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Tuesday is Super Tuesday – and there’s little that’s great about it. Sixteen US states and one US territory are holding their primaries for the nation’s highest office. Normally on this day the next American president is elected. This year’s primaries are almost decided. Former President Donald Trump (77) will lead the Republicans, the Democrats will likely rejoin President Joe Biden (81). The same men as four years ago are fighting for the right to live in the White House.
The media judge that this is a bad selection. An old man against a bully. Why doesn’t the most powerful democracy in the world have a better selection to offer?
Well, neither of them are bad. Sure, one seems rough, the other vulnerable. But a look at what they have achieved corrects the picture. Trump was a good president. Biden is a good president. The US is the undisputed superpower militarily, economically and technologically.
The sober assessment of Trump and Biden.
1. Republican Donald Trump
Donald Trump is not a pleasant person to be around. He seems angry and rarely charming. But much of what he says is true. When he recently muttered that as US president he would not defend countries that do not pay their contributions to NATO, panic spread across Europe. But behind closed doors, military experts agree with him: yes, Europe must do more for its defense. Relying on the US is a strategy of weakness.
Trump’s record as president reads better than many say. Certainly, his immigration policies tore families apart. In Syria he abandoned the Kurds. And he lied and lied and lied.
But many things worked. Foreign policy, for example. Some of his predecessors put this in the hands of ideological think tanks – and reaped disastrous results, such as the war in Iraq or the strengthening of the Iranian mullahs. Trump, on the other hand, gave the assignment to his son-in-law Jared Kushner (43). And that went surprisingly well. Israel grew closer to several Arab states. Trump didn’t start any wars. He stood up to China, first rhetorically, then with tariffs against Beijing’s industrial espionage, dumped prices and closed markets.
Trump took over the country in 2017, at the end of an economic recovery. He expanded this with a quickly implemented tax reform. Corporate profits rose. They hired new staff, causing the unemployment rate to drop to 3.5 percent. The last time it was this low was in 1969. Not only the rich but also many needy people benefited from the revival. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Statistics reported historically low unemployment among Latinos and blacks. While wages generally rose 3.1 percent in 2019, those of single mothers rose 7.6 percent. Poverty among black women and Latinas fell significantly.
Trump was social. At the initiative of his daughter Ivanka Trump (42), he introduced paid parental leave for state employees. He successfully lowered the prices of numerous medications. Uninsured Americans received free AIDS prevention products. He helped the US to the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Now it is up to voters, and later historians, to judge whether the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, undid the positive performance record. On that day, Trump endangered what is arguably a president’s most important asset: democracy.
2. Democrat Joe Biden
When Joe Biden moved into the White House in January 2021, a virus was killing people around the world. A year later, Russia attacked Ukraine. The pandemic and the war in Europe threw the economy off track. Prices rose and a recession loomed. Biden and his team achieved something unique: they controlled inflation without collapsing the US economy. A tightrope walk was necessary. The central bank, which operates independently, raised interest rates to curb prices. Biden pushed government programs through Congress, keeping the economy positive. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (77) has limited spending as much as possible. The result is remarkable: the American economy grew by 3.1 percent last year and inflation fell from almost 10 to 3 percent. This is well received on Wall Street: the American stock markets are flourishing.
Biden pulled America out of the Corona hole. Under him, companies and the state created 6.4 million new jobs. Unemployment fell from 6.4 to 3.7 percent, almost as low as before the pandemic.
His generals and spies correctly predicted the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, while almost all Europeans thought it was a bluff. Without hesitation, Biden supported Ukraine with generous military aid. This slowed down Russian President Vladimir Putin (71) and his army. After more than two years of war, Biden is finding it increasingly difficult to convince his fellow countrymen to finance a remote war. Congress is currently blocking a major aid package for Ukraine.
Biden relies on alliances. Unlike Trump, he believes that America will be safer if the country works with others in Europe and Asia. Biden helped overcome antipathy between South Korea and Japan. He forged defense alliances with the Philippines and Papua New Guinea and deepened relations with India and Australia. All this is intended to help contain China’s growing diplomatic, economic and military power in the Indo-Pacific region.
In doing so, he continues Trump’s economic disagreement with China. From now on, American inspectors can examine the books of companies in China and Hong Kong. Biden is promoting microchip production in the US with government subsidies worth more than $50 billion. It is intended to reduce dependence on China.
After three and a half years of Biden, the US is in good shape. If he were more agile, he would hardly have to fear re-election – even though he has completely failed to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
