Joe Biden’s Presidency will experience both accomplishments and failures, as has President Trump’s. In this article I focus on potential successes of Biden and actual successes of Trump.
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Below I’ll list some expected accomplishments of the Biden administration. Then I’ll list some actual accomplishments of the Trump administration.
First, Biden:
* Renewing Commitment to the World Health Organization--This organization is flawed as Trump noted, but it also does much good. It’s important for nations to work together on health issues. We can seek to improve the organization as an active member.
* Rejoining Paris Climate Accords--These accords unfairly set different standards for different nations, as Trump noted, but they are a step in the correct direction. Regardless of whether or not global warming will continue over the long term, taking actions to reduce pollution and cooperating with other nations is the proper thing to do. We still need to seek to modify the agreement though.
* Restoring immigration from Muslim countries and the “dreamers” program--Trump correctly noted the problem of terrorist immigrants and excessive immigration that many European countries have faced. But Trump’s approach to solving it was divisive and excessive as I see it.
* Emphasizing positive rather than confrontational relationships with allies--Biden seems to be a moderate who will create more constructive and less confrontational international relations, a big plus.
* Minimum wage raise--The U.S. minimum wage hasn’t been increased since 2009. Many costs have increased substantially since then. Liberals want a raise to $15 an hour or more which would likely cost many jobs and be excessive in some rural areas where the cost of living is lower. Conservatives oppose any increase. I optimistically think Biden will succeed in creating a middle-of-the-road fair compromise of perhaps a $1 per hour raise each year over four years from the current $7.25 per hour to $11.25. But that’s my view, not a stated policy of Biden.
* COVID-19--Biden aims to create a task force to work on it. And states he will emphasize a mask mandate and other actions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This accompanied by the likelihood of a vaccine in coming months may help reduce the COVID-19 problem. Trump’s reluctance to wear masks or emphasize social distancing has likely been counterproductive, and Biden’s approach will likely be more effective. But Biden will likely find issuing a mask mandate and enforcing it are two different things. Solving COVID-19 isn’t easy. Biden may be lucky enough to have a safe, effective vaccine available before he takes office though.
* Appointing a moderate Supreme Court justice--One or two Supreme Court vacancies will likely occur during the next four years. The most likely retiree is Stephen Breyer, a liberal. If Biden replaces Breyer with another liberal, it won’t change the balance of the court. But if Biden nominates a moderate instead of a liberal or conservative, he may move the court in the correct direction over the long term. I optimistically hope he does if/when an opening occurs. I am also optimistically hopeful Biden will resist calls by liberals to “pack the court” by seeking to expand the number of justices beyond its current nine for ideological reasons. Biden avoided discussing that during the campaign either to hide plans to do so from conservatives or to avoid upsetting his liberal supporters or because he didn‘t know his plans. I hope one of the latter two is true.
* BidenCare HealthCare--ObamaCare made health care coverage much more expensive overall while millions remained uncovered or unable to afford coverage due to high deductibles and exclusions. It was a failure for most, except those who had expensive preexisting conditions or lacked any coverage before and qualified for subsidies or expanded Medicaid. Trump sought to eliminate the problems of ObamaCare, but wasn’t successful in implementing his own plan. I optimistically think that Biden will seek reforms that improve the current situation. But doing so won’t be easy. Personally, I’d support a single-payer system for basic health care similar to what Ralph Nader proposed, IF it is accompanied by much better preventive care. Some claim over 80% of health problems are preventable by improving diet, exercising properly, avoiding drug abuse, etc. We could have quality health care for all at a much cheaper price if we engaged in better preventive care. We need better treatment and better prevention. To get a single-payer system passed by the Senate, Biden will need to find a way to reduce costs before seeking to pass it. We can’t afford to provide multiple organ transplants, etc., for millions of drug abusers if it comes to that. There is a big division between persons paying huge costs for health insurance they can’t afford to use due to exclusions and deductibles, and drug addicts who pay nothing for insurance but get free clean needles that may not solve their underlying addictions.
* Personality--Biden’s personality is less divisive than Trump’s which I consider a plus. I hope he will be effective in interactions with Congressional leaders such as Pelosi and McConnell, as well as effective in choosing and appointing quality cabinet members. To succeed he needs to be effective in controlling the extreme liberal faction of his party while negotiating with moderates in the Republican party.
Now, Trump:
* Renegotiated a trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.--NAFTA may have improved trade when implemented, but it had numerous flaws. And it was not a free trade agreement due to its thousands of pages that included favoritism for various groups. How would you like to be a businessperson seeking to do business internationally and having to read and adhere to a 10,000 page agreement? While not a one-page totally free trade agreement, the one the Trump administration implemented seems to be improved and certainly has a more accurate title. I confess though that I’ve not read either agreement entirely . . . and doubt anyone else has either.
* Border wall construction--Ideally I’d prefer being able to travel internationally as easily as one travels from one state to another. But due to terrorism, different national policies on vaccinations against disease, limited capacity for immigrants, language barriers, etc., some limits are necessary. European nations overwhelmed by massive numbers of immigrants in recent years, and major problems due to them, have constructed barriers, fences and walls. The U.S. is wise to do so also. While a wall won’t be 100% effective and won’t be cheap, it’s more cost effective than enormously expensive military actions the U.S. has been involved in that have created more problems than they‘ve solved.
* Reducing terrorism and international military actions--Trump effectively reduced the activity of terrorist groups and took actions to reduce the number of U.S. troops and military activity overseas. Too often our military actions created more problems than they solved.
