Displaying items by tag: Joe Biden

Thursday, 14 March 2024 21:39

USA: it’s a Biden-Trump rematch

This week, both Joe Biden and Donald Trump secured their parties' nominations for the November election, setting the stage for a rematch of the 2020 presidential election. Biden, 81, expressed gratitude for the support amid what he described as a heightened threat from Trump. He asserted the US was in the middle of an economic comeback, but faced challenges to its future as a democracy, as well as from those seeking to pass abortion restrictions and cut social programmes. Despite persistent concerns from voters that his age limits his ability to perform the duties of the presidency, he faced no serious Democratic challengers. Meanwhile, Trump, 77, maintains popularity within the Republican voter base, focusing his campaign on immigration, crime, energy, and foreign policy. The results were expected, as both candidates have dominated their respective races, even though polling suggests dissatisfaction with the prospect of another Biden-Trump showdown. The nominations will be formalised at party conventions in the summer, leading to what is anticipated to be a closely-watched and contentious election in November.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 08 February 2024 22:30

USA: bipartisan immigration bills stalls

Joe Biden and Donald Trump are blaming each other for the stalling of a bipartisan immigration bill. Despite support from Democrats and Republicans, the measure has been rejected by Congress and faces growing opposition in the Senate. Biden accused Trump of exploiting the issue rather than solving it, while Trump's campaign blamed Biden's policies for chaos in American communities. The proposed bill aims to address the influx of undocumented immigrants at the southern border by allocating funds for border wall construction, expediting asylum decisions, limiting humanitarian parole, and expanding deportation authority. In addition to allocating $20bn for border funding, it includes major financial support for Ukraine and for Israel. Trump denounced the bill, claiming only ‘fools’ or ‘radical left Democrats’ would support it, and described his border policies as ‘the most secure in history’. The Republicans narrowly failed to impeach Biden's homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, blaming him for the recent surge in illegal migration: see

Published in Worldwide

On 28 January a drone strike on a military outpost in Jordan led to the deaths of three US soldiers and injuries to many others. Joe Biden, attributing the attack to radical Iran-backed militant groups in Syria and Iraq, has vowed retaliation at a time and manner of the US's choosing. Tehran denied involvement, stating that regional resistance groups make their decisions independently. Iran’s envoy to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, has threatened decisive action against any possible attacks on Iranian territory or interests abroad. He dismissed reports of communication between Iran and the USA on the matter. Biden has said, ‘I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East… That’s not what I’m looking for.’ Meanwhile, a federal judge has dismissed an unprecedented lawsuit by a group of Palestinians who accused Biden’s administration of complicity in genocide, as being outside the scope of the court. However, he urged Biden to reflect on his ‘unflagging’ support for Israel. See

Published in Worldwide

On 5 December Joe Biden called Donald Trump an ‘existential threat to the country’s system of government’, in response to Trump’s recent comments claiming it is Biden who is really the ‘destroyer of American democracy’. This exchange reflects how the issue of protecting democracy and Trump's baseless attacks on the 2020 election could be key in the 2024 presidential election. Biden, who looks increasingly likely to be headers for a rematch against Trump, has sought to define the election in terms of protecting not just democracy but personal liberty. He noted that Trump has said he would give presidential pardons to many of the people charged or convicted in connection with the January 2021 attack on the Capitol. He also attacked Trump for appointing three Supreme Court justices who joined an opinion in 2022 that reversed Roe v Wade, the national guarantee for abortion access, and added, ‘He's running again to get rid of the Affordable Care Act’ (popularly known as Obamacare). Later that day, Biden said, ‘We cannot let him win’.

Published in Worldwide

On 15 November, after concluding a four-hour meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Joe Biden expressed optimism about improving US-China relations. Key agreements were reached on reducing fentanyl production and restoring military communication. Biden described the talks as constructive and productive. The primary aim was to stabilise US-China relationships and prevent conflict through open communication, especially in the military domain. Biden emphasised the importance of China's commitment to control precursor chemicals for fentanyl, which has been causing a drug crisis in the US. Agreement on military communication and addressing potential miscalculations was seen as a significant step forward, a need highlighted by incidents like the Chinese ‘spy balloon’ over the USA in January. The talks were part of Biden's effort to make the relationship with China rational and manageable, avoiding conflict. However, he still maintains his opinion of Xi as a dictator.

