The Biden administration has failed to restore normalcy
Jack Elbaum
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During the 2020 election cycle, now-President Joe Biden’s main appeal to voters was that he would bring back “normalcy” to the White House. People may not have been particularly excited to vote for him, but after four unpredictable years, it was not hard for Biden to paint himself as a seasoned veteran in Washington who could make decency, bipartisanship, and stability normal again.
After more than two years in office, though, it has become crystal clear that the Biden administration has failed to restore normalcy to the executive branch.
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There are recent events: A bag of cocaine was found in the White House, the story about where it was found has changed, and the Secret Service said it would never be able to uncover the person responsible for bringing the drug. Biden is in the crosshairs of his son’s shady overseas business dealings — the same son who has now been charged with federal gun and tax-related charges. The president, who is often portrayed as a simple family man, refuses to acknowledge one of his granddaughters even exists because his son fathered her with a stripper. And a trans activist made a TikTok video while topless on the White House lawn.
There are also events from earlier in the presidency: Biden compared Republicans who support a completely benign voting law to slavery advocates and segregationists such as George Wallace, Bull Connor, and Jefferson Davis. In his disastrous pullout from Afghanistan, Biden left hundreds of Americans and more than 75,000 U.S. allies there even as the Taliban took over. And while answering questions and giving speeches, he regularly says things that are unintelligible.
Is any of this “normal”? Not at all. And this is by no means a comprehensive list. National Review Editor-in-Chief Rich Lowry has documented many more examples. Each of these episodes is cause for significant concern among the public regarding the competence, decency, and prudence of the president and those surrounding him. They wade into domains of policy, personal ethics, and cultural norms.
This should not be construed to suggest that this White House is acting more bizarrely than its predecessor. But the idea that we can consider the Biden administration to be a model of normalcy has become foolish in light of the things that have actually happened during its time in power. Even worse, then, is that some in the media regularly work overtime to ensure the image of the Biden White House is not too tainted by its own actions.
Most people understand this, which is why Biden has an approval rating that is sitting just above a weak 40%, along with a disapproval rating almost 14 points higher.
It is easy to see that none of this bodes well for Biden, or the country, in the lead-up to 2024. After all, the person he will likely be running against is the one with the administration that was even less normal.
There is only one thing to say about that: Buckle up, America.
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Jack Elbaum is a summer 2023 Washington Examiner fellow.