The White House is not slowing down during President Biden’s final few months in office, according to administration officials, as a legacy of more than 50 years of public service is celebrated Monday night at the Democratic National Convention.
The week will mark the passing of the baton from President Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris after the president ended his own reelection bid following weeks of intra-party turmoil, citing the need to unite the nation.
“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all merited a second term, but nothing, nothing, can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition,” he said during an address to the nation less than a month ago, which echoed a theme that belied his initial run for the office in 2020.
The decision is described as selfless and patriotic by senior administration officials and longtime Biden aides. And while for some it doesn’t change his legacy, it reflects it.
“The first 3 1/2 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 aides whom Scripps News spoke with view Biden’s presidency thus far as unprecedented, and believe history will judge him generously.
“He has a legacy of making people’s lives better and frankly, you know, making the world safer,” said the senior administration official.
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Officials point to his economic record — particularly in rebuilding the middle class — strengthening America’s leadership globally and preserving democracy. And looking toward his legacy, they often look back to when he took office in the midst of a pandemic and in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
“He led us out of the chaos of the Trump years with stability and integrity and with that wisdom and experience and expertise that he built up over the 50 years. He turned this country around,” said Elizabeth Alexander, deputy assistant to the president and communications director for first lady Jill Biden.
Globally, President Biden touts strengthening the United States’ alliances and unifying NATO, as his administration has navigated conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Domestically, officials point to major policy achievements in the American Rescue Plan, Inflation Reduction Act and Chips and Science Act — legislation designed to help boost the economy and domestic manufacturing, up America’s competitiveness, lower costs like prescription costs and junk fees, and usher in sweeping climate policy.
“We have a level of construction of factories on U.S. soil that is way above anything we’ve ever seen, so it’s really part of this legacy of bringing manufacturing in key new, expanding sectors back to our shores,” said Jared Bernstein, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors. “But these projects, while they’re creating jobs now, they also have a 5-, 10-, 15-year of return on investment because, again, we’re making transformational investments in the areas of semiconductors and chips and batteries and EVs, and so this will have a lasting impact for years to come.”
Many elements of President Biden’s agenda are still being implemented, but one official compares the moment to the likes of former Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Franklin Roosevelt.
But President Biden’s legacy started long before his presidency, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate at age 29. During his 36 years serving in the chamber, he helped write the Violence Against Women Act, led the judiciary and foreign relations committees, and as Vice President to former President Barack Obama, helped pass the Affordable Care Act.
Personally, early on in his career, he experienced the death of his wife and daughter and later his son.
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“History is going to be very kind to Joe Biden because, to be honest, when I think of this president, I think of a commitment to public service and to pushing our country forward that has spanned an entire career,” said one longtime Biden aide.
While his legacy is often described by the impact of major policy achievements, it is always underlined by a deep admiration for his character among senior administration officials and longtime Biden aides.
In times of divisive modern-day politics, they praise his decency, respect and friendship with colleagues across the aisle; ability to navigate bipartisan policy over the course of his career; and his compassion and morality of putting others and country first.
“He’s had transformational policies put in place in 3 1/2 years, has gotten done more in a single term than presidents get done in two terms, and I think his attributes as a decent, honorable, honest person and a patriotic leader will be remembered fondly — and then the impacts on people’s lives,” said another longtime Biden aide.
Some longtime aides even bought an ad over the weekend in the Delaware News Journal underscoring their appreciation.
But officials in the White House are not taking a victory lap just yet, and describe President Biden as “full steam ahead,” as they’re still focused on implementing what’s already been achieved on top of a still ambitious agenda.
“The focus is the work. It’s sprinting through the tape. It’s, 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 the soul of America and strengthen our democracy? There’s a lot of ambitious policy to enact, to put forward and to get done on behalf of the country,” said Herbie Ziskend, White House deputy director of communications.
While items like wanting to codify the protections in Roe v. Wade, pass an assault weapons ban and immigration reform are unlikely to pass within the next months in the current political landscape, over the past month and a half, President Biden has proposed ethical reforms to the Supreme Court, rolled out announcements to combat cancer, welcomed home wrongfully detained Americans from Russian prisons and celebrated lowering the costs of prescription drugs.
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With several months in office still remaining, the president’s administration is expected to continue judicial appointments, work towards normalized relations in the Middle East, finalize a cease-fire deal and continue its focus on the economy.
“You don’t need to remind me about that because he tells us that with great certainty,” Bernstein said. “We are never finished with the agenda to uplift the American middle class, to help people get a ladder into that middle class, where that is an ongoing project for the lifetime of this president.”
It wasn’t policy, but his age that some couldn’t move past in reflecting on the political events of the last month and a half, one official explained.
“The energy has obviously shifted to making sure that we do our jobs well, and that the greatest thing that we can do to preserve the president’s legacy is make sure we get things done, but also that we work very closely on the shared vision with the vice president,” said another senior administration official. “This is their collective work, but the energy and the tone and tenor and pace in the building is not changed one bit. These are Olympic times. We’re running through the pace, we’re running hard and fast and, right now, we’re at that last leg of a marathon. And we haven’t slowed down one bit.”
On Monday night, the president is expected to talk about his vision for the country in his speech on the first day of the Democratic National Convention. He views the moment as a fulfilling one, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, that will be important for the nation, not just the Democratic party.
When asked last week what his message to Democrats would be, President Biden simply said: “Win.”
