Professional Beats Blatherer

With the passing of the gigantic stimulus package in Congress, the new U.S. president makes good on an important campaign promise — and is already outclassing his predecessor.

During his campaign, Donald Trump enjoyed making fun of Joe Biden. He called him “Sleepy Joe.” Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., depicted him as a slow and doddery old man. Biden has been in office for some 50 days now and one has to admit: This president is quite agile and assertive for a doddery old man.

While Trump spent most of the time on cultivating his vanities, attacking critics and boastfully selling the most minuscule political wins as world sensations, Biden talks very little, works hard and quickly delivers remarkable results. In short, he does what is expected of an American president.

Now Biden has achieved his hitherto greatest success: In record time, he advanced his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package through both chambers of the U.S. Congress. Millions of American families are receiving more government support and health care is stabilized as well.

A More Just Country

While Trump and the Republicans focused mostly on substantial tax cuts for wealthy Americans, Biden looks at the poorer half of the country. He’s helping the weak survive the crisis. With this, Biden makes good on a central campaign promise and lays the cornerstone for the possibility of the United States turning into a more socially just country.

On top of that, Biden’s vaccination campaign is so successful that the country might return to something like normality. Economics experts predict an end of the crisis by summer and a veritable Biden boom. His team is vehemently promoting the distribution of vaccination doses, which will lead to large parts of the population soon being protected.

Master of Placid Rhetoric

It’s true: The new president benefits from the Trump administration’s groundwork regarding the vaccine launch. But shouldn’t this be a given? It would have been inexcusable had Trump failed to perform this duty as well. Nobody will forget that, under his non-leadership last year, hundreds of thousands of Americans succumbed to COVID-19.

Biden, a master of placid rhetoric, seems also to be willing to make good on his promise to help the country achieve reconciliation with itself. The divide of the past years is still present, in Congress as well, where many Republicans are downright fighting Biden. His relief package was widely rejected by the opposition. A lot of Trump supporters still view him with skepticism or repudiate him. But this front line could soon crumble.

One indicator: Most of Biden’s Cabinet members were confirmed by the Senate in record time, with approval from moderate Republicans, too. With very few exceptions, the majority of the candidates met hardly any resistance, also because Biden chose people who are recognized across party lines. With regard to his infrastructure plan, which is planned for the next few months, Biden wants to closely cooperate with the other side. He’s reaching out. If this gesture remains unanswered, it’s first and foremost due to Republicans.

Broad Public Approval

More agreement, less confrontation is his motto and a lot of Americans are willing to follow him. According to a survey conducted by television network ABC, nearly 68% of Americans are happy with his policies during the coronavirus crisis. While he’s currently getting lower approval ratings than many other presidents, he is clearly beating Trump. Approximately 53% of Americans approve of Biden; 38% have an unfavorable view. Trump rarely passed the 45% approval rating.

This honeymoon period for Biden could pass. History teaches us that political problems for U.S. presidents can, at times, appear out of the blue. It also remains to be seen how the massive national debt caused by the crisis will affect the country in the medium and long term.

However, Biden is already demonstrating that he is a president who seems to be able to maneuver tricky situations. His years of experience as a senator and vice president serve as an asset for this office, not a burden. The times of erratic decision-making in the White House are over. There also won’t be any more biweekly firings. American government is working smoothly. It’s obvious that professional politician Biden and his team are clearly outclassing blowhard Trump with regard to managing the apparatus.

And with that, Biden — at least for now — is bringing back the kind of calmness and stability to the United States that it needs in order to grow and flourish. If he continues like this, the memory of Trump will gradually fade away. Only a few hardliners will still miss the former president then.

That’s the best thing that could happen to America.