Biden's sad, failed presidency is even worse than Trump's first term | Opinion
President Joe Biden's pardon of his son adds to a bevy of disastrous decisions over the last four years. His legacy of immoral and irresponsible leadership is now firmly cemented.
President Joe Biden's sweeping pardon of his son Hunter for any federal crimes committed from 2014 to the end of this year was a blatant abuse of power.
But it shouldn't have surprised anyone. The pardon adds to a bevy of Biden's disastrous decisions over the last four years. His legacy of immoral and irresponsible leadership is now firmly cemented.
Biden campaigned on the promise that he would restore order to America after Donald Trump's chaotic first term as president. In the wake of Trump's begrudging transfer of power, etched in horrific detail by the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Biden was supposed to be the adult in charge who returned dignity to the Oval Office.
But Biden has failed early and often in the past four years to achieve that goal. And the more we learn, the more it's evident that he was an incapable, incompetent leader who repeatedly lied to Americans about inflation, his own physical and mental abilities, and his son's fate in the criminal justice system.
If Biden's presidency is what it means to have the "adults back in charge," it's no wonder Americans chose Trump a second time.
Biden looked weak around the world
In the past four years, the world has become far more unstable. Biden isn't completely responsible, of course, for the aggression of Russian leader Vladimir Putin or Hamas terrorists, but his weakness as commander in chief was a factor.
In 2021, Biden initiated a chaotic retreat from Afghanistan that resulted in the death of 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans when a bomb exploded near the Kabul airport.
The disorganized, frantic withdrawal led the U.S. military to abandon up to 200 U.S. citizens and tens of thousands of Afghan allies to endure oppression under Taliban rule.
The consequences for women and children in Afghanistan became unbearably harsh after the Taliban returned to power. Women can't speak or bare their faces in public, reversing progress on women's equality that Afghans worked hard to achieve for decades.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has left more than 1 million people dead or wounded and threatens to spin out of control, threatening other countries in Europe and beyond. Putin clearly understands he can terrorize a U.S. ally without fear of serious retribution. Putin's impunity showcases Biden's weakness as a world leader.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists brutally attacked Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and taking scores of children, women and men hostage. Seven Americans are still being held as hostages inside Gaza.
In each of these instances, the Biden administration failed to anticipate and prevent the violence. Biden has said many of the right things in the years after these atrocities, but his weakness on the world stage failed to deter Putin, Hamas and others from pulling us to the brink of global warfare.
Biden's reckless spending fueled inflation
Under the Biden administration, inflation skyrocketed to a 40-year high, peaking at 9.1% in June 2022.
Millions of Americans could no longer afford necessities such as food and gas, and household debt has increased to nearly $18 trillion.
Trump's initial stimulus checks released in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic gave the economy a quick boost but also contributed to inflation. Biden's decision to ramp up spending dumped even more cash on the fire.
For reasons I still can't understand, Biden and other Democrats were slow to take seriously inflation and its disastrous consequences for Americans.
Instead, Biden chose to gaslight the public, insisting that the high inflation rate was only temporary.
Biden was unwise, immoral and nasty
One of the most ironic aspects of Biden's presidential legacy will be how much it mirrors Trump's reputation for being chaotic, dishonest and mean.
Biden initially signaled that he wouldn't run for a second term, but then changed his mind despite obvious signs that his physical and cognitive health were in decline. It wasn't until his awful presidential debate with Trump in June that even Biden's close allies could no longer deny the truth.
We still don't know many important details about the president's health, even as the world burns.
In the closing days of Vice President Kamala Harris' losing campaign to replace him, Biden got nasty about millions of the Americans he was elected to serve, calling Trump supporters "garbage," ‒ even if in error.
Now, Biden has sealed his legacy by reversing repeated promises not to pardon his son of federal crimes.
Looking back, it's easy to see why so many Americans voted for Trump. If Biden's presidency is what it means to have the "adults in charge," then a second round of Donald Trump can't be any worse.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with Paste BN. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.