Published in Worldwide

The Democratic Party's strong showing in off-year elections has encouraged Joe Biden and his supporters, although his popularity is low (it is now 39%, the lowest since April). Some segments of the party have lost faith in Biden, frustrated by his Israel stance, the lack of movement on climate change, or high prices. However, encouraging signs included a victory by Democratic incumbent governor Andy Beshear in Kentucky over a well-regarded Republican opponent, the passage in Republican-voting Ohio of a constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion rights, and Democratic wins in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. The Ohio result shows abortion rights remain a winning political issue for Democrats after the conservative majority on the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to an abortion, overriding public opinion. Whether victories for Democrats this week are a definitive sign of strength for Biden's re-election is unclear. Biden, who turns 81 this month, currently faces no serious primary challengers and has raised tens of millions of dollars for his re-election campaign. His fundraising has surpassed that of Donald Trump, 77, who backed the losing Kentucky governor candidate.

Published in Worldwide

US president Joe Biden's administration is to build a section of border wall in southern Texas in an effort to stop rising levels of immigration. Around 20 miles (32 km) will be built in Starr County, where officials report high numbers of crossings. Building a border wall, a signature policy of Donald Trump, was fiercely opposed by Democrats. In 2020, Mr Biden promised he would not build another foot of wall if elected. The US Customs and Border Protection defended the latest move, saying it was using funds already allocated for a border barrier. The rising number of illegal border crossings has made the issue a vulnerable one for the president. More than 245,000 crossings have been made this year in the Rio Grande Valley area alone. Several US cities say they are feeling the strain of the influx. New York City mayor Eric Adams predicted the cost of housing the more than 100,000 new arrivals since last year will rise to $12bn over the next three years. ‘We are at capacity’, he said.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 21 September 2023 21:48

USA: Biden criticised for sidelining human rights

From business and strategic perspectives, Joe Biden's recent visits to Vietnam and India will likely be seen as bolstering ties with countries that can help Washington to counter China’s growing might. But for rights advocates, Biden's travels are a huge disappointment, given his administration's vow to prioritise human rights when taking office in 2021. Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the government's Hindu majoritarian ideology is reflected in bias in the justice system, and authorities have intensified efforts to silence activists and journalists through politically motivated charges. Meanwhile, Vietnam is holding at least 159 political prisoners - people imprisoned for peacefully exercising basic civil and political rights - and at least 22 others were in detention pending eventual trial before a court controlled by the ruling Communist Party. In the first eight months of 2023 alone, HRW said, courts have sentenced at least fifteen people to long prison terms in violation of their rights to a fair trial. Reporters asked Biden in Vietnam if he was putting US strategic interests above rights and replied: ‘I’ve raised it (human rights) with every person I met with’.

But HRW said talking in private was not enough.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 14 September 2023 21:16

Hunter Biden indicted on gun charges

President Biden's son, Hunter, has been criminally charged with three counts of lying when buying a firearm, after a proposed plea deal collapsed. This is the first time the child of a sitting president has been criminally prosecuted. All three counts relate to Mr Biden allegedly lying on forms while buying a firearm when he was a drug user. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, the justice department said in a statement. The younger Mr Biden's legal woes have become a political lightning rod as his father seeks re-election. Earlier this week, Republicans in the House of Representatives announced an impeachment inquiry into President Biden: among the accusations being levelled against him are that he lied about his involvement in his son's business dealings while serving as vice-president. Two Internal Revenue Service investigators have also claimed that the justice department stymied their investigation into Hunter Biden's tax return.

Published in Worldwide

The shift in tone and mood was unmistakable as US president Joe Biden visited the Republic of Ireland, having spent a short time in Northern Ireland. Baseball cap on, and into a pub. ‘It feels like I'm coming home,’ he said in Dundalk, County Louth. The NI politics tightrope negotiated, it seems it is now time to unwind a little. His sister and son were in tow: it was not diplomacy but a return to family roots and a sense of belonging. 30 million Americans also have Irish ancestry, and Biden hopes for a political dividend the year before a presidential election. Meanwhile his visit to Northern Ireland, although talked about for months, only lasted 17 hours. There is no such thing as a low-key trip for an American president, but this came close. Quick, short, with Rishi Sunak's input minimal, not even appearing at Biden's only public appearance - raising some eyebrows in government.

Published in British Isles
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