Trump's Secret Santa
For Trump, Biden is the gift that keeps on giving
It’s been a tradition for outgoing presidents to leave behind a letter for their successors since 1993, when George H.W. Bush penned some kind words to incoming President Bill Clinton. Joe Biden will surely uphold this custom and extend some magnanimous thoughts to Donald Trump when Trump returns to the Oval Office.
But, the presidential transition letter will only be the latest in a series of tokens of generosity that Biden has extended to Trump.
Gift 1: Pushing policies that were far left of those he supported his whole career
There are many words that could be used to depict the first Trump administration, but a catch-all term to describe it would be “chaos.” This wasn’t all Trump’s fault. The hair-on-fire reactions to just about everything Trump said and did from his political opponents, the press, academics and the general #resistance not only disgraced themselves but exponentially increased the madness that pervades American society.
Still, Trump was the instigator, the trigger. So, Americans, seeking respite from the loudness of life, turned to Amtrak Joe Biden, whose calm, friendly presence they had witnessed on TV for almost 50 years, since his first run for office in 1972. Biden was a Democrat and definitely more left than right, but he was reasonable and frequently appeared both on television screens and at negotiating tables with Republicans. Biden had also had a distinct knack for exuding empathy, which as he aged, had evolved into a grandfatherly warmth.
In other words, he was the antidote to Trump. He would make America calm again.
In seemingly every election in the 2020 primaries, newspeople would show interviews with multiple Democratic voters who acknowledged, in various wordings, that they were voting with their heads, not their hearts. Translation: even though these voters were more excited by more progressive candidates, they knew Biden would appeal to the middle-of-the-road voters who would be needed to get Trump out of office, Democrats’ top priority.
What centrists—the majority of the country—did not believe Biden would do was advance a polarizing agenda that seemed to be drawn up by the ultra-progressive wing of the party. Biden added $7.2 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Federal spending was responsible for 42% of the surge in inflation in 2022, according to an MIT study.
Biden also adopted progressive approaches on immigration and culture war issues like transgender-related policies. Drawn by Biden’s welcoming disposition, more than 10 million known “illegal entries” to the US occurred during his administration, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This figure doesn’t include the estimated 2 million additional “gotaways” who managed to get into the US without apprehension.
Meanwhile, on Biden’s first day in office, he signed an executive order that declared his administration’s intent to apply Title IX protections to transgender persons seeking to participate in sports and use locker rooms/lavatories that align with their gender identity. Sixty-nine percent of Americans believe trans-athletes should be restricted to participating in sports that match their birth gender, with only 26% supporting their ability to compete in sports that match their gender identity, according to a 2023 Gallup poll. Fifty percent of Americans oppose transpersons’ use of restrooms and locker rooms that don’t correspond to their birth gender, with only 36% in support, according to a YouGov poll taken last month.
Progressives hailed Biden for his unanticipated sharp left turn. Writing in “The Guardian,” a sharply left news outlet, Jonathan Freedland argued that the president “devised an economic model to inspire social democratic parties the world over.” In an editorial for “The Trentonian” newspaper, liberal nonprofit consultant Irwin Stoolmacher labeled Biden “the most progressive president since F.D.R.” Congressional Progressive Caucus member Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., essentially agreed, saying that Biden “has been the most progressive and effective president on domestic and economic policy in [her] lifetime.” Actor and former Obama aide Kal Penn went even further and called Biden “the most progressive president we’ve had.”
In light of the revelations published in The Wall Street Journal last week that Biden has been presiding over the country in a “diminished” capacity for just about his entire presidency, it’s fair to wonder to what extent he has actually been steering the direction of his administration’s policy. It now seems quite plausible that it was other people in the administration who were mostly the ones yanking the wheel to the left.
Regardless, the net effect was the same. Americans thought they were electing Amtrak Joe but instead got Activist Joe. And most of them didn’t care for the new version.
Gift 2: Seeking reelection/remaining in the race for way too long
Biden never technically promised to serve only one term during the 2020 campaign. But, he certainly signaled that it was his intention.
In March 2019, before Biden even announced his candidacy, the New York Times reported that, due to voters’ concerns about his age, Biden was considering making a one-term pledge. In December 2019, two months before the Iowa caucuses, Politico cited four sources close to Biden who agreed that “it is virtually inconceivable that he will run for reelection in 2024.” A senior Biden campaign adviser expressly stated, “he won’t be running for reelection.”
At more than one campaign appearance, Biden seemed to reinforce this message. At a campaign event in March 2020, he declared, “I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else.” During a virtual fundraiser the following month, he referred to himself as “a transition candidate.”
But, by two months after his inauguration, Biden had reversed course. “My plan is to run for reelection,” he announced at a March 2021 news conference.
Given what has been reported about Biden’s “diminishment” having already begun in 2021, this was both selfish and foolish. By making himself the presumptive nominee, he put Democrats in the position of having to defend him, which meant trying to gaslight Americans into believing that Biden’s deterioration wasn’t happening when it was happening right in front of them.
Only a trainwreck debate performance at the end of June derailed Biden’s nomination, which left the party no time to hold a primary. It was forced to shift on the fly and consolidate behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who eventually lost to Trump.
Gift 3: The June presidential debate
As 2024 kicked off, most Democrats and allied news media responded with distinct umbrage to the notion that Biden was experiencing cognitive slippage. Such a suggestion was ageist and hateful, questioners were admonished, even as videos proliferated online of Biden being led on and off stage by other officials, wandering away from other officials onstage and generally just looking confused at public events.
