. Joe Manchin, played by Aidy Bryant, as well as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, played by Melissa Villaseñor, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, played by Ego Nwodim.
“Is it just me or does she look like all of the characters from ‘Scooby-Doo’ at the same time?” Johnson’s Biden said of Strong’s Sinema.
After thanking Biden for not “calling me Kamala,” Nwodim’s Omar said she was “designed in a lab to give Tucker Carlson a heart attack.”
Johnson’s Biden was trying to unite the two sides in hopes of getting infrastructure bill finished. It wasn’t working.
“I’m saying we need at least $300 billion in clean energy tax credits,” Villaseñor’s Ocasio-Cortez, said.
“And I’m saying $0,” Bryant’s Manchin responded.
“See? Same page!” Johnson’s Biden said.
Johnson’s Biden kept trying to find common ground. He asked if everyone likes roads, for example. Strong’s Sinema said she wants no roads.
“No roads?” Johnson’s Biden asked. “Why?”
The group was then joined by other Democrats like former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, played by Pete Davidson, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, played by Alex Moffat. Both were there to promote books. The name of Schumer’s book was “Sandwiches I Have Liked and Tried” while Cuomo’s book was titled “Whoops.”
Johnson’s Biden said that fundamentally, Democrats, despite their differences, are all the same.
Davidson’s Cuomo then interjected, “screwed!”
Then the entire cast kicked off the latest season with the traditional sign on, “Live from New York … It’s Saturday night!”
Biden to visit Howell on Tuesday to promote infrastructure plan
Washington — President Joe Biden will visit Howell on Tuesday, the White House said Sunday.
Biden is expected to discuss the bipartisan infrastructure plan and his “Build Back Better” agenda, which is currently being debated in Congress.
The White House did not provide further details about the visit Sunday morning.
The fate of the two packages crucial to enacting his agenda — the $3.5 trillion social spending bill supported by most Democrats and the more modest infrastructure bill supported by a bipartisan group — has been put in limbo this week as leaders debate on how to move forward.
Moderate Democrats are pushing for the House to pass the infrastructure bill as it determines whether the larger bill has the support it needs to pass; progressives are insisting the two stay linked to retain leverage to pass the $3.5 trillion bill.
Biden urged the Democratic caucus on Friday to delay a vote on the infrastructure package and said he would continue to negotiate over the larger package.
He’s also pledged to do more to educate the public about the plan’s new and expanded programs, which he contends have the support of the vast majority of the electorate.
Biden visited Michigan last in June during the Traverse City Cherry Festival. During that visit, he toured a farm, bought some pies and met with supporters who came out to shake his hand and get photos.
The last time the president came to Metro Detroit was in mid-May when he visited the Ford Motor Co. Rouge Electric Vehicle Center to present his $174 billion plan to dominate the burgeoning electric vehicle market.
“The future of the auto industry is electric. There’s no turning back,” Biden said at the plant. “The question is whether we will lead or we will fall behind in the race to the future.”
At that point, the administration was negotiating with Congress over what to include in the larger jobs and infrastructure plan.
Biden’s approval rating has fallen in Michigan recently. Around 39% of Michigan voters approved of his performance and 53% disapproved, according to an Aug. 31-Sept. 3 survey by the Glengariff Group.
Among those contributing to the decline in approval are “leaning Democratic” voters whose approval decreased by 32% and independent voters whose approval dipped by 11%, said Richard Czuba, president of Glengariff.
Biden isn’t the only Washington official coming to Michigan to promote the infrastructure plan.
On Monday, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge will be in Detroit to push for the Biden-Harris Administration’s Build Back Better agenda and its investments in housing construction and rehabilitation, economic development, and community revitalization.
In the morning, the secretary will visit the Thome Rivertown Neighborhood and Delta Manor, both Section 202 senior housing communities. In the afternoon, she will visit Clement Kern Gardens, an 86-unit complex that will be developed as part of a $30 million HUD Choice Neighborhood grant. The development is an example of how the Build Back Better agenda’s investments in housing and HUD programs will revitalize communities.
President Joe Biden Proclaims October 3 Through October 9, 2021, as National Community Policing Week
President Joe Biden’s Proclamation on National Community Policing Week, 2021.
Community policing — the practice of law enforcement professionals working side-by-side with members of their communities to keep neighborhoods safe — is a critical and joe biden president official photo 2021proven tool used by law enforcement agencies across our Nation to improve public safety and forge strong, valuable relationships. During National Community Policing Week, we recommit to building bonds of trust between our law enforcement officers and the communities they serve and encourage community policing practices across our Nation.
America’s law enforcement officers play an essential role in protecting our communities and enforcing our laws. Every time an officer pins on their badge and walks out their front door, the loved ones they wave goodbye to are forced to wonder if they will return home safely. This week and every week, we recognize the bravery and dedication of our peace officers who put themselves on the line each and every day to protect and serve their communities.
We also recognize the role that all community members play in advancing public safety. As our country continues to reckon with a long and painful history of systemic racism — as well as the ongoing challenges of social and economic injustice, the COVID-19 pandemic, mental illness, homelessness, and substance abuse — we must think broadly, conscientiously, and creatively about the future of effective policing and how to foster strong police-community partnerships. Evidence and experience tell us that strong neighborhood relationships, the use of problem-solving to address crime systematically, and improvements to policy and training — key tenets of community policing — are all tools that help make our communities safer. My Administration is using programs such as the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods to bring together law enforcement and community stakeholders in an effort to develop local solutions to help prevent violent crime.
I have long been an advocate for community policing, just as my late son Beau was when he served as Attorney General of Delaware — because he knew, as I know, that it works. It is especially important now, as State and local governments across the country continue to climb back from the once-in-a-century economic crisis triggered by COVID-19 last year. With their budgets decimated, countless communities were forced to cut essential services in 2020, including law enforcement and social services, just as a second public health epidemic of gun violence threatened the safety of their cities and towns. To help keep our communities safe, my Administration has provided local leaders with guidance on how American Rescue Plan funds can be used to help reduce violent crime and ensure public safety. I am also committed to investing in mental health services, drug treatment and prevention programs, services for people experiencing homelessness, and community violence intervention. Community violence intervention programs are vital to preventing violence before it occurs, and they have a proven track record of reducing crime by up to 60 percent in cities across our Nation.
My Administration is also working to ensure that police departments have the resources they need to serve their communities safely and effectively. Communities experiencing a surge in gun violence can make use of $350 billion in State and local funding included in the American Rescue Plan to hire law enforcement officers and advance community policing strategies. I have also proposed an additional $300 million in my budget for next year to support community policing across our country. As I seek that additional funding, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services at the Department of Justice will continue to provide grants for community policing pilot projects and hiring local police officers — including funding prioritization for officers who will live in the communities they serve. These new resources will allow departments to implement community policing strategies and strengthen police-community partnerships.
At its core, community policing is about building trust and mutual respect between police and communities — important goals that can only be reached when we have accountability and faith in our justice system. That’s why I strongly support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would deliver meaningful accountability, improved transparency, and the resources necessary to support community policing and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Although that bill is not yet law, my Administration will continue to consult with the law enforcement and civil rights communities to achieve reforms that advance safety, dignity, and equal justice for all Americans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 3 through October 9, 2021, as National Community Policing Week. I call upon law enforcement agencies, elected officials, and all Americans to observe this week by recognizing ways to improve public safety, build trust, and strengthen community relationships.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.
