WEBVTT

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Okay, let's unpack this. Today we are attempting,

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I guess you could say, a really deep dive into

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a political career that's just massive, one of

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the most extensive, and yeah, probably one of

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the most paradoxical in modern American history.

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We're talking about Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.

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It's a huge canvas, isn't it? Absolutely. I mean,

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you're looking at a public life that stretches

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over five decades, starts way back in Delaware,

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municipal government, then boom. 36 years in

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the U .S. Senate. 36 years. It's hard to even

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wrap your head around that length of service

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in one body. And then, of course, eight years

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as vice president under Obama. Followed by the

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presidency itself. Four years as the 46th president.

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Ending up as the oldest person ever to hold that

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office. He turned 80 while he was still president.

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Which is just unprecedented. The sheer duration,

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the range of offices. It's almost unparalleled

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in American history. serving continuously for

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half a century at that level. Yeah, it really

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demands more than just listing dates and titles.

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We need to try and understand the person, the

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politician navigating all of that. So our mission

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today. for you listening is really to cut through

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some of the noise, the day -to -day political

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commentary, and focus on the substance. What

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were the actual policy choices? What was his

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personal journey like? We want to pull out those

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key legislative moments, the wins, the losses.

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Understand the big turning points, both personal

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and political, that really shaped him. And maybe

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the most fascinating part, dig into the stark

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contrast we see. You mean between the policy

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outcomes and how people felt about him? Precisely.

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Historians are already starting to rank his presidency

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pretty favorably in terms of legislative output.

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Yet public perception, especially towards the

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end, was persistently negative. Driven largely

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by economic anxieties, as we'll see. Right. And

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that perception gap ultimately undermined his

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final years and led to that. really unprecedented

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decision to withdraw from the 2024 race. So we're

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looking for those connections, those aha moments

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that might help explain this incredibly long,

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incredibly complex story. OK, so let's start

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right at the beginning. The foundation. The roots.

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Joe Biden was born November 20th, 1942, Scranton,

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Pennsylvania, a Catholic family, mostly Irish

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descent. But that image, the middle class Joe

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thing. That really comes from the family's early

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financial situation, doesn't it? It absolutely

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does. That narrative is central to his political

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identity. His father, Joseph Sr., had some serious

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business setbacks early on. Things got tough

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enough that the family actually had to live with

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his mom's parents in Scranton for a while. So

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it wasn't necessarily poverty, but it was definitely

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a step down, a period of instability. Exactly.

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Financial strain, maybe a loss of status. They

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eventually moved to Delaware, Claymont first,

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then Wilmington when Joe Jr. was about 10. He

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often talked about seeing his father struggle

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to regain his footing. And his father eventually

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found success as a used car salesman, right?

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Yes, he did. But that earlier period, that feeling

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of precariousness, that seems to have left a

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really deep impression on Biden. It became the

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bedrock of his connection to working class and

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middle class voters. Now, looking at his early

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life, there's this interesting sort of tension.

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He clearly had ambition, leadership qualities,

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but his academic record wasn't exactly stellar.

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That's a recurring theme, isn't it? At Archmere

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Academy. a private Catholic school. He was class

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president his junior and senior years. So popular,

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a leader. But he himself admitted he was a poor

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student. And that pattern kind of continued into

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university and law school. It seemed so. He went

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to the University of Delaware, then Syracuse

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University for Law School, graduating in 1968.

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But he was ranked 76th out of a class of 85.

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And there's a specific incident from law school

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that came back to haunt him later. Yes, a very

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significant one for his later career. In his

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first year, he failed a course because he plagiarized

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five pages from a published law review article

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for a paper. Wow, five pages. Yeah. He claimed

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it was unintentional, a misunderstanding of citation

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rules. The faculty reviewed it, and while they

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initially failed him in the course, they later

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allowed him to retake it. And that specific failing

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grade was eventually struck from his record.

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But the fact that it happened. The fact that

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it happened became crucial biographical context.

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It resurfaced dramatically during his first presidential

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run decades later. It feeds into this narrative,

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perhaps, of ambition, sometimes outpacing, let's

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say, strict adherence to the rules. Before the

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Senate, though, he did take his first steps into

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actual governing. Right. On the Newcastle County

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Council in Delaware, served from 1971 to 1973.

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And wasn't his platform surprisingly progressive

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for that time and place? It really was. Looking

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back, he was actively supporting public housing

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initiatives in the suburbs, which is a very hot

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button issue then. He also opposed building large

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highway projects near Wilmington, arguing they

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would harm existing neighborhoods. It showed

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a kind of grassroots, almost activist streak

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early on. Which then leads us to 1972, the big

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Senate race. He was a massive underdog. A complete

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long shot. He was challenging J. Caleb Boggs,

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a popular two -term Republican incumbent, former

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governor, a giant in Delaware politics. Biden

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was only 29 when he decided to run. And he had,

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what, practically no money? Very little institutional

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support, minimal funds. The campaign was famously

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a family affair. His sister... Valerie Biden

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Owens was his campaign manager. Other family

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members pitched in constantly. How did they even

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compete? Delaware's small size was actually an

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advantage. They could run a very intense retail

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politics campaign. Lots of face -to -face interaction,

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distributing position papers by hand. It was

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energetic, relentless. And his platform, what

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was he running on? It was pretty forward -looking

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for 72. Environmental protection. strong support

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for civil rights, health care access, fairer

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taxes, and critically, a clear call for withdrawal

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from the Vietnam War. He tapped into the anti

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-war sentiment and a desire for change. Even

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so, the polls looked grim for a long time. Yeah,

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he was trailing by almost 30 points just a few

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months out. But he kept pounding the pavement,

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and Boggs perhaps ran a slightly complacent campaign.

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And the result was... Absolutely stunning. Biden

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won by just over 3 ,000 votes, about 50 .5%,

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making him at age 30 the seventh youngest person

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ever elected to the U .S. Senate. An incredible

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victory. The absolute peak of political triumph

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for a young man. And then, almost immediately,

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the most crushing personal tragedy imaginable.

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It's just devastating to think about. Weeks after

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the election, December 18, 1972. His wife, Nelia,

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and their one -year -old daughter, Naomi. They

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were out Christmas shopping. Their station wagon

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was hit by a tractor trailer. Nelia and Naomi

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were killed instantly. His sons, Beau, who was

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three, and Hunter, just two, were in the car

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and were seriously injured but survived. The

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whiplash from that election high to this unimaginable

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low. It's hard to comprehend. It almost broke

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him. He was actually sworn into the Senate in

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January 1973 at his son's hospital bedside in

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Wilmington. He considered not taking the seat

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at all, didn't he? He seriously thought about

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resigning immediately. He felt he couldn't possibly

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be a senator and a single father to two traumatized

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young boys. But Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield,

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a key figure here, talked him out of it. How

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did Mansfield convince him? Mansfield basically

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told him the Senate needed him. that they would

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accommodate his situation, allow him flexibility.

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He urged him to give it six months. It was a

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crucial intervention. The emotional toll must

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have been immense. He's spoken about it since,

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about how dark that period was. Very openly,

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especially later in life. He wrote about contemplating

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suicide, feeling immense anger, questioning his

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faith. He said he felt like God had played a

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horrible trick on him. That raw grief, that sense

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of duty to his surviving sons. It shaped everything

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that followed. Including the famous commute.

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Yes. The decision not to move his family to Washington,

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D .C. Instead, he started commuting daily by

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Amtrak train from Wilmington. Over 90 minutes

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each way, every day, for his entire Senate career.

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That decision kept him rooted in Delaware, rooted

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in his family life, in a way most senators aren't.

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It absolutely did. It became fundamental to his

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political identity, Amtrak Joe. The regular guy

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going home every night. And eventually he did

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find personal happiness again. He did. He met

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Jill Tracy Jacobs, a teacher, in 1975 on a blind

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date set up by his brother. They married in 1977.

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He credits her enormously with helping him rebuild

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his life and renewing his passion for politics.

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They had a daughter together, Ashley. Ashley

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Biden, born in 1981. She became a social worker

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and activist. And of course, his sons, Beau and

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Hunter, remain central to his life. Beau followed

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him into public service, becoming Delaware's

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attorney general. Tragically, Beau also died

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young from brain cancer in 2015, another profound

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loss. A devastating blow, particularly as Beau

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was seen by many as the inheritor of his father's

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political mantle. And Hunter, well... Hunter's

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life and business dealings became much more complicated

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and eventually a major political issue during

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his father's presidency. Yes, Hunter's career

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as a lobbyist, consultant, advisor, particularly

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his work in Ukraine and China, created significant

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political vulnerabilities later on. But that

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initial tragedy, the loss of Naley and Naomi

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and the focus on raising Beau and Hunter, that's

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really the crucible where the Joe Biden we know

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was forged. OK, so let's move into those long

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Senate years. 36 years, six reelections. That

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kind of longevity gives you enormous influence.

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Huge influence. He eventually chaired powerful

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committees, the Judiciary Committee, the Foreign

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Relations Committee. He was a major player. When

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you look back at that legislative record, what

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stands out, especially on the domestic side?

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Well, you have to talk about crime policy. That

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was a major focus for him, particularly in the

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80s and 90s. He was... deeply involved in two

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landmark crime bills. The 1984 Act first. Right.

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The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984.

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That was significant in itself, part of the Reagan

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era focus on law and order. But the really big

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one, the one that's debated constantly now, is

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the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement

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Act. He was the chairman of the Judiciary Committee

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then, right? He really drove that bill. He was

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the architect. It was a massive piece of legislation.

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It included... Things many Democrats supported,

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like the federal assault weapons ban. But it

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also contained provisions that significantly

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contributed to the era of mass incarceration.

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Things like three strikes, mandatory life sentences,

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huge funding increases for police and prisons.

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It really doubled down on punitive measures.

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And that legacy became incredibly controversial

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over time. Hugely controversial. Critics, especially

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on the left, point to the 1994 bill as a key

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driver of racial disparities in the justice system

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and the explosion of the U .S. prison population.

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It became a real political liability for him

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later. Did he ever acknowledge those criticisms?

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Yes, eventually he did, particularly during the

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2020 campaign and his presidency. He expressed

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regret, saying that while the intentions behind

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parts of the bill, like community policing, were

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good, other parts went too far. and had damaging

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unintended consequences. He specifically said

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some aspects were a mistake. It shows maybe a

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capacity to evolve on an issue, albeit slowly.

