'"He'd like his legacy to be that he rescued us from Trump," says author and Democratic strategist Susan Estrich. "But sadly, for him, his legacy is Trump again. He is the bridge from Trump One to Trump Two."
It didn't have to be this way. Biden and his team were buffeted by events – some within his control and some outside it. Many of the most damaging developments were entirely predictable, however – and, in fact, predicted - yet the president and his administration appeared to be caught flat-footed.
For that, they paid a high price.
Biden's first misstep as president came half a world away, in the chaos that unfolded during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
The exit had been negotiated during the final months of the Trump administration, but Biden backed it – despite warnings from some of his military advisors.
Those dire predictions proved prophetic, as Kabul descended into panic and unrest.
By the end of that month, Biden's Gallup approval rating had dipped below 50% for the first time – a mark it would never again reach.
On the domestic front, the situation for the president was equally inauspicious. By summer, US inflation had surpassed 5% for the first time in 30 years.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that she believed the spike was "transitory". Biden called it "temporary". Some outside the administration, most notably Obama's economy adviser Larry Summers, thought otherwise.
By the time inflation reached its peak a year later, at 9.1% in June 2022, Yellen and Biden had admitted they miscalculated.'
It didn't have to be this way. Biden and his team were buffeted by events – some within his control and some outside it. Many of the most damaging developments were entirely predictable, however – and, in fact, predicted - yet the president and his administration appeared to be caught flat-footed.
For that, they paid a high price.
Biden's first misstep as president came half a world away, in the chaos that unfolded during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
The exit had been negotiated during the final months of the Trump administration, but Biden backed it – despite warnings from some of his military advisors.
Those dire predictions proved prophetic, as Kabul descended into panic and unrest.
By the end of that month, Biden's Gallup approval rating had dipped below 50% for the first time – a mark it would never again reach.
On the domestic front, the situation for the president was equally inauspicious. By summer, US inflation had surpassed 5% for the first time in 30 years.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that she believed the spike was "transitory". Biden called it "temporary". Some outside the administration, most notably Obama's economy adviser Larry Summers, thought otherwise.
By the time inflation reached its peak a year later, at 9.1% in June 2022, Yellen and Biden had admitted they miscalculated.'
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