Comparing the presidencies of the incumbent president with some famous stalwarts, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), has become a norm in American politics.
Both Biden and FDR responded to the deteriorating economic condition of the country extremely well. Just like FDR’s assertiveness in the Great Depression, Joe Biden managed to recover the American economy in 2021 while administrating a record-breaking number of vaccines.
FDR and Biden Shared an Economic Vision of Prosperity
When FDR assumed the presidency, the country was gripped by the worst economic strain in centuries, which was driven by the Great Depression of 1929.
When masses were starving, FDR built his election campaign on the narrative of bringing people out of poverty, hence winning the elections against the incumbent.
Joe Biden was navigating almost the same waters, although the situation was not as difficult as compared to FDR. Under Donald Trump, the dwindling economic condition of the country affected the masses, especially in the onslaught of the coronavirus.
However, after assuming the office, Biden’s efforts to revamp the economy of the country resulted in a record number of jobs created in 2021. In the last year alone, almost 6.4 million jobs were created, thus recovering from a mass job loss.
Biden and FDR Responded to Crises Quickly
Both Biden and FDR had some other similarities as well. More often than not, they were quick to respond to different sorts of crises.
In the case of FDR, his team introduced a bill named the Emergency Banking Relief Act in the morning, which became the law by sunset.
Similarly, Joe Biden issued a slate of executive orders on his very first day in the office, actualizing many of his campaign promises right after assuming the office.
Biden Tackled the Pandemic Just as FDR Encountered the Great Depression
For Biden, the biggest challenge was the surging pandemic. With no proper vaccine infrastructure developed, he had to administer vaccines in the country, which was the worst hit by the pandemic in the whole world.
Using mandates and awareness campaigns, he managed to vaccinate a major percentage of the people, which reduced the pandemic effects by manifold.
Although vaccine inequity developed, which triggered the arrival of different COVID variants, including omicron, the distribution of vaccines within the country was better than in any other country in the world.
Climate and Racial Tensions were the Prominent Challenges for Biden
For Biden, some of the other persisting challenges included unprecedented racial challenges and the deteriorating climate.
While he rejoined the Paris Climate Accord and increased the greenhouse gasses emission climate cost estimate to $51 per ton, he still did not have the support of the judiciary with him.
Recently a Louisiana federal judge stopped the Biden administration from increasing the carbon emission estimate while reinstating Trump’s tax value of $7 per ton.
To confront racial tensions, Joe Biden tried to revamp not only policing sector but also the electoral sector, although he faced opposition from the conservative ranks.
Both Increased America’s Political Influence
Both FDR and Biden would be known in the history books as the men who tried to increase America’s political clout all over the world.
The modern-day global political-economic infrastructure which was made under the Bretton Woods Agreement is indebted to FDR who helped the world to get the biggest International Organization, the United Nations.
Similarly, Biden is in the process of reinstating America’s role in global events, as he settled American terms with the World Health Organization which were broken under Donald Trump.
Biden and FDR Shared Mental Strength
Another striking similarity between Joe Biden and FDR was their inner emotional strength which helped them keep moving.
At the age of 39, FDR was diagnosed with polio which disabled him from the waist down for the rest of his life. Still, he managed to do wonders in the public administration domain.
Similarly, just at the age of 30, Joe Biden lost his wife and a daughter in a car accident. But he kept on moving, marrying Jill Tracy Jacobs and ultimately assuming the most powerful office in the world.
Biden and FDR Shared a Similar Foreign Policy
In their foreign policy choices, both Biden and FDR avoided many traps in their first year of presidency. By now, the biggest foreign policy disaster of Biden is the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, but he has barred himself from invading any other country.
For instance, John F. Kennedy launched a famous Bay of Pigs invasion, which was a failed attempt to overthrow the Cuban regime. Gerald Ford issued a presidential pardon for former President Richard Nixon in his very first month of office, which helped him get away with the Watergate scandal.
But FDR and Biden were not involved in these sorts of disasters. Even though the Second World War started under FDR’s presidency, he kept America away until the Pearl Harbor attacks on American soil.
Similarly, Biden is trying hard to avoid a faceoff with China and Russia, which are violently engaging with their neighbors Taiwan and Ukraine, respectively.
NATO, the existence of which was becoming questionable before Biden’s tenure, is now making its relevance once again, which makes him the person behind the rebirth of NATO.
Final Thoughts
While Joe Biden’s president is only one year old, FDR was the only president in the history of the country to serve for four terms. So, FDR essentially maintained his brilliance over time, and Biden will have to follow the suit if he really wants to get his place booked with the likes of FDR in the history books.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.