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Perhaps, or at least recognize the political

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necessity of addressing that legacy. On a more

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positive note, in terms of social policy, what

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did he champion? His signature achievement, the

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one he consistently called his proudest legislative

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accomplishment, was the Violence Against Women

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Act, or VABAW. also passed in 1994 as part of

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that crime bill, wasn't it? It was initially

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included in the crime bill package. Via Boba

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Way fundamentally changed the way domestic violence

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and sexual assault were treated under federal

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law. It provided funding for shelters, victim

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services, training for law enforcement, and created

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new legal avenues for victims. It was groundbreaking.

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So a complex picture on domestic... policy, champion

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of VIABOA, but also architect of a crime bill

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with a difficult legacy. Very much so. And it

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gets even more complex when you look at issues

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where he seemed to break with his party's base.

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You're thinking of the bankruptcy bill. Exactly.

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The 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer

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Protection Act. This is a really crucial piece

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of his record for understanding his political

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positioning and, frankly, his vulnerabilities.

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What did that bill do? In simple terms, it made

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it much, much harder for individuals struggling

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with debt to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. That's

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the kind that wipes out most unsecured debts

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like credit card debt or medical bills. So it

00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:28.379
pushed people towards Chapter 13 instead. Right,

00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:30.759
which requires them to enter into a repayment

00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:33.720
plan over several years. It was a huge win for

00:12:33.720 --> 00:12:35.899
the credit card industry and other lenders. And

00:12:35.899 --> 00:12:38.379
Biden was a key supporter. He was not just a

00:12:38.379 --> 00:12:40.700
supporter. He was a vocal advocate for it and

00:12:40.700 --> 00:12:43.299
one of only 18 Democrats in the Senate to vote

00:12:43.299 --> 00:12:46.000
for it. It was fiercely opposed by almost all

00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.340
other leading Democrats, consumer protection

00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:50.679
groups, women's groups worried about divorced

00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:54.159
women. The opposition was intense. Why did he

00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:56.440
back it so strongly? This seems counter to his

00:12:56.440 --> 00:12:59.240
middle class Joe persona. This is where his Delaware

00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:01.779
roots become absolutely critical. Delaware, as

00:13:01.779 --> 00:13:03.980
you know, is a major hub for the financial services

00:13:03.980 --> 00:13:05.899
industry, particularly credit card companies.

00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:08.879
MBNA, which was then one of the largest credit

00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.419
card issuers in the world, was headquartered

00:13:11.419 --> 00:13:13.480
there and was one of Delaware's biggest employers.

00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:17.190
And Biden had ties to MBNA. Strong ties. They

00:13:17.190 --> 00:13:18.870
were a major source of campaign contributions

00:13:18.870 --> 00:13:22.809
over the years. His son, Hunter Biden, also worked

00:13:22.809 --> 00:13:25.909
for MB &A for a period. Critics hammered him

00:13:25.909 --> 00:13:28.090
relentlessly, arguing he was putting the interests

00:13:28.090 --> 00:13:30.529
of his corporate constituents in Delaware ahead

00:13:30.529 --> 00:13:32.710
of struggling families nationwide. That vote

00:13:32.710 --> 00:13:35.129
definitely stuck to him. Oh, absolutely. It was

00:13:35.129 --> 00:13:37.549
used against him in the 2008 primaries, the 2020

00:13:37.549 --> 00:13:40.210
primaries. It fed the narrative that despite

00:13:40.210 --> 00:13:42.950
the working class image, he was perhaps too cozy

00:13:42.950 --> 00:13:45.500
with corporate interests. Let's pivot to foreign

00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:48.220
policy during his Senate years. This became his

00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:50.960
real area of expertise, right? Especially as

00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:53.919
chair of foreign relations. Yes. He increasingly

00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:57.120
focused on foreign policy and saw himself as

00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:59.320
a major voice on the world stage. His stance

00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:02.009
evolved over time, though. How so? He voted against

00:14:02.009 --> 00:14:04.830
authorizing the first Gulf War in 1991. He did.

00:14:04.970 --> 00:14:07.330
He argued at the time for giving sanctions more

00:14:07.330 --> 00:14:09.970
time to work. But his most defining moments in

00:14:09.970 --> 00:14:12.289
the 90s came in relation to the Balkans. The

00:14:12.289 --> 00:14:15.570
wars in Bosnia and Kosovo. Exactly. He became

00:14:15.570 --> 00:14:18.870
a very forceful advocate for intervention. He

00:14:18.870 --> 00:14:22.090
pushed hard for the lift and strike policy, lifting

00:14:22.090 --> 00:14:25.070
the arms embargo on Bosnian Muslims and using

00:14:25.070 --> 00:14:27.919
NATO air power against the Serbs. He even met

00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:31.019
face to face with Serbian leader Slobod Milisejevic,

00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:33.940
apparently delivering a very blunt message. And

00:14:33.940 --> 00:14:36.799
he supported the NATO bombing campaign in Kosovo

00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:40.299
in 1999. Very strongly. In fact, he later called

00:14:40.299 --> 00:14:42.779
his role in shaping U .S. policy towards the

00:14:42.779 --> 00:14:46.399
Balkans his proudest moment in public life related

00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:49.059
to foreign policy. He felt he had pushed the

00:14:49.059 --> 00:14:51.539
U .S. to act morally against genocide. But then

00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:54.740
came the post 9 -11 era, the war on terror. That

00:14:54.740 --> 00:14:56.460
seems like a more complicated chapter for him.

00:14:56.580 --> 00:14:58.779
Much more complicated. He's an early and strong

00:14:58.779 --> 00:15:00.820
supporter of the war in Afghanistan after the

00:15:00.820 --> 00:15:03.639
9 -11 attacks. His quote was basically, whatever

00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:05.980
it takes, we should do it. No hesitation there.

00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:08.360
Iraq was different. Iraq was very different and

00:15:08.360 --> 00:15:10.179
ultimately much more damaging to his reputation.

00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:12.820
As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

00:15:12.820 --> 00:15:15.980
in 2002, he played a really central role in the

00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:18.419
lead up to the war. He held hearings. He presided

00:15:18.419 --> 00:15:20.419
over the crucial hearings on Saddam Hussein's

00:15:20.419 --> 00:15:23.279
alleged weapons of mass destruction. Critics

00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:24.980
later pointed out that these hearings gave a

00:15:24.980 --> 00:15:27.519
prominent platform to pro -war voices and administration

00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:30.860
officials, while perhaps marginalizing dissenting

00:15:30.860 --> 00:15:33.730
experts who questioned the intelligence. And

00:15:33.730 --> 00:15:36.149
crucially, he voted for the war authorization.

00:15:36.629 --> 00:15:39.590
Yes. In October 2002, he voted in favor of the

00:15:39.590 --> 00:15:41.710
authorization for use of military force against

00:15:41.710 --> 00:15:44.669
Iraq. That vote would follow him for years. Did

00:15:44.669 --> 00:15:47.970
he stand by it? Not indefinitely. By 2005, as

00:15:47.970 --> 00:15:50.830
the insurgency raged and the WMND rationale collapsed,

00:15:51.110 --> 00:15:54.509
he publicly called his vote a mistake. He said

00:15:54.509 --> 00:15:56.350
he had voted based on intelligence presented

00:15:56.350 --> 00:15:58.809
to him, believing the goal was to allow weapons

00:15:58.809 --> 00:16:01.250
inspectors back in, not necessarily immediate

00:16:01.250 --> 00:16:04.159
invasion. But calling it a mistake didn't stop

00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:06.179
him from supporting funding for the war, did

00:16:06.179 --> 00:16:08.539
it? No. And that was the difficult line he had

00:16:08.539 --> 00:16:11.059
to walk. He continued to vote for appropriations

00:16:11.059 --> 00:16:13.200
to support the troops and the ongoing occupation,

00:16:13.460 --> 00:16:16.100
even while criticizing the war's strategy and

00:16:16.100 --> 00:16:18.679
execution. It made his position look inconsistent

00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:21.340
to some. He did eventually propose alternative

00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:26.039
strategies, though. Yes. By 2006 -2007, he was

00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:28.580
actively opposing President Bush's troop surge

00:16:28.580 --> 00:16:31.789
strategy. And he controversially proposed a plan

00:16:31.789 --> 00:16:35.250
to effectively partition Iraq into three autonomous

00:16:35.250 --> 00:16:38.409
regions based on ethnicity, Shia, Sunni, and

00:16:38.409 --> 00:16:40.769
Kurd, linked by a weak federal government. That

00:16:40.769 --> 00:16:43.110
idea didn't really go anywhere, did it? It passed

00:16:43.110 --> 00:16:45.529
the Senate as a non -binding resolution, but

00:16:45.529 --> 00:16:47.250
it lacked support from the Bush administration

00:16:47.250 --> 00:16:50.190
and, more importantly, from Iraqi leaders themselves.

00:16:50.470 --> 00:16:53.759
It was seen as unworkable. So his foreign policy

00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:56.419
record, while extensive, shows both conviction,

00:16:56.519 --> 00:16:58.799
like in the Balkans, and significant missteps

00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:01.480
and course corrections, like on Iraq. OK, here's

00:17:01.480 --> 00:17:03.279
where it gets really interesting, as you say,

00:17:03.419 --> 00:17:06.259
connecting that long Senate career and foreign

00:17:06.259 --> 00:17:08.900
policy heft to his presidential ambitions. His

00:17:08.900 --> 00:17:12.039
first attempt was in 1988. And it was. Let's

00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:14.240
just say it ended quickly and badly. A real flame

00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:15.980
out. What happened? He seemed like a strong candidate

00:17:15.980 --> 00:17:18.720
initially. Young, charismatic, chair of the Judiciary

00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:20.960
Committee. He did. He entered the race in June

00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:24.420
1987 with a lot of buzz. But the campaign almost

00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:26.920
immediately ran into trouble over messaging and,

00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:29.759
more significantly, biography. The killer blow

00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:33.019
came in September 1987. The plagiarism issue

00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:36.839
resurfaced. Big time. He was caught lifting passages.

