On a recent Tuesday, President Joe Biden delivered a brazen critique, aimed at his predecessor, suggesting that leaders across the globe harbor fears tied to the potential re-emergence of Donald Trump in the Oval Office and the potential impact on democratic systems worldwide. ‘I’ve participated in a multitude of international meetings,’ Biden conveyed, citing his recent venture to Germany, ‘where leaders, in hushed conversations, express the sentiment, ‘Joe, him prevailing is not an option.’ Our democracy’s fate hangs in the balance.’ In an almost frenzied tone, he then questioned, ‘If America recedes, which nation steps into the leadership mantle? Who could that be?’ These remarks diverged sharply from his proposed address which was to center largely on health care.
His unscheduled political discourse took place in New Hampshire, amidst an otherwise mundane healthcare speech, with his replacement election looming just two weeks away. It underscored the extent to which Biden perceives the prevention of Trump’s re-emergence as a critical aspect of his historical legacy. Post the address, Biden, with continued attacks on Trump, visited a campaign office to stand in solidarity with New Hampshire’s Democratic hopefuls. He even made a controversial statement, urging, ‘We need to lock him up.’
People backing current Vice President Kamala Harris, who assumed Biden’s position on the Democratic ticket in the summer, have echoed this sentiment in her rallies. Interestingly though, these chants find their roots amongst Trump’s supporters, who had called for the incarceration of his 2016 rival, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Biden’s echoing of this sentiment elicited applause from the office’s staff, to which he hastily added, ‘Politically lock him up. Lock him out, that’s our goal.’
Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the Trump campaign, snapped back at Biden’s comments, declaring Biden had ‘finally confessed that his and Kamala’s strategy, right from the start, was to politically torment their opponent President Trump because they cannot outwit him in a fair battle.’ Curiously, Biden steered clear of speaking much about Harris, though he did touch upon her endorsement from a few influential Republicans, including ex-Rep. Liz Cheney, a former ranking member of the House GOP leadership and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Instead of elevating Harris, Biden seemed to be more focused on decrying Trump, criticizing him for openly supporting a friendly rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He further joked that Trump’s belief in freedom of press is comparable to his faith in his ability to scale Mt. Everest. Biden stated that Trump and his ‘Make America Great Again’ cohort exhibit an ‘anti-democratic’ outlook towards Constitutional operations, and show ‘almost no respect’ for our nation’s document of supreme law.
Biden launched another speculative salvo — ‘Consider the consequence if Donald Trump emerges as the victor in this election.’ He emphasized, ‘He isn’t jesting about it, he is genuinely severe,’ and shared his apprehension: ‘It’s represents a grave, grave issue.’ ‘We have a duty to prevail,’ advocated Biden.
The backdrop of these comments was the capital of New Hampshire, Concord, where Biden was accompanied by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the last candidate Biden had outperformed in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. The two politicians assembled at Concord Community College to hail the Department of Health and Human Services’ finding that almost 1.5 million Medicare benefactors had saved close to $1 billion on prescription drugs during the first six months of the year.
Much of these savings resulted from a limit on out-of-pocket drug expenses, enabled by a comprehensive climate and healthcare act, carried over the line in Congress by the Biden administration in 2022. The law implemented an annual cap of $3,500 that recipients of Medicare – the governmental healthcare insurance coverage program for senior citizens – pay out for their prescriptions. It also ensured free recommended vaccines for older Americans, including shingles immunization.
However, Biden opined then that elderly weren’t the only ones reaping benefits from the savings: ‘Taxpayers are also saving billions.’ In the following year, the cap on drug cost for Medicare recipients is slated to drop to $2,000 annually – a potential huge relief for some of the most ailing Americans. But, like any situation, it comes with a flip side. This reduction has, undoubtedly, contributed towards an upswing in drug plan premiums – a phenomenon that the government endeavored to control by funnelling billions of dollars from the Medicare trust fund to insurers. Despite these measures, several insurers have either inflated their plan prices significantly or entirely withdrawn their plans from markets.
In spite of these increasing costs, other savings expected from the legislation – both for taxpayers and Medicare recipients in the long term- lend it merit. For the first time in history, the federal government will negotiate the prices of 10 of Medicare’s most expensive drugs. The fully negotiated list prices, announced in August, will be implemented in 2026.
These ten drugs, which include popular blood thinners like Xarelto and Eliquis, along with diabetes medications Jardiance and Januvia, represent an annual expenditure for taxpayers exceeding $50 billion. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts that the exercise in Medicare drug price negotiations could result in saving taxpayers $3.7 billion just in its first year.
But Biden’s advocacy for lower drug prices was, regrettably, overshadowed by his constant warnings about Trump. His disdain for his predecessor was clear when he lamented, ‘No president has ever resembled this individual. He poses a genuine threat to our democracy.’
It would bode well for Biden and Harris if they could perhaps focus more on policies and serving the American people, rather than spending so much time attempting to smear another politician with their personal aggression. But then again, it seems that these two are more interested in their own political survival than the wellbeing of the nation.