A New Day In America:
Challenges Facing the New Biden Administration

“It’s a new day in America” Joe Biden tweeted on January 20th, 2021, minutes after the outgoing President Trump flew away from Washington D.C. for the last time during his term. This moment marked the end to an incredibly turbulent four-year presidency, and the transition to the new Biden administration several hours later.

As per presidential tradition, President Trump left a hand-written letter for his successor on the Resolute Desk inside the Oval Office. While Biden did not share the contents of the letter, he called it “very generous.” President Trump, meanwhile, still refuses to accept his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. Upon leaving the White House, Trump immediately returned to his residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida – unusually quiet for once, following the decisions of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to ban a head of state from their social media platforms for the first time in history. These bans were several of many attempts to condemn Trump for inciting the domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol Building, just weeks before. The effort to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, held shortly after the inauguration by the newly elected Democratic-majority in the Senate, was unsuccessful. It was also the most bipartisan impeachment in U.S. history to date. Seven Republican senators joined fifty Democrats to condemn President Trump’s actions.

Standing on the steps of the same Capitol which had been under attack on January 6th, President Biden put unity at the center of his inauguration speech, announcing that it was “a day of victory and hope” for America. Speaking to a small crowd of socially-distanced VIPs and former presidents listening from beneath face masks, Biden promised that his administration’s first priority would be to heal the deep wounds left by a vengeful and wildly-mismanaged pandemic, a violent political divide seen in the Capitol attack, and nationwide racial strife witnessed throughout summer-long protests after the murder of George Floyd.

There has perhaps never been a greater shift in policy and political outlook in the United States than that from President Trump to President Biden. While telling Americans that “the best is yet to come,” Biden was sworn into office with lofty promises for his first 100 days in office, and even loftier goals for the future of the country. On the line was a nearly $2 trillion stimulus package to provide relief from the economic and health disaster of the pandemic, a rapid vaccination plan, and a tight runoff race for two congressional seats in Georgia to win Democratic control of the U.S. Senate. Among other Biden administration goals were the reversal of Trump’s corporate tax cuts, turning the United States into an international leader on climate change, extending the voting rights act, comprehensive immigration changes, an end to family separation and the Muslim ban, and most importantly, restoring America’s image on the world stage.

To a certain extent, Biden’s first month in office has been as successful as any of his supporters could have hoped. As of Sunday, February 28th, Congress is on the verge of securing a $1.9 trillion stimulus package for economic rescue – a package much larger than that which passed following the 2008 financial crisis. In his first acts as President, Biden also issued an aggressive wave of executive orders to reverse droves of Trump-era policies: re-entering the World Health Organization, re-joining the Paris Climate Agreement, revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, preserving and strengthening the DACA policy for “Dreamers,” ending construction of the border wall, and repealing the ban on transgender people serving in the military, to name a few.

Three days ago, Biden hailed the fifty millionth Covid vaccination given out since he took office, while the FDA approved Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccination to become the third vaccine available to the American public at the same time. However, these moments of hope amid the darkness of the pandemic were met with an unfathomable Covid milestone earlier this week: over 500,000 Americans dead from Covid-19, a number which surpasses all the deaths from World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War combined.  

Biden has an incredibly challenging turnaround to preform on the pandemic, and fast. While his administration works around the clock to fix the artifacts of American democracy, post-Trump and mid-pandemic, Biden’s true strength now lies in his moderate stance and vast foreign policy experience. While maintaining a slim majority in Congress, his the ability to work with the Republican party is going to be key in achieving his domestic policy goals. This also means relinquishing large pieces of the Democratic agenda before the party is ready. Much to the chagrin of progressives, Biden’s bipartisan spirit comes as loss to those hoping for true and radical change quickly. Many among the left worry that Biden will always choose the path which passes a portion of his policies successfully, over one which is unsuccessful but uncompromising in its ideals.

Despite Biden’s experience in foreign policy, it in this area, too, that some of his staunchest supporters and pundits have vocalized the most criticism in recent weeks. Generally, Biden adheres to the traditional center-left view of American exceptionalism and American power as a force for good around the world. He wants to remain strong against Russian aggression, keep a furtive eye on Asia (and a rising China, in particular), remain cautious about military intervention in the Middle East, and work with Latin American states in the fight against corruption and violence towards democratization. However, recent crises and international events have already pushed Biden into several unpopular foreign policy decisions.

Grappling with question of how to handle a “friendly” authoritarian leader, Biden’s stance on Egypt has been a cause for concern among human rights watchers. While Egypt remains an important ally to the United States, its repressive government and human rights abuses cannot be ignored, however much the Biden administration may be tempted. Criticism is also building against Biden’s refusal to lift the sanctions on International Criminal Court prosecutors, imposed last year as retaliation for their launching investigations into Afghan and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. While Biden’s State Department has issued a statement saying the administration does not agree with these sanctions, no new decisions have come as of yet, meanwhile Israel is lobbying to keep the sanctions in place. At the forefront of recent international security news is Biden’s first military action taken since he came to office: the decision to launch an airstrike in Syria against Iranian-backed militias, destroying several facilities in response to attacks on US and coalition members in Iraq.

Also worried about the rapidly fraying U.S. relationship with Iran, especially in regards to his pledge to rejoin the 2015 Iranian Nuclear Deal, Biden has to wrestle with many alliances and strategic interests at odds today, following four long years of Trumpian strategy – or lack thereof. President Trump’s “America First” policy, in contrast, was unique for its inelegantly blunt and blatantly self-interested approach to foreign policy. However, the idea of putting America First remains almost a key tenant of policy for all American leaders. In some ways, it has to be. Throughout Biden’s first month in office, he now seems to be attempting “America First,” but “with a twist,” as Shesgreen and Hjelmgaard write. Biden wants to maintain the U.S.’s position as number one, but without any desire to be involved in endless and costly wars.

Biden knew he had been dealt an impossible hand even before was sworn-in as President. There would be no “winning” – a concept which seemed to occupy his predecessor day and night. Overall, President Biden’s first few weeks in office reflect a net positive for the Democratic party, but also for America. In a battle against an insatiable pandemic, domestic chaos, and the U.S.’s failed mirage to play the global leader throughout the past four years, Biden’s executive actions and initial policy plans are a good start. But America does not want to settle for okay or “better.” Biden cannot just be better. Biden has to be the best version of his vision for the Democratic Party if he hopes to put America back on a path to freedom and renewed global leadership.

Emma Hemingway is a fourth year student at the University of Edinburgh studying International Relations. She is the Founder, Web Designer, and Editor-in-Chief of Ensemble Magazine.