00:17:37.470 --> 00:17:40.609
without attribution, from a speech by Neil Kinnock,

00:17:40.730 --> 00:17:42.529
who was then the leader of the British Labour

00:17:42.529 --> 00:17:45.269
Party. Kinnock's speech was very personal, very

00:17:45.269 --> 00:17:47.730
powerful about his family background. Exactly,

00:17:47.890 --> 00:17:50.089
about being the first Kinnock in a thousand generations

00:17:50.089 --> 00:17:53.309
to go to university. Biden used very similar

00:17:53.309 --> 00:17:55.509
phrasing and themes in his own closing remarks

00:17:55.509 --> 00:17:57.910
at debates and speeches, presenting Kinnock's

00:17:57.910 --> 00:18:00.470
life story almost as his own. And it wasn't just

00:18:00.470 --> 00:18:03.190
Kinnick, right? No. Once the Kinnick story broke,

00:18:03.410 --> 00:18:06.690
reporters dug deeper and found he had also borrowed

00:18:06.690 --> 00:18:08.970
lines from Robert F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey

00:18:08.970 --> 00:18:12.430
without crediting them. And then, crucially,

00:18:12.569 --> 00:18:15.730
the old law school plagiarism incident from Syracuse

00:18:15.730 --> 00:18:17.950
resurfaced in the news. That's a perfect storm.

00:18:18.150 --> 00:18:20.970
It got worse. The intense media scrutiny also

00:18:20.970 --> 00:18:23.650
uncovered a pattern of Biden making false or

00:18:23.650 --> 00:18:26.109
significantly exaggerated claims about his academic

00:18:26.109 --> 00:18:28.849
record and his past activism. What kind of claims?

00:18:29.130 --> 00:18:31.170
Things like saying he'd earned three undergraduate

00:18:31.170 --> 00:18:34.349
degrees here and won, that he attended law school

00:18:34.349 --> 00:18:36.539
on a full scholarship. He received a partial

00:18:36.539 --> 00:18:39.460
needs -based grant. That he graduated in the

00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:41.980
top half of his law class. He graduated near

00:18:41.980 --> 00:18:44.660
the bottom. And that he had marched in the civil

00:18:44.660 --> 00:18:46.940
rights movement. There's no evidence he actively

00:18:46.940 --> 00:18:48.819
marched, though he was involved in other ways,

00:18:48.940 --> 00:18:51.079
like working at a public pool in a black neighborhood.

00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:54.440
So the combination of plagiarism and these biographical

00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:56.779
embellishments. It just destroyed his credibility

00:18:56.779 --> 00:18:59.859
at that moment. The narrative became about authenticity

00:18:59.859 --> 00:19:03.799
or the lack thereof. He withdrew from the race

00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:07.000
on September 23, 1987, just three months after

00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:09.940
entering. It was a humiliating setback. A tough

00:19:09.940 --> 00:19:11.700
lesson learned about the national spotlight.

00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.240
A very tough lesson about how your entire past

00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:16.700
becomes fair game. Fast forward two decades,

00:19:16.859 --> 00:19:19.900
he tries again in 2008. He does. This time he's

00:19:19.900 --> 00:19:22.359
running explicitly on his experience, particularly

00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:25.319
foreign policy, positioning himself as the seasoned

00:19:25.319 --> 00:19:28.099
statesman compared to younger rivals like Barack

00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:30.640
Obama and Hillary Clinton. How did that run go?

00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:33.299
Not much better, frankly, in terms of results.

00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:36.680
He just couldn't gain traction against the excitement

00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:39.099
surrounding Obama or the established network

00:19:39.099 --> 00:19:41.859
of Clinton. He finished a distant fifth in the

00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:44.299
Iowa caucuses with less than 1 % of the delegates

00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:47.019
and dropped out shortly after. Another failed

00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:49.759
presidential bid. But this one had a silver lining.

00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:53.160
A massive silver lining. Because that very experience

00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:55.819
and perceived gravitas that failed to win him

00:19:55.819 --> 00:19:58.759
votes were exactly what Barack Obama was looking

00:19:58.759 --> 00:20:01.319
for in a running mate. It seems counterintuitive,

00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:03.099
though. They weren't particularly close, were

00:20:03.099 --> 00:20:05.180
they? There was even some reported friction.

00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:07.920
Reports suggest Biden might have resented Obama's

00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:10.799
incredibly rapid rise, while Obama perhaps found

00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:13.460
Biden a bit long -winded or prone to gaffes.

00:20:13.500 --> 00:20:15.619
It wasn't a natural friendship initially. The

00:20:15.619 --> 00:20:18.279
choice was highly strategic, almost transactional.

00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:20.500
Obama needed the foreign policy credibility.

00:20:21.019 --> 00:20:24.910
Exactly. Obama was a first -term senator. Biden

00:20:24.910 --> 00:20:26.890
had chaired the Foreign Relations Committee for

00:20:26.890 --> 00:20:30.089
years, traveled the world, knew countless leaders.

00:20:30.430 --> 00:20:33.390
He provided ballast, experienced national security

00:20:33.390 --> 00:20:36.809
credentials. Plus, Biden still had that connection

00:20:36.809 --> 00:20:39.670
to white working class voters, particularly in

00:20:39.670 --> 00:20:41.890
states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, that Obama

00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:45.079
hoped to win. So a marriage of convenience that

00:20:45.079 --> 00:20:47.000
worked out politically. It worked out brilliantly

00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:49.779
politically. And interestingly, by all accounts,

00:20:49.900 --> 00:20:52.380
they developed a genuinely close personal relationship

00:20:52.380 --> 00:20:54.180
during their eight years in the White House.

00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:56.880
The initial strategic calculation evolved into

00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:59.599
real affection and trust, partly helped, apparently,

00:20:59.700 --> 00:21:01.180
by the fact their daughters attended the same

00:21:01.180 --> 00:21:03.339
school. So let's move into that vice presidency,

00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:07.059
2009 to 2017. How did Biden define his role?

00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:10.119
He wasn't just a ceremonial figurehead. No, definitely

00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:12.940
not. He famously said his goal was often to be

00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:15.000
the last man in the room with the president offering

00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:18.240
his candid advice. He saw himself as a contrarian

00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:20.339
at times, someone who could challenge prevailing

00:21:20.339 --> 00:21:22.539
opinions within the administration to ensure

00:21:22.539 --> 00:21:25.180
Obama heard all sides of an argument. Did that

00:21:25.180 --> 00:21:27.779
play out in major policy debates? It certainly

00:21:27.779 --> 00:21:30.480
did, particularly regarding Afghanistan early

00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:33.299
on. There was a big internal debate about sending

00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:36.619
more troops to the surge. Biden argued strongly

00:21:36.619 --> 00:21:39.269
against a large troop increase. favoring a more

00:21:39.269 --> 00:21:41.829
limited counterterrorism approach focused on

00:21:41.829 --> 00:21:44.210
al -Qaeda. But he lost that argument initially,

00:21:44.410 --> 00:21:46.930
didn't he? He did. Secretary of State Hillary

00:21:46.930 --> 00:21:49.349
Clinton and the military leadership favor the

00:21:49.349 --> 00:21:52.109
surge, and Obama ultimately went with that plan,

00:21:52.369 --> 00:21:56.089
sending about 21 ,000 additional troops. However,

00:21:56.369 --> 00:21:59.250
Biden's skepticism lingered, and his perspective

00:21:59.250 --> 00:22:01.609
reportedly gained more weight later as Obama

00:22:01.609 --> 00:22:03.789
grew disillusioned with the Afghanistan strategy.

00:22:04.069 --> 00:22:06.529
So his contrarian view eventually had influence,

00:22:06.910 --> 00:22:10.329
even if delayed. It seems so. He also took the

00:22:10.329 --> 00:22:12.430
lead on Iraq policy, managing the withdrawal

00:22:12.430 --> 00:22:15.230
of U .S. troops by the end of 2011, drawing on

00:22:15.230 --> 00:22:17.349
his deep relationships in the region. Domestically,

00:22:17.369 --> 00:22:19.349
he had a major role in the Recovery Act, the

00:22:19.349 --> 00:22:22.049
stimulus package. Yes. Obama put him in charge

00:22:22.049 --> 00:22:23.970
of overseeing the implementation of the massive

00:22:23.970 --> 00:22:26.430
infrastructure spending within the American Recovery

00:22:26.430 --> 00:22:28.589
and Reinvestment Act. His job was to prevent

00:22:28.589 --> 00:22:31.109
waste and fraud. How'd it go? By his own account,

00:22:31.289 --> 00:22:34.589
and reports at the time, quite well. He held

00:22:34.589 --> 00:22:36.849
regular meetings, tracked projects meticulously,

00:22:36.970 --> 00:22:39.390
and his team reported a fraud rate of less than

00:22:39.390 --> 00:22:42.910
1%, which for a program that vast was considered

00:22:42.910 --> 00:22:45.069
a significant achievement in effective oversight.

00:22:45.289 --> 00:22:47.650
Of course, the public often remembers the VP

00:22:47.650 --> 00:22:50.829
years for, well, for Biden being Biden. Right.

00:22:50.910 --> 00:22:53.549
The unscripted moments. Ah, yes, the gaffes,

00:22:53.549 --> 00:22:55.529
though sometimes they were more like revealing

00:22:55.529 --> 00:22:58.430
moments of authenticity. The most famous, perhaps,

00:22:58.630 --> 00:23:00.809
was the hot mic moment at the Affordable Care

00:23:00.809 --> 00:23:03.869
Act signing ceremony in 2010. Leaning into Obama

00:23:03.869 --> 00:23:06.569
and whispering. This is a big fucking deal, which,

00:23:06.670 --> 00:23:08.809
you know, perfectly captured the relief and significance

00:23:08.809 --> 00:23:11.089
many Democrats felt at finally passing major

00:23:11.089 --> 00:23:13.839
health care reform. It became legendary. But

00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:17.039
another unscripted moment had arguably much bigger

00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:19.460
policy consequences, didn't it, on same -sex

00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:23.180
marriage? Absolutely. That was in May 2012 during

00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:25.500
an interview on Meet the Press. He was asked

00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:27.660
about his views on same -sex marriage, and he

00:23:27.660 --> 00:23:29.980
just came out and said, I am absolutely comfortable

00:23:29.980 --> 00:23:32.500
with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying

00:23:32.500 --> 00:23:35.160
women, and heterosexual men and women marrying

00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:37.740
another are entitled to the same exact rights.

00:23:38.019 --> 00:23:39.799
And this was before Obama had officially endorsed

00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:42.750
it. Yes. The official White House position at

00:23:42.750 --> 00:23:45.150
the time was that Obama's views were evolving.

