According to government officials, there will be no rest in the White House during President Biden’s final months in office. On Monday evening, the legacy of more than 50 years of public service will be honored at the Democratic Party Convention.
This week, President Biden will pass the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris after the president abandoned his own bid for re-election following weeks of intra-party turmoil, arguing that the nation needed one.
“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all deserve a second term, but nothing, nothing can stand in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition,” he said during an address to the nation less than a month ago that echoed a theme that ran counter to his first run for office in 2020.
The decision has been described by senior administration officials and longtime Biden aides as selfless and patriotic. And while for some it doesn’t change his legacy, it certainly reflects it.
“The first three and a half years is a legacy that is remarkably powerful and enduring. It undeniably cements your legacy when you have the courage and humility to understand that it’s not about you,” said a senior administration official.
Officials and staffers Scripps News spoke to view Biden’s presidency so far as unprecedented and believe history will judge him generously.
“He has made people’s lives better and, frankly, the world safer,” the senior administration official said.
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Politicians point to his economic record – particularly in rebuilding the middle class – that strengthened America’s global leadership and preserved democracy. And when they reflect on his legacy, they often look back to when he took office in the midst of a pandemic and in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
“He led us out of the chaos of the Trump years with stability and integrity and with the wisdom, experience and expertise he built over 50 years. He turned this country around,” said Elizabeth Alexander, deputy assistant to the president and communications director for First Lady Jill Biden.
President Biden is promoting a strengthening of US alliances and a unification of NATO around the world after his administration mastered the conflicts in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Domestically, politicians point to major policy successes such as the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips and Science Act – legislation designed to help stimulate the economy and domestic manufacturing, increase America’s competitiveness, reduce costs such as prescription drug costs and junk food fees, and usher in comprehensive climate policy.
“We have a level of factory construction on U.S. soil that is far beyond anything we’ve ever seen. So it’s really part of that legacy of bringing manufacturing back to our country in important new, expanding sectors,” said Jared Bernstein, chairman of the White House Council on Economic Advisory. “But these projects, while they’re creating jobs now, also have a 5, 10, 15-year return on investment because, as I said, we’re making transformative investments in semiconductors and chips and batteries and electric vehicles, and so this is going to have lasting impacts for years to come.”
Many elements of President Biden’s agenda are still being implemented, but one official compares the situation to that of former Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Franklin Roosevelt.
But President Biden’s legacy began long before his presidency, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate at age 29. During his 36 years as a congressman, he helped draft the Violence Against Women Act, chaired the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees, and helped pass the Affordable Care Act as former President Barack Obama’s vice president.
Personally, he experienced the death of his wife and daughter at the beginning of his career and later his son.
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“History will be very kind to Joe Biden because when I think of this president, I honestly think of his commitment to public service and to moving our country forward that has spanned his entire career,” said a longtime Biden aide.
While his legacy is often described by the impact of his major policy achievements, it is always underscored by the deep admiration for his character among senior administration officials and longtime Biden associates.
At a time when politics today is divisive, they praise his decency, respect and friendship with colleagues on the other side of the party spectrum, his ability to navigate bipartisan policy throughout his career, and his compassion and morality to put others and country first.
“He implemented groundbreaking policies in three and a half years and accomplished more in a single term than presidents have accomplished in two terms. I think we will remember him fondly for his qualities as a decent, honorable and honest person and a patriotic leader – and also for the impact he had on people’s lives,” said another longtime Biden aide.
Some longtime employees even took out an ad in the Delaware News Journal over the weekend to express their appreciation.
But officials in the White House are not yet taking a victory lap, but rather describing President Biden as someone who is “full steam ahead.” They remain focused on implementing the goals already achieved and on continuing to pursue an ambitious agenda.
“The focus is on the work. The tasks are done in a flash. It’s about what else can we do to strengthen the middle class. What else can we do to restore America’s leadership in the world? What else can we do to restore America’s soul and strengthen our democracy? There are a lot of ambitious policies that need to be implemented, proposed and implemented on behalf of the country,” said Herbie Ziskend, deputy White House communications director.
While issues like codifying Roe v. Wade protections, banning assault weapons, or immigration reform are unlikely to pass in the next few months given the current political landscape, over the past month and a half President Biden has proposed ethics reforms to the Supreme Court, made announcements to fight cancer, released wrongfully imprisoned Americans from Russian prisons, and celebrated lowering prescription drug costs.
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With several months left in office, the president’s administration is expected to make more judicial appointments, work toward normalizing relations in the Middle East, negotiate a ceasefire agreement and continue to focus on the economy.
“You don’t have to remind me, because that’s what he tells us with great certainty,” Bernstein said. “We’re never done with the agenda of promoting the American middle class, of helping people move into that middle class. That’s an ongoing project for the entire lifetime of this president.”
One official explained that it is not politics but his age that some cannot ignore when considering the political events of the last month and a half.
“The energy has obviously shifted to making sure we do our jobs well and that the best thing we can do to preserve the president’s legacy is to make sure we get things done but also that we work very closely with the vice president on the shared vision,” another senior administration official said. “This is their shared work, but the energy and the tone and tenor and the pace in the building has not changed one bit. These are Olympic times. We run through the paces, we run hard and fast and right now we are on the last leg of a marathon. And we have not let up one bit.”
On Monday evening, the president is expected to lay out his vision for the country in his speech on the first day of the Democratic National Convention. He sees the moment as fulfilling, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. He sees the moment as important for the nation, not just for the Democratic Party.
When President Biden was asked last week what his message to Democrats was, he simply said, “Win.”