* Raised tobacco minimum age for purchase to 21--Some health professionals claim tobacco use is the #1 preventable cause of death. The Trump administration’s action to raise the minimum age for tobacco use from 18 to 21 may dramatically decrease tobacco use over time. It’s a big first step toward reducing health care costs.
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| President Trump's most lasting accomplishment may be his appointment of three U.S. Supreme Court justices. This photo of the Supreme Court building was taken in June 2019. |
* Appointed pro-life Supreme Court justices--I dislike the term of liberal and conservative Supreme Court justices, and would like to have open-minded moderates. But I am a conservative on the abortion issue, and grateful to Trump for appointing justices who are likely to rule on the side of life. I do recognize however that abortion is a symptom of the underlying problem of casual, selfish sex and not the root problem itself.
* Simplified federal tax forms--The Trump administration greatly shortened the 1040 tax form. And he opened the door for further simplifications. It is a shame that persons must devote hours to filling out tax forms or pay part of their income to professionals to fill them out for them.
* Lowered taxes--Trump lowered taxes for millions, if not most, persons while still increasing federal revenue. He even supported a payroll tax cut which, although I feel would be counterproductive due to its damage to the retirement funds, would have helped the working poor more than the wealthy.
* Eliminated the ObamaCare mandate and tried to repeal ObamaCare--Before ObamaCare the U.S. had the most expensive health care system in the world, with many lacking health insurance. ObamaCare made health care much more expensive, and millions still either lacked insurance or couldn’t afford to use it due to exclusions and deductibles.
* Moved Israeli embassy to Jerusalem--This controversial move had been proposed by other Presidential candidates but abandoned after their election, presumably due to career diplomats changing their minds. Trump did it. While I’d prefer Jerusalem be an international city, allowing Jews to have ownership while allowing visitation from others may be the most realistic approach to attaining peace there.
* Israeli relations--Trump helped negotiate normalized relations between Israel and three Arab nations. This may lead to more such agreements and put more pressure on Palestinians and Israelis to seek a fair and lasting peace agreement.
* COVID-19 vaccine--President Trump has taken a leadership role in funding and promoting the development and production of a vaccine for COVID-19. It’s likely one or more vaccines will be produced in record time, probably before spring. Though Trump repeatedly misstated when a vaccine would be available, and it remains to be seen how safe and effective vaccines will be, Trump deserve much credit for pushing hard for a vaccine.
* Low unemployment rate before COVID-19--Before COVID-19 hit, the unemployment rate in the U.S. was very low. The economy seemed to be booming in some ways.
* Trade reform--Various countries have often behaved unfairly in their trade with the United States. Patent and copyright infringement, limited safety standards, low wages, high tariffs, and limitations imposed on imports created problems for U.S. companies. Trump sought to change this. I dislike Trump’s confrontational approach, but it was effective in producing constructive changes in some cases. As some have noted, Trump didn’t start a trade war, he just increased our fighting back in it.
* Criminal justice reform--The Trump administration passed a bipartisan criminal justice reform that helped many.
* Race relations--Trump has faced much criticism on this issue. But Trump reduced unemployment, creating record low unemployment for some minority groups before COVID-19. Trump condemned the George Floyd death and urged prosecution of the officer directly responsible for holding Floyd down and not offering aid. Floyd’s death was videotaped and widely reported by major news outlets and social media. This incident perhaps more than any since the Selma Bridge violence decades ago may do much to achieve police and civil rights reforms.
* Maverick--Trump is a maverick who for better or worse thinks for himself instead of following his party. Indeed, during his lifetime, he’s been registered as an independent and a Democrat, in addition to now being a Republican. He sought infrastructure improvements despite opposition from Republicans who opposed them. He reduced military troops overseas despite opposition from others in his party and military leaders. And he urged taking military action to remove the Syrian President from office after his alleged use of chemical weapons, though was urged not to by his Secretary of Defense who stated Syria was a friend of Russia and Russians would be furious, according to Bob Woodward in his book Fear: Trump in the White House. Being a maverick is okay as long as others intervene to limit errors. Trump may have been wrong on multiple occasions including his desire to remove Syria's leader, but at least he didn’t strictly follow what his party or military leaders advocated.
* Health care cost disclosures--Trump supported disclosing health care costs in advance and lowering drug costs by making U.S. costs more comparable to those internationally despite opposition from the drug industry whose lobbyists donate to many Congresspersons in both parties.
Closing Thoughts
The above lists are not comprehensive. Furthermore, only time will tell what Biden’s accomplishments actually are.
Biden and Trump differ dramatically in their personalities and in their beliefs on how to run the country. But in their own way, each has constructive ideas.
And while many persons seek to retire at an early age in their 50s or 60s, both Biden and Trump chose to keep on serving their country in their 70s. I commend both for their dedication to helping others.
Biden will be 78 when he takes office in January. House Majority Leader Pelosi is 80. Senate Majority Leader McConnell is 78. There is likelihood that one or more of these leaders will either be called home sometime in the next four years or leave office for health-related reasons or some other reason. Therefore, change is likely to come in various ways.
It remains unknown which party will have a majority in the United States Senate the next two years. My guess is that Republicans will win both runoff elections in Georgia in January and hold a slim majority in the Senate. But, regardless of which party controls the Senate, it will be a close division, with a few swing votes being able to decide how votes go.
I hope and pray that persons on each side seek to listen and learn, and that fair resolutions to conflicts come. I know it is possible, but I’m not sure how probable.
NOTE: This article was last modified on November 17th, 2020.