00:23:45.970 --> 00:23:48.029
Biden's statement was made without administration

00:23:48.029 --> 00:23:51.130
clearance, apparently. It put immediate, intense

00:23:51.130 --> 00:23:53.329
pressure on Obama. Forced his hand, essentially.

00:23:53.650 --> 00:23:56.349
Many believe so. Just three days later, President

00:23:56.349 --> 00:23:58.690
Obama publicly announced his personal support

00:23:58.690 --> 00:24:01.349
for same -sex marriage. Biden's off -the -cuff

00:24:01.349 --> 00:24:04.210
remark effectively accelerated the timeline on

00:24:04.210 --> 00:24:06.349
a major civil rights issue. He also played a

00:24:06.349 --> 00:24:08.750
key role in some tough legislative negotiations

00:24:08.750 --> 00:24:11.359
using those Senate relationships. Definitely.

00:24:11.819 --> 00:24:15.240
He was central to negotiating the 2010 tax cut

00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:17.779
compromise with Senate Republican Leader Mitch

00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:20.200
McConnell during the lame duck session. That

00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:22.579
deal extended the Bush -Hare tax cuts but also

00:24:22.579 --> 00:24:25.299
included unemployment benefit extensions Democrats

00:24:25.299 --> 00:24:28.000
wanted. He prided himself on being able to cut

00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:30.559
deals across the aisle. But that reputation sometimes

00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:33.059
worked against him within his own party. It did.

00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:35.759
Some Democrats felt he gave away too much in

00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:38.400
those negotiations. That perception led to him

00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:40.380
being somewhat sidelined during the high stakes

00:24:40.380 --> 00:24:43.599
debt ceiling negotiations in 2011 and again during

00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:46.440
the 2013 government shutdown talks. Party leaders

00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:48.359
apparently worried he was too eager to compromise

00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:50.680
with Republicans. So a VP who was influential,

00:24:50.920 --> 00:24:53.359
sometimes controversial, often unscripted, but

00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:55.759
deeply involved in policy. That sums it up well.

00:24:55.839 --> 00:24:58.019
A very active and consequential vice president.

00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:01.859
office in 2017 what did he do did he signal a

00:25:01.859 --> 00:25:05.569
potential 2020 run early on not immediately He

00:25:05.569 --> 00:25:07.470
and Jill Biden focused on other things initially.

00:25:07.690 --> 00:25:09.509
They made a significant amount of money through

00:25:09.509 --> 00:25:12.630
speaking fees and book deals. His memoir, Promise

00:25:12.630 --> 00:25:15.170
Me Dad About Beau's Illness and Death, was a

00:25:15.170 --> 00:25:18.150
bestseller. They earned over $15 million between

00:25:18.150 --> 00:25:21.589
2017 and 2019. A substantial income spike after

00:25:21.589 --> 00:25:24.250
decades of public service salaries. Quite substantial.

00:25:24.569 --> 00:25:27.569
He also took up academic affiliations, becoming

00:25:27.569 --> 00:25:29.869
an honorary professor at the University of Pennsylvania

00:25:29.869 --> 00:25:32.789
and launching the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy

00:25:32.789 --> 00:25:35.369
and Global Engagement. It kept him involved in

00:25:35.369 --> 00:25:37.950
policy circles. But the pull towards 2020 must

00:25:37.950 --> 00:25:40.009
have been strong, especially with Trump in the

00:25:40.009 --> 00:25:41.809
White House. It seems the primary motivation

00:25:41.809 --> 00:25:45.910
was, as he framed it, a sense of duty. He launched

00:25:45.910 --> 00:25:49.250
his campaign in April 2019, explicitly stating

00:25:49.250 --> 00:25:51.569
he felt compelled to run because he believed

00:25:51.569 --> 00:25:53.910
President Trump posed a fundamental threat to

00:25:53.910 --> 00:25:55.710
the nation's values and standing in the world.

00:25:55.869 --> 00:25:57.890
He wasn't the only Democrat running, though.

00:25:57.970 --> 00:26:00.450
It was a crowded field. What made him the frontrunner?

00:26:00.650 --> 00:26:03.150
Initially, it was name recognition and the Obama

00:26:03.150 --> 00:26:06.180
connection. But his most durable advantage, the

00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:09.279
one that carried him through, was perceived electability.

00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:12.900
Poll after poll showed him performing best against

00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:15.660
Trump in hypothetical matchups. And Democratic

00:26:15.660 --> 00:26:18.480
primary voters were laser -focused on beating

00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:21.420
Trump. Overwhelmingly. So even when younger,

00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:23.720
perhaps more exciting candidates challenged him,

00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:26.759
Biden's perceived strength against Trump kept

00:26:26.759 --> 00:26:29.460
him popular, especially among moderate and older

00:26:29.460 --> 00:26:32.720
Democrats, and crucially, Black voters. That

00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:35.119
campaign wasn't smooth sailing, though. The Ukraine

00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:37.859
issue blew up early. Yes. The whole situation

00:26:37.859 --> 00:26:40.440
involving the Trump administration pressuring

00:26:40.440 --> 00:26:42.799
Ukraine's President Zelensky to announce investigations

00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:45.759
into Joe Biden and his son Hunter became a dominant

00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:48.579
storyline. Trump wanted investigations into Hunter's

00:26:48.579 --> 00:26:51.140
role on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy

00:26:51.140 --> 00:26:53.900
company, and this debunked conspiracy theory

00:26:53.900 --> 00:26:56.539
about Joe Biden forcing out a prosecutor to protect

00:26:56.539 --> 00:26:59.400
his son. Right. The allegation was that Biden

00:26:59.400 --> 00:27:02.650
misused his power as VP. Multiple investigations

00:27:02.650 --> 00:27:05.329
and journalistic accounts found no evidence of

00:27:05.329 --> 00:27:08.329
wrongdoing by Joe Biden. The prosecutor he pushed

00:27:08.329 --> 00:27:11.309
to oust was widely seen as corrupt by the U .S.,

00:27:11.309 --> 00:27:14.210
the EU, and international bodies. But the pressure

00:27:14.210 --> 00:27:17.630
campaign itself was the issue. Exactly. The fact

00:27:17.630 --> 00:27:19.329
that President Trump appeared to be leveraging

00:27:19.329 --> 00:27:22.329
U .S. foreign policy and military aid to damage

00:27:22.329 --> 00:27:24.930
a political opponent led directly to the House

00:27:24.930 --> 00:27:27.029
of Representatives impeaching Trump for abuse

00:27:27.029 --> 00:27:29.430
of power and obstruction of Congress in December

00:27:29.430 --> 00:27:33.369
2019. So Biden's family life, specifically Hunter's

00:27:33.369 --> 00:27:35.589
business dealings, became central to the political

00:27:35.589 --> 00:27:38.309
fight even before he won the nomination. Absolutely.

00:27:38.569 --> 00:27:40.789
It foreshadowed the attacks he would face constantly.

00:27:41.009 --> 00:27:44.009
Despite that, and despite some really poor showings

00:27:44.009 --> 00:27:45.710
in the first couple of primaries. Iowa and New

00:27:45.710 --> 00:27:47.569
Hampshire were disasters for him. He finished

00:27:47.569 --> 00:27:49.769
fourth and fifth, respectively. It looked like

00:27:49.769 --> 00:27:51.789
his campaign might collapse, just like in 88

00:27:51.789 --> 00:27:54.269
and 08. What turned it around? South Carolina,

00:27:54.430 --> 00:27:57.490
and specifically the overwhelming support of

00:27:57.490 --> 00:28:00.589
black voters there, galvanized by a key endorsement

00:28:00.589 --> 00:28:04.549
from Representative Jim Clyburn. Biden won South

00:28:04.549 --> 00:28:07.410
Carolina decisively. And that momentum was unstoppable.

00:28:07.769 --> 00:28:10.549
It created a wave. She went on to dominate Super

00:28:10.549 --> 00:28:13.890
Tuesday, winning 10 out of 14 states. His main

00:28:13.890 --> 00:28:15.970
rivals quickly dropped out and endorsed him.

00:28:16.029 --> 00:28:18.390
He effectively secured the nomination by April

00:28:18.390 --> 00:28:21.210
2020. He framed himself perfectly for that moment,

00:28:21.250 --> 00:28:23.970
saying, I view myself as a bridge. not as anything

00:28:23.970 --> 00:28:26.369
else. A bridge to the next generation. And his

00:28:26.369 --> 00:28:29.009
VP pick reflected that. Very much so. Choosing

00:28:29.009 --> 00:28:31.289
Kamala Harris, then a U .S. senator from California,

00:28:31.509 --> 00:28:34.230
was historic. She was the first African -American

00:28:34.230 --> 00:28:36.250
woman and the first South Asian -American person

00:28:36.250 --> 00:28:38.650
on a major party's presidential ticket. It fulfilled

00:28:38.650 --> 00:28:40.410
his promise to have a diverse administration

00:28:40.410 --> 00:28:42.890
and signaled a transition in leadership. Okay,

00:28:42.930 --> 00:28:45.230
so on to the presidency itself. January 2021.

00:28:45.890 --> 00:28:48.410
Inaugurated at 78, the oldest ever, second Catholic

00:28:48.410 --> 00:28:50.809
president, first from Delaware. What was the

00:28:50.809 --> 00:28:54.579
atmosphere like? It was tense and very unusual.

00:28:55.180 --> 00:28:58.799
Because of the ongoing COVID -19 pandemic, the

00:28:58.799 --> 00:29:01.680
crowds were extremely limited. And because of

00:29:01.680 --> 00:29:04.079
the January 6th attack on the Capitol just two

00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:06.940
weeks earlier, security was incredibly tight

00:29:06.940 --> 00:29:09.640
throughout Washington, D .C. It was a very muted,

00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:12.880
almost somber affair compared to typical inaugurations.

00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:15.589
What were his first moves in office? Setting

00:29:15.589 --> 00:29:18.309
the tone. He signed a flurry of executive orders

00:29:18.309 --> 00:29:21.049
on day one, aimed largely at reversing Trump

00:29:21.049 --> 00:29:23.410
administration policies. He rejoined the Paris

00:29:23.410 --> 00:29:25.869
Agreement on climate change, stopped the U .S.

