There’s a certain nostalgia some harbor for the days of Joe Biden, yearning for a time that never quite was. They conveniently ignore the ongoing catastrophes, blaming everything on Trump’s administration since day one. It’s an amusing narrative to think that Trump single-handedly brought down a pristine economy handed to him by Biden. That’s far from the reality, but it’s a popular narrative nonetheless.
Our memory seems to be plagued by selective recollection. The economy under Biden was hailed as the ‘World’s Envy’, a term seemingly conjured up to embellish a far more humble reality. The current economic struggles faced by investors are pinned on Trump’s trade war, absence of a clear economic policy, and an alleged indifference towards governing when not under the public eye. But weren’t these issues persistent even during Biden’s time?
The stock market turbulence, characterized by the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing over 2,000 points since Election Day, is gleefully attributed to the so called Trump’s financial disaster. The slump in consumer confidence, the highest rate of Americans falling behind on car payments in over 30 years – all these are curiously credited to Trump, negating any preexisting economic flaws that thrived under Biden’s watch.
Inflation and employment difficulties are not novel economic issues. The devaluation of the U.S. dollar is not a new concept suddenly brought upon by an ‘inept’ Trump administration. Still, it’s amusing to see it all blamed on the new government while the previous one, under Biden, is conveniently whitewashed.
The same audience that criticizes Trump, hails Elon Musk even as he publicly opposes Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, going so far as to label the latter a ‘Ponzi scheme.’ Then they mourn the fleeting concept of ‘domestic tranquility’ without acknowledging the fact that such schemes were hardly effective under Biden.
Musk, being the critic he is, takes a stab at the conventional government services, the so-called American ‘perks’ such as the Small Business Administration and the IRS. His audacious demonstration and proposed privatization of the U.S. Postal Service is somehow swallowed up in the Trump bashing while Joe Biden and his administration’s shortcomings are conveniently overlooked.
Any government cost-cutting is met with uproarious disapproval. Reduced bureaucracy is decried as a massacre. However, Musk’s demonstrations are accepted with laughter. The double standards are obvious, yet no one seems to acknowledge the elephant in the room—the shortcomings of Biden’s own administration.
The rising inflation rate, an issue steadily inching up since Biden left office, has been craftily swept under the carpet. Trump’s trade disagreements with Mexico and Canada are terrifying, they say, forgetting perhaps the stalemate Biden left us in.
As Trump dared to retort with a tax on Canada in response to Ontario’s energy tax, the media was quick to descend upon him with scorn. Any move by Trump is met with relentless attacks, while the same media remained mysteriously silent on Biden’s many lackluster economic decisions.
When Europe and Canada announced new tariffs against American products following Trump’s tariffs on metal imports, pundits ignored the punitive measures against the States and yet found another reason to condemn Trump. The apparent bias against Trump and unwarranted sanctification of Biden raises some questions about their objectivity.
Suddenly, Trump’s administration is portrayed as an economic farce, a tragicomedy of errors. And Biden’s time is painted as an era of economic prosperity; those simple ‘lovely’ days. A narrative forgetting Biden’s own economic blunders and distorting history to fit a pre-decided narrative.
The description of Trump as a man prone to bankruptcy completely dismisses his other achievements and omits Biden’s forgotten failures. It seems like whenever there’s a potential for economic recovery, Trump is pre-emptively blamed for future downturns while Biden’s shortcomings continue to hide in plain sight.
Biden’s administration is often glorified for sailing smoothly, as if immune to any controversy or setbacks. But was it really such a smooth journey or are we simply refusing to see the bumps along the way?
Every mistake, every downturn since Biden left the office is pointed towards Trump. A narrative is being woven where Trump is the villain destined to fail, and Biden is the flawless hero of yesteryears, conveniently ignored in the face of today’s challenges.
The manner in which the public perception is manipulated to only recall Biden’s term fondly and cast all blame on Trump’s administration for the current woes leaves much to question. The balance of judgment is tilted, favoring a romanticized view of a time past, and condemning a present filled with challenges partially set up by Biden himself.