Biden’s Legacy Debate

December 24, 2024

00:00:00

Biden’s Legacy Debate

Be it Resolved, history will be kind to Joe Biden

“Together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear” Joe Biden proclaimed as he took his oath of office in January 2021. His supporters argue that what the President was able to accomplish in four years is nothing short of remarkable. They point to his success at passing the largest infrastructure program since the 1950’s, expanding health care, enacting gun control legislation, and expanding NATO as incredible accomplishments that have cemented his legacy as a transformative president along the likes of FDR and Lyndon Johnson. To his detractors, Joe Biden will be remembered as an ineffective leader who presided over an era of hyperinflation, global instability, and mistrust in institutions. The effects of excessive federal spending, a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, and an unprotected southern border will be felt for generations. And capping off his disastrous tenure with an unconditional pardon for his son severed the last threads of trust in government and added fuel to the growing fire of populist resentment.

Arguing in favour of the resolution is Timothy Noah, staff writer at The New Republic.

Arguing against the resolution is Gil Troy, presidential historian and Distinguished Scholar of North American History at McGill University.

“We have a new approach to thinking about economic problems thanks to Joe Biden and think historians will say that that turning point came during his presidency.”

– TIMOTHY NOAH

“I don’t think history will be kind to Joe Biden because he failed the most fundamental moral position: he didn’t unite the country.”

– GIL TROY