00:29:25.890 --> 00:29:27.390
withdrawal from the World Health Organization,

00:29:27.710 --> 00:29:30.529
revoked the permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline,

00:29:30.710 --> 00:29:33.569
and ended the declared national emergency at

00:29:33.569 --> 00:29:35.910
the U .S.-Mexico border. A clear signal of a

00:29:35.910 --> 00:29:37.869
different direction, especially on climate and

00:29:37.869 --> 00:29:40.069
international cooperation. Absolutely. A sharp

00:29:40.069 --> 00:29:42.180
pivot. Domestically, the first couple of years

00:29:42.180 --> 00:29:44.480
were marked by some major legislative action.

00:29:44.539 --> 00:29:46.599
The Democratic Party controlled the House and

00:29:46.599 --> 00:29:49.240
narrowly the Senate. Right. They had the narrowest

00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:52.299
possible Senate majority, 50 -50, with Vice President

00:29:52.299 --> 00:29:55.119
Harris breaking ties. But they managed to push

00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:58.319
through three really significant pieces of legislation,

00:29:58.599 --> 00:30:01.470
what some call the legislative trifecta. First

00:30:01.470 --> 00:30:03.990
up was the COVID relief package. Yes, the American

00:30:03.990 --> 00:30:08.289
Rescue Plan Act, ARP, signed in March 2021. A

00:30:08.289 --> 00:30:11.509
massive $1 .9 trillion bill designed to address

00:30:11.509 --> 00:30:13.849
the ongoing economic and health crises from the

00:30:13.849 --> 00:30:16.230
pandemic. What was in it? Direct stimulus payments

00:30:16.230 --> 00:30:18.869
to most Americans, extended federal unemployment

00:30:18.869 --> 00:30:21.670
benefits, substantial funding for schools to

00:30:21.670 --> 00:30:24.589
reopen safely, money for COVID testing and vaccine

00:30:24.589 --> 00:30:27.250
distribution, aid to state and local governments.

00:30:27.849 --> 00:30:30.799
It was a huge injection of federal funds. Aimed

00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:33.440
at immediate relief and recovery. Exactly. Short

00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:35.420
-term boost. Then came the infrastructure bill.

00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:37.819
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, AIJA.

00:30:38.099 --> 00:30:39.839
This one was different because it was genuinely

00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:43.240
bipartisan. Passed later in 2021. How much money

00:30:43.240 --> 00:30:45.680
and what did it target? About $1 .2 trillion

00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:49.980
in total, with around $550 billion in new spending.

00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:52.859
It focused on traditional infrastructure roads,

00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:55.440
bridges, public transit, water pipes, broadband

00:30:55.440 --> 00:30:57.700
internet expansion, upgrading the electrical

00:30:57.700 --> 00:31:00.779
grid, electric vehicle charging stations, things

00:31:00.779 --> 00:31:02.980
both parties generally agreed needed investment.

00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:05.400
Getting significant Republican support for that

00:31:05.400 --> 00:31:07.480
was seen as a major win for Biden's approach.

00:31:07.740 --> 00:31:09.839
It absolutely was. It showed he could still work

00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:12.319
across the aisle on big issues, fulfilling a

00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:14.680
key campaign promise. And the third big one,

00:31:14.740 --> 00:31:17.380
arguably the most complex and maybe most impactful

00:31:17.380 --> 00:31:20.619
long term, was the Inflation Reduction Act, IRA.

00:31:20.940 --> 00:31:23.680
Right. Passed in the summer of 2022. This was

00:31:23.680 --> 00:31:25.900
essentially a scaled back and repurposed version

00:31:25.900 --> 00:31:28.480
of his original, much larger build back better

00:31:28.480 --> 00:31:30.799
plan, which had failed to pass the Senate due

00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:32.799
to opposition from moderate Democrats like Joe

00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:34.630
Biden. Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. How did they

00:31:34.630 --> 00:31:36.910
get this version through? They used the budget

00:31:36.910 --> 00:31:39.049
reconciliation process, which requires only a

00:31:39.049 --> 00:31:41.349
simple majority in the Senate bypassing a potential

00:31:41.349 --> 00:31:43.690
Republican filibuster. It passed strictly along

00:31:43.690 --> 00:31:47.190
Cardi Lyon's 51 -50, with VP Harris casting the

00:31:47.190 --> 00:31:49.349
tie -breaking vote. What were the main components

00:31:49.349 --> 00:31:52.990
of the IRA? It had three main pillars. First,

00:31:53.170 --> 00:31:55.250
significant investments in energy security and

00:31:55.250 --> 00:31:59.150
climate change, about $370 billion. Second, allowing

00:31:59.150 --> 00:32:01.470
Medicare to negotiate the prices of some high

00:32:01.470 --> 00:32:04.009
-cost prescription drugs for the first time and

00:32:04.009 --> 00:32:08.109
extending ACA subsidies. Third, it aimed to reduce

00:32:08.109 --> 00:32:10.430
the federal deficit, partly through a new minimum

00:32:10.430 --> 00:32:13.009
tax on large corporations. The climate provisions

00:32:13.009 --> 00:32:15.329
were really substantial, weren't they? Hugely

00:32:15.329 --> 00:32:17.700
substantial. Tax credits for electric vehicles,

00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:20.220
incentives for renewable energy production like

00:32:20.220 --> 00:32:22.400
solar and wind, funding for energy efficiency

00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:24.980
upgrades, support for domestic manufacturing

00:32:24.980 --> 00:32:27.519
of clean energy technology. Yeah. Analysts projected

00:32:27.519 --> 00:32:29.680
it would be the most significant climate legislation

00:32:29.680 --> 00:32:31.900
ever passed in the U .S. What kind of impact

00:32:31.900 --> 00:32:34.299
was it expected to have on emissions? Various

00:32:34.299 --> 00:32:36.240
models suggested it could help the U .S. cut

00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:38.440
its greenhouse gas emissions by somewhere between

00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:42.339
31 percent and 44 percent below 2005 levels by

00:32:42.339 --> 00:32:45.140
the year 2030. a really major step toward meeting

00:32:45.140 --> 00:32:47.880
international climate goals. So ARP for immediate

00:32:47.880 --> 00:32:50.680
relief, IIJA for bipartisan infrastructure, IRA

00:32:50.680 --> 00:32:52.480
for climate and health care, a pretty productive

00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:55.660
legislative run. Objectively, yes, especially

00:32:55.660 --> 00:32:59.240
given the razor -thin margins in Congress. Historians

00:32:59.240 --> 00:33:02.019
will likely look back on it as a period of significant

00:33:02.019 --> 00:33:04.960
legislative output. Which brings us back to that

00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:07.779
paradox. All this legislation passed, yet public

00:33:07.779 --> 00:33:10.980
approval remained low. Why? What was happening

00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:13.569
with the economy overall? The data painted a

00:33:13.569 --> 00:33:16.230
confusing picture. On one hand, you had really

00:33:16.230 --> 00:33:20.509
strong indicators. GDP growth in 2021 was 5 .9%,

00:33:20.509 --> 00:33:23.410
the fastest in nearly four decades. Job growth

00:33:23.410 --> 00:33:26.029
was strong too, right? Unemployment fell sharply?

00:33:26.150 --> 00:33:28.269
Very sharply. The unemployment rate dropped from

00:33:28.269 --> 00:33:31.430
over 6 % when he took office to a 53 -year low

00:33:31.430 --> 00:33:35.730
of 3 .4 % by early 2023. Millions of jobs were

00:33:35.730 --> 00:33:38.390
created. Household wealth also increased significantly.

00:33:38.730 --> 00:33:41.089
By traditional metrics, the economy looked quite

00:33:41.089 --> 00:33:43.009
robust. But that's not what people felt. No.

00:33:43.369 --> 00:33:45.470
Because the dominant economic story, the one

00:33:45.470 --> 00:33:47.509
that impacted everyone's daily lives, was inflation.

00:33:47.750 --> 00:33:50.869
It really took off in 2021 and 2022. It soared.

00:33:50.930 --> 00:33:53.789
Year -over -year inflation peaked at 9 .1 % in

00:33:53.789 --> 00:33:57.490
June 2022, a level not seen since the early 1980s.

00:33:57.589 --> 00:34:00.329
Prices for gas, groceries, housing, everything

00:34:00.329 --> 00:34:02.269
seemed to be going up rapidly. And even though

00:34:02.269 --> 00:34:04.329
the inflation rate eventually came down significantly?

00:34:04.849 --> 00:34:07.809
It did. It fell to around 3 % by the end of his

00:34:07.809 --> 00:34:10.519
term. But the cumulative effect of that price

00:34:10.519 --> 00:34:13.340
surge was huge. The overall consumer price index

00:34:13.340 --> 00:34:16.820
rose about 21 .3 % during his four years in office.

00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:19.619
And critically, wages didn't quite keep up with

00:34:19.619 --> 00:34:21.860
that cumulative rise for many people. That's

00:34:21.860 --> 00:34:24.619
the key. Average wage growth was around 19 %

00:34:24.619 --> 00:34:27.500
over the same period. So while wages were rising

00:34:27.500 --> 00:34:30.019
on paper, many families felt like their purchasing

00:34:30.019 --> 00:34:32.639
power was eroding because prices had risen even

00:34:32.639 --> 00:34:35.389
faster. That feeling of falling behind or just

00:34:35.389 --> 00:34:38.329
struggling to afford basics overshadowed the

00:34:38.329 --> 00:34:41.409
good news about jobs. And that frustration directly

00:34:41.409 --> 00:34:44.429
impacted his approval ratings. Overwhelmingly,

00:34:44.429 --> 00:34:47.170
poll after poll showed inflation and the cost

00:34:47.170 --> 00:34:49.429
of living were the top concerns for voters and

00:34:49.429 --> 00:34:51.809
the primary reason cited for dissatisfaction

00:34:51.809 --> 00:34:54.010
with his presidency. He simply couldn't shake

00:34:54.010 --> 00:34:55.969
the perception that the economy was bad for ordinary

00:34:55.969 --> 00:34:58.909
people, despite the positive macroeconomic data.

00:34:59.130 --> 00:35:01.610
Let's touch on a few other domestic areas. The

00:35:01.610 --> 00:35:04.760
judiciary. A major focus for him in an area where

00:35:04.760 --> 00:35:07.980
he arguably had a huge lasting impact. His most

00:35:07.980 --> 00:35:10.199
high profile appointment, of course, was Katonji

00:35:10.199 --> 00:35:12.619
Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. The first

00:35:12.619 --> 00:35:15.199
black woman to serve on the court. Historic.

