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Politics Weekly America

What was behind Joe Biden’s biggest presidential decisions?

Sep 8, 2023
Jonathan Freedland speaks to Franklin Foer of the Atlantic about his book on Joe Biden's presidency, touching on topics such as Afghanistan, Ukraine, abortion rights and Biden's reliance on advice, morals and regrets.
27:29

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Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Joe Biden prioritizes leader-to-leader relationships and avoids becoming the focus himself, as seen in his response to the Supreme Court decision on abortion, differentiating him from younger Democrats who favor a more adversarial tone.
  • Joe Biden's transformative presidency has redirected paradigms for a generation, as he has accelerated the transition to clean energy, fostered sympathy towards unions, and positioned himself alongside monumental presidents like Franklin Roosevelt.

Deep dives

Biden's Approach to Putin and Politics

When Joe Biden met with Vladimir Putin in 2021, he focused on showing respect to minimize potential damage to his presidency. Biden's decades of political experience have given him unique rituals and understandings of events. However, Biden's politics and approach towards global human rights have been more realistic than idealistic. He prioritizes leader-to-leader relationships and doesn't want to become the focus himself, as seen in his response to the Supreme Court decision on abortion. This differentiates him from younger Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who believe in adopting a more adversarial tone. Despite criticism, Biden's political instincts on culture war issues have proven to be effective.

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