Leaders | Governing America

What to make of Joe Biden’s plans for a second term

His domestic agenda is underwhelming, unrealistic and better than the alternative

A collage artwork of Joe Biden
Illustration: Javier Palma

Some politicians are shy about revealing their ideas before elections for fear of alarming the voters. Others simply do not have very much to say. Which type is Joe Biden, as he pitches for a second presidential term? His domestic-policy plans have received much less scrutiny than Donald Trump’s. Our briefing this week is a first attempt to make up for that. The most positive thing to say about this president’s platform is that the alternative is a lot worse.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Joe Biden’s missing agenda”

From the June 29th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Leaders

Mario Draghi’s best ideas are those Europe finds least comfortable

The danger is that it picks the easy ones

The Labour government’s worrying lack of ambition in Europe

Sir Keir Starmer is trapped by the mindset of the post-Brexit years


A make-or-break moment for Mexico

In America’s biggest trading partner the rule of law and democracy are under attack


The real problem with China’s economy

The country risks making some of the mistakes the Soviet Union did

What to do about America’s killer cars

The country’s roads are nearly twice as dangerous as the rich-world average. It doesn’t have to be that way

How to deal with the hard-right threat in Germany

As extremists win more votes across Europe, forming moderate and effective governments is getting harder