00:35:15.639 --> 00:35:18.539
But beyond that, his administration prioritized

00:35:18.539 --> 00:35:21.639
diversity across the entire federal bench to

00:35:21.639 --> 00:35:24.000
an unprecedented degree. How many judges did

00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:26.809
he appoint overall? In just one term. He appointed

00:35:26.809 --> 00:35:30.409
235 federal judges. That's more than any president

00:35:30.409 --> 00:35:32.769
in their first term in the last 50 years. And

00:35:32.769 --> 00:35:35.650
the diversity numbers were striking. About 63

00:35:35.650 --> 00:35:38.610
percent of his appointees were women and 60 percent

00:35:38.610 --> 00:35:41.550
were non -white. That fundamentally reshapes

00:35:41.550 --> 00:35:44.269
the judiciary for decades to come. What about

00:35:44.269 --> 00:35:46.289
labor issues? He often called himself the most

00:35:46.289 --> 00:35:48.630
pro -union president. He definitely leaned into

00:35:48.630 --> 00:35:51.000
that identity. He took the unprecedented step

00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:54.260
in 2023 of actually joining striking United Auto

00:35:54.260 --> 00:35:56.659
Workers members on a picket line in Michigan,

00:35:56.760 --> 00:35:58.760
the first sitting president ever to do so. But

00:35:58.760 --> 00:36:01.460
he also intervened to stop a potentially crippling

00:36:01.460 --> 00:36:04.630
railroad strike in 2022, didn't he? He did. Congress

00:36:04.630 --> 00:36:07.070
passed legislation forcing railroad workers to

00:36:07.070 --> 00:36:09.510
accept a contract they had rejected, averting

00:36:09.510 --> 00:36:11.469
a strike that economists warned could devastate

00:36:11.469 --> 00:36:13.710
the supply chain. So a bit of a balancing act

00:36:13.710 --> 00:36:15.849
there between supporting unions and protecting

00:36:15.849 --> 00:36:18.289
the broader economy. Fiscal issues, debt ceiling,

00:36:18.650 --> 00:36:21.510
student loans. He signed the Fiscal Responsibility

00:36:21.510 --> 00:36:25.210
Act of 2023, a bipartisan deal negotiated with

00:36:25.210 --> 00:36:27.909
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to raise the debt

00:36:27.909 --> 00:36:30.250
ceiling and averts a potentially catastrophic

00:36:30.250 --> 00:36:34.289
default. It included some standing caps. On student

00:36:34.289 --> 00:36:37.090
loans, he pursued ambitious forgiveness plans.

00:36:37.590 --> 00:36:41.750
But those faced major hurdles. Huge legal challenges.

00:36:42.010 --> 00:36:44.369
His initial plan for broad student loan forgiveness

00:36:44.369 --> 00:36:47.170
was struck down by the Supreme Court. Subsequent

00:36:47.170 --> 00:36:49.610
efforts were more targeted, but still faced opposition

00:36:49.610 --> 00:36:52.630
and criticism over their cost, estimated at over

00:36:52.630 --> 00:36:55.170
half a trillion dollars, and questions of fairness.

00:36:55.469 --> 00:36:58.050
It was a key promise, especially to younger voters,

00:36:58.230 --> 00:37:00.610
that proved very difficult to deliver on fully.

00:37:00.969 --> 00:37:03.409
Okay, shifting to the world stage, foreign policy

00:37:03.409 --> 00:37:05.570
under Biden was dominated by some major crises.

00:37:05.789 --> 00:37:07.570
Absolutely. It felt like one thing after another.

00:37:07.670 --> 00:37:09.889
From the end of America's longest war to the

00:37:09.889 --> 00:37:12.090
return of large -scale conflict in Europe and

00:37:12.090 --> 00:37:13.869
renewed tensions in the Middle East and with

00:37:13.869 --> 00:37:16.070
China. Let's start with Afghanistan, the withdrawal

00:37:16.070 --> 00:37:19.530
in August 2021. That was arguably the lowest

00:37:19.530 --> 00:37:21.710
point of his first year in office, certainly

00:37:21.710 --> 00:37:24.599
in foreign policy terms. He followed through

00:37:24.599 --> 00:37:26.659
on the agreement negotiated by the Trump administration

00:37:26.659 --> 00:37:29.860
to withdraw all U .S. troops, though he extended

00:37:29.860 --> 00:37:32.559
the deadline slightly. What was his justification

00:37:32.559 --> 00:37:35.679
for pulling out completely? His core argument

00:37:35.679 --> 00:37:37.719
was that the U .S. mission had been accomplished

00:37:37.719 --> 00:37:40.840
years ago, degrading al -Taeda, and that staying

00:37:40.840 --> 00:37:43.519
longer wouldn't change the outcome. He famously

00:37:43.519 --> 00:37:45.519
said American troops shouldn't be dying in a

00:37:45.519 --> 00:37:47.860
war, that Afghan forces weren't willing to fight

00:37:47.860 --> 00:37:50.199
for themselves. He wanted to end the forever

00:37:50.199 --> 00:37:53.460
war. But the execution was widely seen as chaotic,

00:37:53.659 --> 00:37:56.940
even disastrous. The speed of the Taliban takeover

00:37:56.940 --> 00:37:59.019
stunned everyone, including the administration.

00:37:59.579 --> 00:38:02.780
Biden himself admitted the collapse unfolded

00:38:02.780 --> 00:38:05.539
more quickly than we had anticipated. The scenes

00:38:05.539 --> 00:38:08.360
at the Kabul airport with desperate Afghans trying

00:38:08.360 --> 00:38:10.940
to flee were heartbreaking and politically damaging.

00:38:11.340 --> 00:38:13.699
There was immense criticism from both parties,

00:38:13.860 --> 00:38:16.760
allies. Intense criticism over the planning and

00:38:16.760 --> 00:38:19.219
execution. However, the administration also pointed

00:38:19.219 --> 00:38:21.860
to the massive airlift operation evacuating over

00:38:21.860 --> 00:38:25.320
120 ,000 people, Americans, allies, vulnerable

00:38:25.320 --> 00:38:28.179
Afghans, in a very short time under dangerous

00:38:28.179 --> 00:38:31.539
conditions as an extraordinary success in logistical

00:38:31.539 --> 00:38:34.650
terms. But the image of chaos and abandonment

00:38:34.650 --> 00:38:36.889
lingered. Then just a few months later, Russia

00:38:36.889 --> 00:38:40.829
invaded Ukraine, February 2022. How did the administration

00:38:40.829 --> 00:38:43.550
respond? Swiftly and strongly, in coordination

00:38:43.550 --> 00:38:46.550
with allies. They imposed unprecedented economic

00:38:46.550 --> 00:38:50.050
sanctions on Russia, targeting banks, oligarchs,

00:38:50.050 --> 00:38:52.690
energy exports. They also authorized huge amounts

00:38:52.690 --> 00:38:54.929
of military and financial aid to Ukraine. How

00:38:54.929 --> 00:38:56.550
much aid are we talking about? Over the course

00:38:56.550 --> 00:38:58.530
of the war, during his term, Congress approved

00:38:58.530 --> 00:39:01.750
roughly $113 billion in total assistance for

00:39:01.750 --> 00:39:04.289
Ukraine. Biden consistently rallied international

00:39:04.289 --> 00:39:06.949
support for Kyiv and framed the conflict as a

00:39:06.949 --> 00:39:09.190
global struggle between democracy and autocracy,

00:39:09.409 --> 00:39:11.469
directly blaming Putin for the resulting energy

00:39:11.469 --> 00:39:13.610
and food price shocks. But there was a clear

00:39:13.610 --> 00:39:15.769
limit to U .S. involvement, wasn't there? A line

00:39:15.769 --> 00:39:18.210
they wouldn't cross. Yes, a very deliberate line.

00:39:18.710 --> 00:39:21.409
Biden consistently refused Ukrainian requests

00:39:21.409 --> 00:39:24.469
to use longer range American weapons to strike

00:39:24.469 --> 00:39:27.269
targets deep inside Russian territory. Why that

00:39:27.269 --> 00:39:30.559
restriction? The stated reason was fear of escalation,

00:39:30.639 --> 00:39:33.219
avoiding actions that could provoke a direct

00:39:33.219 --> 00:39:36.019
military conflict between NATO and nuclear -armed

00:39:36.019 --> 00:39:39.000
Russia. They wanted to support Ukraine's defense

00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:42.119
without triggering World War III. He did eventually

00:39:42.119 --> 00:39:44.800
grant a limited exception for using some weapons

00:39:44.800 --> 00:39:47.219
for counterfire purposes just across the border

00:39:47.219 --> 00:39:50.699
near Kharkiv in 2024, but the general prohibition

00:39:50.699 --> 00:39:53.239
on deep strikes remained. Let's talk about China.

00:39:53.800 --> 00:39:56.280
How did relations evolve? The relationship became

00:39:56.280 --> 00:39:59.940
defined by competition, even confrontation. Biden

00:39:59.940 --> 00:40:02.079
framed China as the United States' most serious

00:40:02.079 --> 00:40:04.679
competitor and organized alliances to counter

00:40:04.679 --> 00:40:06.500
its influence. But the Yorkies Pact was a big

00:40:06.500 --> 00:40:09.079
part of that. A very big part. The security agreement

00:40:09.079 --> 00:40:11.800
between Australia, the U .K. and the U .S. focused

00:40:11.800 --> 00:40:13.739
on providing Australia with nuclear -powered

00:40:13.739 --> 00:40:16.480
submarine technology was clearly aimed at countering

00:40:16.480 --> 00:40:18.500
China's military buildup in the Indo -Pacific.

00:40:18.639 --> 00:40:21.340
And Taiwan remained a major flashpoint. Biden

00:40:21.340 --> 00:40:23.340
made some comments that seemed to shift U .S.

00:40:23.340 --> 00:40:26.500
policy. He did, repeatedly. On several occasions,

00:40:26.760 --> 00:40:28.980
he stated unequivocally that the U .S. would

00:40:28.980 --> 00:40:32.340
defend Taiwan militarily if China invaded. These

00:40:32.340 --> 00:40:34.659
statements went beyond the longstanding U .S.