Then, there were the events of the evening of June 27 in Atlanta, Georgia. What struck me is that as bad as the first half of the debate was for Biden, he actually seemed to be finding his footing in the second half—until Trump goaded him into an argument over—I kid you not—which one of them is a better golfer.
Ultimately, the debate confirmed what many Americans already knew. Biden was in a state of irreversible decline. Still, it certainly benefitted Trump for the world to watch his opponent shrivel.
Gift 4: Calling Trump supporters “garbage”
To understand the comedy of Tony Hincliffe, the comedian who opened Trump’s late-October Madison Square Garden rally, it’s useful to watch Netflix’s The Roast of Tom Brady. Hincliffe was one of the breakout stars of the event, and his set showcased his extremely edgy, no-holds-barred style.
Roasts are interesting creatures. In an era where entertainers (among others) have gotten “canceled” for all manner of transgressions relating to word usage, roasts somehow seem to largely escape criticism, even though they spotlight an absolutely-nothing-is-off-limits brand of comedy whose point is to offend. If we compare political correctness policies to prohibition, then roasts are those speakeasies that everybody knew about—including the authorities—but nobody interfered with. It’s as if even the speech police accept that people need a space to blow off steam and the rules.
Anyway, this is the style of comedy that made Hincliffe an up-and-comer. The Brady roast elevated his profile, and he got the Trump gig.
Hincliffe’s actual routine was a highly sanitized version of what he would have performed at a roast or in a club, at least in terms of the language he used. But, the shock-value of his jokes’ content, the did-he-really-just-say-that quality of the material, was on full display.
So, when the entertainer compared Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean,” it was unremarkable and even tame by roast or comedy club standards. But, Hincliffe was performing at a campaign rally whose candidate was seeking support from voters of Puerto Rican descent, along with Hispanic voters in general.
Democrats and left-leaning journalists could scarcely contain their glee. The rally was nine days before the election, which was thought to be a dead heat at the time. But, polls were suggesting that Trump was poised to do particularly well with Hispanics, relative to past Republican presidential candidates. Hincliffe’s comment threatened to puncture that support.
As a neutral observer, I was also inclined towards this view. In fact, the incident seemed so perfectly timed to damage Trump that my first thought was that Hincliffe was a Democratic plant.
For two days after the rally, the fallout dominated the headlines. The Harris campaign moved to capitalize by quickly producing a new attack ad highlighting Hincliffe’s words. Harris herself also condemned the statement, but wisely stuck mostly to her own closing message.
Then, Harris’ boss decided to inject himself into the situation. Exactly one week before the election, on a virtual get-out-the-vote-call that was ironically targeting Hispanic voters, Biden responded to the incendiary one-liner. “The only garbage I see floating out there is [Trump’s] supporters,” he retorted.
Boom. Just like that, there was a new round of headlines, and Hincliffe’s quote started to recede, fading away into the category of “old news” like all stories in the breakneck-paced campaign news cycle.
Harris was forced to address the statement, telling reporters, “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.” Trump, meanwhile, seized on the moment the following day by arriving to a campaign event in a garbage truck adorned with Trump signs and American flags.
But, even more damaging than allowing Trump to change the subject and turn the tables on “Garbage-gate,” Biden’s statement recalled similar sentiments that were expressed by Hillary Clinton about Trump backers in 2016. At a September 2016 fundraiser, Clinton categorized “half of Trump’s supporters” as a “basket of deplorables.” Trump pounced in response, tweeting that she was “SO INSULTING to my supporters, millions of amazing, hard-working people.”
Calling Trump’s supporters “garbage” was essentially “basket-of-deplorables” redux. In fact, it was worse because the soundbite came much closer to the election, and Hillary had at least left half of Trump backers out of her basket. Biden threw them all in the trash.
Gift 5: The Hunter Biden pardon and mass commutations
Unlike his statements about seeking reelection, Biden did explicitly promise that he wouldn’t pardon his son Hunter for his felony gun charges—four times, in fact. If we count statements made on the subject by White House officials on Biden’s behalf, it’s actually 11 times.
But, on Dec. 1, less than two months before the end of his presidency, Biden broke his promise. He pardoned his son.
Only 22% of Americans approved of the action, according to an Associated Press poll. Fifty-one percent disapproved, while 18% neither approved nor disapproved, and 8% weren’t sure how they felt about it.
But, another way to state these figures is to say that only 51% of people could muster disapproval of the pardon. Fourty-nine percent either approved, didn’t care or were undecided on the matter.
It seems Americans’ capacity for outrage at this kind of action is limited at the moment. Most likely, we’re still exhausted from the election.
Nevertheless, pardoning Hunter still helped Trump in a concrete way, as did Biden’s granting of mass clemency less than two weeks later. The outgoing president commuted 1,500 sentences and granted 39 pardons in one day, Dec. 12.
Just as with the with the dueling “garbage statements,” anything that gets Trump out of the news is good for him. If the media is consumed with the Hunter Biden pardon, it’s not picking apart Trump’s nominees. If the press is obsessed with the massive scale of Biden’s commutations, it’s not interrogating Trump’s policy agenda.
So, to summarize, between the way Biden governed before the campaign, his performance as a candidate for reelection, and his actions during Kamala’s campaign and as a lame-duck president, Biden’s gifts to Trump go far beyond a welcome memo. In fact, by rights, Trump ought to become the first incoming president to show up with a piece of stationery of his own to hand his predecessor: a thank you note.
Portions of this post have been inspired by my book The Anti-Partisan Manifesto: How Parties and Partisanism Divide America and How to Shut Them Down. Buy the book here. For the time being, it is only available digitally. To read, download the Kindle app to your phone, your iPad or tablet, your Kindle device or your computer.
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