President Biden, who is due to deliver a solemn general policy address to the US Congress this Wednesday, has nothing to do with the “Sleepy Joe” being ridiculed by his opponent Donald Trump.
One hundred days after entering the White House - this Thursday - "he already appears as a great transformative president, heir to Franklin Roosevelt", judges geopolitologist Dominique Moïsi, adviser to IFRI (French Institute for International Relations).
The mutation
.
A psychological evolution has played out.
“After having lived for decades in the shadow of American politics, at 78 years old, the ex-vice-president, a bit effaced from Obama, reveals himself to himself, aware that he has no more time to lose in this final phase of his career, ”continues Moïsi.
Served by exceptional circumstances, the Covid-19 pandemic and the succession to the hyper-cleaving Trump, he has "the double task of reconciling the Americans with themselves and America with its allies".
The international.
Climate, new “cold war”, human rights, return to multilateralism, etc.
Joe Biden wants to take back global leadership.
"There is a
Zorro
side
happened
, quips a senior European diplomat. But beware of illusions, Europe must think about its own path, not to follow suit on relations with China or Russia in particular. "Biden re-enacts the democratic values that Trump had retracted," says Dominique Moïsi. This makes the climate more tense, Xi Jinping and Putin did not expect this renewed firmness. The change can be seen: Putin conceded a (slight) softening towards the opponent Navalny and loosened the military grip on Ukraine. This America, however, is sending contradictory signals, according to the expert. On the one hand, it repatriates troops from Afghanistan, de facto handing over Kabul to the Taliban, on the other hand, it criticizes Beijing on the Uyghur issue. Without guarantee of result, "because the United States must henceforth share its role of leader with China".
The inner challenge
. The most urgent thing was to regain control of the pandemic after the mismanagement of the Trump era, to help the affected households with an aid plan. It is done, the vaccination of the population should be total on July 4 for Independence Day. The symbol erases the humiliating myth of the superiority of authoritarian countries in the management of Covid-19. Equally important, reconciliation and the fight against racial tensions. The judgment in the George Floyd case, with the conviction of police officer Derek Chauvin, shows that American society has evolved. "Biden felt it and he accompanies this movement, he has much more empathy than Obama, decrypts Dominique Moïsi. Will that cause him to force a gun control law on Congress? »Answer in the coming months.
The economy.
There too the shy has turned into hard. The announcement of a near doubling of taxes for the richest 0.3% of Americans (over $ 1 million annually) surprised. Objective, to finance the great plan for families and health, presented this Wednesday evening to Congress, which will be added to the two post-Covid recovery plans (2000 billion dollars each). There are risks, admits Moïsi, a risk of inflation, or of awakening of the business circles which appreciated the fiscal softness of Trump, but it is up to the crisis. His proposal to introduce a global minimum tax on corporate profits at 21% to finance a massive infrastructure plan is also part of this logic. Biden received the support of France and Germany on this issue on Tuesday.