00:40:34.659 --> 00:40:38.059
policy of strategic ambiguity. And the White

00:40:38.059 --> 00:40:40.280
House had to walk those comments back. Each time,

00:40:40.340 --> 00:40:43.159
yes. Administration officials would clarify that

00:40:43.159 --> 00:40:46.219
U .S. policy hadn't officially changed. It created

00:40:46.219 --> 00:40:49.000
confusion and suggested a possible gap between

00:40:49.000 --> 00:40:51.280
the president's personal views and established

00:40:51.280 --> 00:40:53.739
diplomatic doctrine. Were there other concrete

00:40:53.739 --> 00:40:56.679
actions taken towards China? Yes. The administration

00:40:56.679 --> 00:40:58.699
ordered the shootdown of a suspected Chinese

00:40:58.699 --> 00:41:00.739
surveillance balloon that flew across the U .S.

00:41:00.760 --> 00:41:04.530
in February 2023. In 2024, Biden significantly

00:41:04.530 --> 00:41:07.769
increased tariffs on various Chinese goods, like

00:41:07.769 --> 00:41:10.349
electric vehicles, solar panels, steel, and batteries,

00:41:10.550 --> 00:41:13.050
citing unfair trade practices. And he signed

00:41:13.050 --> 00:41:15.110
legislation aimed at forcing the divestiture

00:41:15.110 --> 00:41:18.070
or ban of the popular app TikTok due to concerns

00:41:18.070 --> 00:41:20.849
about its Chinese ownership. So a much more confrontational

00:41:20.849 --> 00:41:23.400
stance than perhaps seen under Obama. Definitely

00:41:23.400 --> 00:41:26.199
more overtly competitive and confrontational,

00:41:26.280 --> 00:41:29.320
continuing and expanding on some trends that

00:41:29.320 --> 00:41:31.760
began under Trump, but embedding them within

00:41:31.760 --> 00:41:34.559
a strategy of strengthening alliances. Finally,

00:41:34.659 --> 00:41:37.320
the conflict in the Middle East. The Gaza War,

00:41:37.460 --> 00:41:41.360
starting in late 2023. A major crisis that consumed

00:41:41.360 --> 00:41:43.440
a huge amount of the administration's attention

00:41:43.440 --> 00:41:46.690
in its final year and a half. After the Hamas

00:41:46.690 --> 00:41:50.210
attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, Biden

00:41:50.210 --> 00:41:53.170
offered immediate ironclad support for Israel's

00:41:53.170 --> 00:41:56.110
right to defend itself. He condemned Hamas unequivocally.

00:41:56.110 --> 00:41:58.429
Yes, as a terrorist organization and deployed

00:41:58.429 --> 00:42:00.769
U .S. naval assets to the region as a deterrent.

00:42:01.309 --> 00:42:03.849
However, as Israel's military response in Gaza

00:42:03.849 --> 00:42:06.550
intensified, leading to a catastrophic humanitarian

00:42:06.550 --> 00:42:09.230
crisis and vast numbers of Palestinian civilian

00:42:09.230 --> 00:42:11.610
casualties, the administration faced growing

00:42:11.610 --> 00:42:13.969
pressure. Pressure from allies, human rights

00:42:13.969 --> 00:42:15.909
groups, and within the Democratic Party itself.

00:42:16.230 --> 00:42:17.869
Intense pressure to take a tougher line with

00:42:17.869 --> 00:42:20.630
Israel, condition military aid, and push harder

00:42:20.630 --> 00:42:23.170
for a ceasefire in humanitarian access. How did

00:42:23.170 --> 00:42:25.340
Biden navigate that? It was a very difficult

00:42:25.340 --> 00:42:28.699
tightrope walk. He publicly and privately urged

00:42:28.699 --> 00:42:31.699
Israel to minimize civilian harm and allow more

00:42:31.699 --> 00:42:34.840
aid into Gaza, but he resisted calls for conditioning

00:42:34.840 --> 00:42:37.780
aid or demanding an immediate permanent ceasefire.

00:42:38.110 --> 00:42:41.230
He supported temporary humanitarian pauses. The

00:42:41.230 --> 00:42:43.230
administration did try to facilitate aid delivery

00:42:43.230 --> 00:42:46.369
directly, didn't they? Yes. They initiated large

00:42:46.369 --> 00:42:48.769
-scale airdrops of food and supplies into Gaza

00:42:48.769 --> 00:42:51.690
and undertook a major military project to build

00:42:51.690 --> 00:42:54.110
a temporary pier off the coast to deliver aid

00:42:54.110 --> 00:42:57.630
by sea. However, aid organizations consistently

00:42:57.630 --> 00:43:00.750
said these efforts, while welcome, were far from

00:43:00.750 --> 00:43:02.610
sufficient given the scale of the need and the

00:43:02.610 --> 00:43:05.230
difficulties of distribution inside Gaza. Did

00:43:05.230 --> 00:43:07.010
the situation resolve before he left office?

00:43:07.500 --> 00:43:09.739
In the very final week of his presidency, his

00:43:09.739 --> 00:43:11.880
administration strongly backed a multi -phase

00:43:11.880 --> 00:43:14.280
ceasefire proposal that included hostage releases

00:43:14.280 --> 00:43:17.239
and a surge in aid. Hamas reportedly accepted

00:43:17.239 --> 00:43:19.500
the terms of the initial phase just days before

00:43:19.500 --> 00:43:22.019
the end of Biden's term, bringing a fragile pause

00:43:22.019 --> 00:43:24.219
to the fighting. So a presidency bookended by

00:43:24.219 --> 00:43:29.329
foreign policy crises. Ukraine and Gaza dominating

00:43:29.329 --> 00:43:32.070
the middle and end. It really underscored the

00:43:32.070 --> 00:43:34.210
volatile international landscape he inherited

00:43:34.210 --> 00:43:36.889
and navigated. Throughout all this, domestic

00:43:36.889 --> 00:43:39.250
and foreign, there was the constant underlying

00:43:39.250 --> 00:43:42.929
issue of his age. He was unavoidable. As the

00:43:42.929 --> 00:43:46.110
oldest president ever, his health, stamina, and

00:43:46.110 --> 00:43:48.110
cognitive fitness were under constant scrutiny,

00:43:48.230 --> 00:43:51.570
amplified by political opponents and media coverage

00:43:51.570 --> 00:43:54.360
of every verbal slip or unsteady moment. And

00:43:54.360 --> 00:43:56.699
that scrutiny intensified significantly after

00:43:56.699 --> 00:43:59.099
the report by special counsel Robert Herr. Yes.

00:43:59.239 --> 00:44:01.539
The Herr report investigated Biden's handling

00:44:01.539 --> 00:44:03.699
of classified documents after his vice presidency.

00:44:04.079 --> 00:44:06.380
While Herr concluded that criminal charges were

00:44:06.380 --> 00:44:08.980
not warranted, the report included some highly

00:44:08.980 --> 00:44:11.539
damaging, politically charged descriptions of

00:44:11.539 --> 00:44:13.840
the president's memory. What specifically did

00:44:13.840 --> 00:44:16.260
Herr write? He described Biden as a sympathetic,

00:44:16.659 --> 00:44:19.119
well -meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.

00:44:19.599 --> 00:44:22.019
He noted instances during interviews where Biden

00:44:22.019 --> 00:44:24.500
apparently couldn't recall key dates, like when

00:44:24.500 --> 00:44:26.980
his term as vice president began or ended or

00:44:26.980 --> 00:44:30.059
even, most painfully, the year his son Beau died.

00:44:30.260 --> 00:44:33.380
Those details were explosive. They fueled the

00:44:33.380 --> 00:44:36.079
narrative about his cognitive decline, even though

00:44:36.079 --> 00:44:39.019
allies pushed back strongly, saying the comments

00:44:39.019 --> 00:44:42.099
were unnecessary and politically motivated. But

00:44:42.099 --> 00:44:44.869
the damage was done. It fed directly into concerns

00:44:44.869 --> 00:44:47.909
leading up to the 2024 election cycle. And those

00:44:47.909 --> 00:44:50.070
concerns crystallized during the first presidential

00:44:50.070 --> 00:44:53.510
debate against Trump in June 2024. That debate

00:44:53.510 --> 00:44:56.130
performance was widely seen as a disaster for

00:44:56.130 --> 00:44:59.230
Biden. He sounded hoarse, paused frequently and

00:44:59.230 --> 00:45:02.170
delivered several halting, meandering and sometimes

00:45:02.170 --> 00:45:04.869
confusing answers. The reaction was immediate

00:45:04.869 --> 00:45:07.949
and brutal. Instantaneous panic among Democrats.

00:45:08.730 --> 00:45:11.889
pundits, donors, elected officials. The consensus

00:45:11.889 --> 00:45:14.630
formed rapidly that the performance was disqualifying,

00:45:14.750 --> 00:45:16.869
that he simply couldn't sustain the rigors of

00:45:16.869 --> 00:45:19.030
another campaign. The pressure on him to step

00:45:19.030 --> 00:45:21.710
aside must have been immense. Unbearable. Calls

00:45:21.710 --> 00:45:23.869
for him to withdraw grew louder by the day. After

00:45:23.869 --> 00:45:25.809
weeks of intense speculation and behind -the

00:45:25.809 --> 00:45:27.969
-scenes maneuvering, he finally announced his

00:45:27.969 --> 00:45:31.389
decision. On July 21, 2024, he withdrew from

00:45:31.389 --> 00:45:34.300
the presidential race. Yes, becoming the first

00:45:34.300 --> 00:45:37.239
eligible incumbent president not to seek re -election

00:45:37.239 --> 00:45:41.039
since Lyndon Johnson in 1968. He endorsed Vice

00:45:41.039 --> 00:45:43.940
President Kamala Harris to lead the ticket. It

00:45:43.940 --> 00:45:47.079
was a stunning, unprecedented end to his re -election

00:45:47.079 --> 00:45:49.659
bid, driven almost entirely by concerns about

00:45:49.659 --> 00:45:53.039
his age and fitness, crystallized by that debate

00:45:53.039 --> 00:45:56.019
performance. Even after withdrawing, his final

00:45:56.019 --> 00:45:58.300
months in office contained some really significant,

00:45:58.480 --> 00:46:00.900
even historic actions, particularly regarding

00:46:00.900 --> 00:46:03.639
pardons. He used the pardon power quite extensively

00:46:03.639 --> 00:46:05.820
throughout his term, actually. More individual

00:46:05.820 --> 00:46:08.400
pardons and commutations than any president in

00:46:08.400 --> 00:46:11.179
decades, including those mass pardons for people

00:46:11.179 --> 00:46:13.139
convicted of simple federal marijuana possession.

