Chaos Candidate Narrative vs. Normalcy Return Argument in the 2020 Election

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

In the 2020 election, Trump challenged the narrative of a return to stability, claiming under his leadership there was chaos in various aspects. He positioned himself as the strong man who would bring back order and normalcy. Despite media coverage of his actions and character, a significant percentage of people still believed in his serious criminality. The crucial point highlighted was Trump's chaotic management and incompetence in running the economy, making it vital for Biden to emphasize Trump's shortcomings in these areas.

President Biden gave a raucous State of the Union speech last Thursday, offering his pitch for why he should be president for a second term. It’s the clearest picture we have yet of Biden’s campaign message for 2024. But while he listed off all kinds of proposals, it’s not as easy to parse what a second Biden term might actually look like. So I sat down with my editor Aaron Retica, who had a lot of questions for me about the speech itself and what Biden would be likely to accomplish if he got another four years in the job.

We discuss how my argument for Biden to step aside holds up after he gave such a deft, high-energy performance; what a second Biden administration would likely do when it comes to abortion rights and foreign policy; the issues that didn’t receive much attention in the speech but would likely play a huge role in a second Biden term; the strongest 2024 campaign message that I’ve heard so far; and whether this is a Locke election or a Hobbes election — and what that means.

Book Recommendations:

Tip O'Neill and the Democratic Century by John A. Farrell

A Nation Without Borders by Steven Hahn

The Field of Blood by Joanne B. Freeman

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.

You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.

This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Rollin Hu. Fact checking by Michelle Harris, with Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing from Efim Shapiro. Our senior editor is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Annie Galvin and Kristin Lin. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Sonia Herrero.