Historians paint a damning picture of what went wrong for Biden
Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of Washington Secrets, which takes a deep dive into a new history of the Biden presidency. The verdict is brutal, even among writers who are willing themselves to find some wins. So given all that, why is Gavin Newsom talking up his relationship with a president who is even less popular now than when he was in office?
TL;DR
- A new collection of essays by historians offers a damning assessment of Joe Biden's presidency.
- Authors argue Biden was a decent man elected at the wrong time, unable to adapt to a partisan political climate.
- His age and communication failures are highlighted as significant weaknesses, with staff cocooning him from the press.
- Biden's administration struggled to find a consistent narrative on complex issues like the war in Gaza.
- Despite legislative successes like the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden failed to effectively message his achievements.
- Governor Gavin Newsom's public support for Biden is questioned given the president's low favorability ratings.
- Biden's favorability ratings have dropped since leaving office, standing at 30%.