00:46:13.440 --> 00:46:15.500
Those were generally well received by reform

00:46:15.500 --> 00:46:17.760
advocates, but the later pardons were far more

00:46:17.760 --> 00:46:20.480
controversial. Extremely controversial. starting

00:46:20.480 --> 00:46:22.719
with the pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, on

00:46:22.719 --> 00:46:25.820
December 1st, 2024. This was after Hunter had

00:46:25.820 --> 00:46:27.760
been convicted on federal gun charges and was

00:46:27.760 --> 00:46:29.900
facing tax charges. Yes, but the pardon went

00:46:29.900 --> 00:46:32.559
far beyond those specific cases. It was a full

00:46:32.559 --> 00:46:34.539
and unconditional pardon covering all potential

00:46:34.539 --> 00:46:36.300
federal offenses Hunter might have committed

00:46:36.300 --> 00:46:39.900
between 2014 and December 1st, 2024. All potential

00:46:39.900 --> 00:46:42.980
offenses. That sounds incredibly broad. It was

00:46:42.980 --> 00:46:45.619
described as unprecedented in its scope by legal

00:46:45.619 --> 00:46:48.980
analysts. It seemed clearly designed to preemptively

00:46:48.980 --> 00:46:51.440
shield Hunter from any further federal investigations

00:46:51.440 --> 00:46:54.719
or charges, possibly related to his overseas

00:46:54.719 --> 00:46:57.519
business dealings or accusations of trading on

00:46:57.519 --> 00:46:59.800
the family name, especially with a new administration

00:46:59.800 --> 00:47:02.440
coming in. And this was despite Biden previously

00:47:02.440 --> 00:47:04.860
promising he wouldn't pardon his son. Yes, he

00:47:04.860 --> 00:47:08.719
repeatedly said he wouldn't interfere. The sweeping

00:47:08.719 --> 00:47:11.079
nature of the pardon, offering protection for

00:47:11.079 --> 00:47:14.139
unknown potential crimes, drew widespread criticism

00:47:14.139 --> 00:47:16.519
as an abuse of the pardon power for personal

00:47:16.519 --> 00:47:19.380
reasons. And it didn't stop there. His very last

00:47:19.380 --> 00:47:23.179
day in office, January 20, 2025. He issued another

00:47:23.179 --> 00:47:25.699
wave of preemptive pardons, this time covering

00:47:25.699 --> 00:47:27.579
several family members, including his brothers

00:47:27.579 --> 00:47:30.139
James and Francis, his sister Valerie, and their

00:47:30.139 --> 00:47:33.340
spouses, as well as key political figures associated

00:47:33.340 --> 00:47:36.039
with his administration or investigations into

00:47:36.039 --> 00:47:38.230
the previous one. Who was included in that group?

00:47:38.349 --> 00:47:40.590
Figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci, former chairman

00:47:40.590 --> 00:47:42.730
of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, and several

00:47:42.730 --> 00:47:44.809
individuals involved with the House January 6th

00:47:44.809 --> 00:47:47.010
committee. What was the justification given for

00:47:47.010 --> 00:47:48.829
pardoning people who hadn't even been charged

00:47:48.829 --> 00:47:52.210
with, let alone convicted of, any crimes? President

00:47:52.210 --> 00:47:55.389
Biden explicitly stated it was necessary because

00:47:55.389 --> 00:47:58.019
of his concern about baseless and politically

00:47:58.019 --> 00:48:00.659
motivated investigations that he anticipated

00:48:00.659 --> 00:48:03.599
from the incoming Trump administration. He framed

00:48:03.599 --> 00:48:06.219
it as protecting these individuals from political

00:48:06.219 --> 00:48:10.019
retribution. So using the pardon power as a shield

00:48:10.019 --> 00:48:12.739
against perceived political weaponization of

00:48:12.739 --> 00:48:15.940
the justice system by his successor. That's exactly

00:48:15.940 --> 00:48:18.440
how it was interpreted. A final dramatic act

00:48:18.440 --> 00:48:21.320
using absolute presidential power to insulate

00:48:21.320 --> 00:48:23.920
his family and allies from future legal jeopardy,

00:48:23.960 --> 00:48:26.920
signaling a deep distrust in the political neutrality

00:48:26.920 --> 00:48:29.260
of the system he was leaving behind. How then

00:48:29.260 --> 00:48:31.739
do we assess his presidency overall? The final

00:48:31.739 --> 00:48:34.579
verdict seems split. Very much so. If you look

00:48:34.579 --> 00:48:36.800
at public opinion polls, his presidency ended

00:48:36.800 --> 00:48:39.320
with low approval ratings. His average approval

00:48:39.320 --> 00:48:42.179
in Gallup polling was around 42 .2 percent, the

00:48:42.179 --> 00:48:44.059
second lowest for any president since World War

00:48:44.059 --> 00:48:46.239
II, only slightly higher than Donald Trump's

00:48:46.239 --> 00:48:48.860
average. And that was driven mainly by? Primarily

00:48:48.860 --> 00:48:51.019
by public frustration over inflation and the

00:48:51.019 --> 00:48:53.840
cost of living. That economic anxiety just seemed

00:48:53.840 --> 00:48:56.139
to swamp everything else in the public's perception.

00:48:56.480 --> 00:48:59.099
But there's a contrasting view emerging already.

00:48:59.440 --> 00:49:01.800
Yes, among historians and political scientists.

00:49:02.409 --> 00:49:04.349
Early rankings are placing his administration

00:49:04.349 --> 00:49:07.610
much more favorably, often in the top quartile

00:49:07.610 --> 00:49:10.269
or even higher. They point to the significant

00:49:10.269 --> 00:49:13.690
legislative achievements, the ARP, the infrastructure

00:49:13.690 --> 00:49:16.469
bill, the IRA's climate impact, the judicial

00:49:16.469 --> 00:49:19.690
appointments, the rebuilding of alliances. It

00:49:19.690 --> 00:49:21.530
sounds a lot like the comparison people make

00:49:21.530 --> 00:49:24.090
to Jimmy Carter. It's become a very common comparison.

00:49:24.489 --> 00:49:28.019
A one -term Democrat. seen as decent and intelligent,

00:49:28.199 --> 00:49:31.179
who achieved significant policy successes, like

00:49:31.179 --> 00:49:33.280
Carter's human rights focus or environmental

00:49:33.280 --> 00:49:35.659
action, but was ultimately defined in the public

00:49:35.659 --> 00:49:38.239
eye by economic struggles, particularly inflation,

00:49:38.579 --> 00:49:41.119
leading to a loss of public confidence. It's

00:49:41.119 --> 00:49:43.539
also worth remembering some policy nuances that

00:49:43.539 --> 00:49:45.619
get lost in the main narratives, like on the

00:49:45.619 --> 00:49:48.070
environment. That's a great example. While the

00:49:48.070 --> 00:49:50.469
IRA was a huge climate bill, his administration

00:49:50.469 --> 00:49:53.389
also oversaw record levels of domestic oil production

00:49:53.389 --> 00:49:56.989
in late 2023. And alongside actions like rejoining

00:49:56.989 --> 00:49:59.250
Paris, he also protected a massive amount of

00:49:59.250 --> 00:50:02.530
land and ocean, some 674 million acres through

00:50:02.530 --> 00:50:05.289
conservation measures. The reality was complex.

00:50:05.650 --> 00:50:07.949
So to try and synthesize this immense career.

00:50:08.510 --> 00:50:11.070
We see extraordinary resilience bouncing back

00:50:11.070 --> 00:50:13.190
from personal tragedy and political setbacks.

00:50:13.369 --> 00:50:15.650
We see real legislative effectiveness, especially

00:50:15.650 --> 00:50:18.349
during his presidency. Absolutely. The way the

00:50:18.349 --> 00:50:21.489
infrastructure act, the IRA, those are substantial

00:50:21.489 --> 00:50:25.110
lasting policy wins. Yet that effectiveness never

00:50:25.110 --> 00:50:27.929
translated into sustained public approval. The

00:50:27.929 --> 00:50:30.309
presidency was ultimately overshadowed by economic

00:50:30.309 --> 00:50:33.010
frustration and these deeply personal challenges

00:50:33.010 --> 00:50:35.030
related to his aides and his family, particularly

00:50:35.030 --> 00:50:37.519
Hunter. It's a story of achieving significant

00:50:37.519 --> 00:50:40.679
policy goals while failing, ultimately, to win

00:50:40.679 --> 00:50:42.659
the battle for public perception in real time.

00:50:42.840 --> 00:50:45.300
The historical assessment might be kind, but

00:50:45.300 --> 00:50:47.460
the contemporary judgment was quite harsh. Which

00:50:47.460 --> 00:50:49.599
brings us to our final thought for you, the listener.

00:50:49.760 --> 00:50:51.980
We've traced this incredibly long public life,

00:50:52.059 --> 00:50:54.639
deeply marked by personal loss and family ties.

00:50:55.289 --> 00:50:57.949
Now, consider the very end, those final sweeping

00:50:57.949 --> 00:51:00.409
pardons. They weren't just for specific crimes

00:51:00.409 --> 00:51:02.250
committed, but preemptively covered potential

00:51:02.250 --> 00:51:05.610
future charges against family, allies, key administration

00:51:05.610 --> 00:51:08.949
figures. Pardons issued explicitly to shield

00:51:08.949 --> 00:51:11.409
them from anticipated investigations by the next

00:51:11.409 --> 00:51:14.260
administration. How does that unprecedented act

00:51:14.260 --> 00:51:16.599
reshape our understanding of a presidential legacy

00:51:16.599 --> 00:51:19.320
in this era of hyperpartisanship and political

00:51:19.320 --> 00:51:21.960
targeting? What does it reveal about the perceived

00:51:21.960 --> 00:51:24.579
fragility of the political system itself when

00:51:24.579 --> 00:51:26.639
an outgoing president feels compelled to deploy

00:51:26.639 --> 00:51:28.980
the ultimate power of clemency, not just for

00:51:28.980 --> 00:51:31.800
past actions, but as a defensive shield against

00:51:31.800 --> 00:51:34.340
the future actions of his successor? It really

00:51:34.340 --> 00:51:36.519
forces us to question if the lines between law

00:51:36.519 --> 00:51:38.380
and politics have blurred beyond recognition.