What major challenges will Joe Biden face in his presidency?
- Harsh Shah
- Jan 19, 2021
- 2 min read
Written by Harsh Shah
With vice president Mike Pence having declared Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election after the violent breakout at the U.S. Capitol. Wherein President Donald Trump’s supporters raided the Congress building to overturn his defeat in the presidential election, it begs the question, what major challenges will Biden face in his presidency?
To begin with, the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged through the United States and spiralled out of control. With 23,848,410 confirmed COVID-19 cases and close to 400,000 deaths, the pandemic has quickly transformed into one of the worst public health crises faced by the United States. The Trump administration is struggling to efficiently distribute the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, therefore, Biden’s political fate relies on him being able to manufacture and distribute millions of vaccine doses - making it one of the most complex logistical operations in U.S. history.
Furthermore, the pandemic, alongside the 2020 stock market crash has created one of the worst recessions in U.S. history. The economy contracted by 32% from April to June 2020, rendering 12.6 million Americans unemployed. Industries such as retail, restaurant and hospitality have been battered due to decreased spending by consumers. Although stimulus bills have been enacted by President Trump, a think tank estimates another 3 to 4.5 trillion stimulus package would be needed for the economy to return to pre-pandemic levels, creating the largest budget deficit since World War II.
President Trump’s accusations that the 2020 election was fabricated has spread through Republican voters, making it a challenge for Biden to unify Democrats and Republicans to combat the pandemic. For example, when it comes to mask-wearing, warnings made by Biden could be misinterpreted and disobeyed as some Republicans see it as a violation of their personal liberty. Moreover, Republicans hold the majority in the supreme court, therefore it will be difficult for Biden to carry out his more costly policies such as student loan forgiveness.
The Senate has been split 50-50 by Democrats and Republicans, but Democrats have the majority as the deciding vote in a Senate tie goes to the vice president. However, this is too close for comfort because there may be some policies that Democrats may disagree with, hence, flipping the majority towards the Republicans. Thus, Biden will have to find ways to collaborate with Republicans in the Senate and convince them to vote in his favour.
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