On Tuesday, a giant number “100” was written on the north lawn of the White House. It was a birthday tribute to former US President Jimmy Carter, who served only one term due to external factors such as high inflation and the Iran hostage crisis.
Joe Biden, who currently resides in the White House, must know what it feels like to fight three fires at once. Iran fired at least 180 missiles at Israel, six U.S. states remain affected by Hurricane Helen, and ports from Maine to Texas are closed as some 45,000 longshoremen go on strike. was closed.
Unlike Carter, Biden already knows his fate and is not running for re-election next month. What remains unclear, however, is whether these three issues will hinder Vice President and potential successor Kamala Harris. Certainly, her rival Donald Trump smells an opportunity to hurt her with the same brush with chaos.
“The world is on fire and spinning out of control,” he said in a written statement. “We don’t have leadership, we don’t have people running the country. We don’t have a president, Joe Biden, and we have a vice president, Kamala Harris, who doesn’t exist at all because she’s too busy raising money in San Francisco. .”
Will it stick? no one can be sure. Democrats must have breathed another sigh of relief at dumping Biden after his dismal performance in June’s debate. A president immersed in foreign policy has a disaster every year. The failed withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel in 2023.
He tried unsuccessfully to influence Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Gaza Strip. Last week, Biden spoke to reporters about his plan for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon and seemed to think Prime Minister Netanyahu was on board with it. The next day, a massive Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. It seemed like a case study in presidential powerlessness and the limits of American power.
Now, following an Iranian missile attack, Israel has vowed to retaliate, and Republicans are preparing for an attack. Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told Fox News: “If you look back at the Trump era, there were no wars, no conflicts, and the reason for that is because at least our allies knew where we stood. With Biden and Harris, they didn’t know where we stood. You never know.”
This issue – a world in turmoil under the Biden administration, in contrast to years of glorious peace under the Trump administration – should come with a number of caveats, not least the abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal and the President Trump’s decision to strike a deal to end the war requires a lot of attention. Now that Biden has given way to Harris, that becomes even more difficult to achieve.
The vice president has been running on the Goldilocks principle of being neither too hot nor too cold, but just the right amount of loyalty to Biden. She praised the president and gave a speech to Biden at the Democratic National Convention preaching America’s leadership in the world. But she’s also a “turn the page” and “new path forward” candidate, one who will likely never leave the phrase “Bidenmix” off her lips again.
Current events are once again testing where Vice President Harris ends and Candidate Harris begins. Activists on the left are eager for hints that she will listen more sympathetically to the Palestinians and take a harder line against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Unconditional National Movement refuses to support her, citing her reluctance to move towards an unconditional weapons policy.
At a White House press conference, a reporter wanted to know what her involvement was during Iran’s attack on Israel. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was at pains to say that Harris joined the president in the Situation Room.
“She was there,” Jean-Pierre said. “She’s with him when he gets updates, and when it comes to really important, critical national security issues, she’s either in the room or, like you just said, on the phone. I did.”
Get the most important US headlines and highlights sent straight to your email every morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may include information about charities, online advertising, and content sponsored by external parties. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and are subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
After newsletter promotion
Harris herself has since made unscheduled public appearances to address the escalating situation in the Middle East, reaffirming her credentials as commander in chief in a way she did not feel obligated to do four months ago. Confirmed. She carefully recorded her presence in the emergency room and promised that “my commitment to Israel’s security is unwavering.”
Similarly, both candidates are vying to focus on the fight against Hurricane Helen, which made landfall in Florida last Thursday and had winds extending about 350 miles from its center. At least 150 people were killed and hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called it “historic in scale.”
President Trump visited Georgia on Monday and falsely claimed that Biden had not spoken to the state’s governor, Brian Kemp. Harris visited Georgia on Wednesday and is scheduled to visit North Carolina in the next few days. The stakes are high. The government has long been plagued by its failure to respond to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
But it is this third crisis that could have the biggest impact on the election. The dockers’ strike, the first since 1977, has disrupted supply chains and could cause shortages and soaring prices if it lasts more than a few weeks. That would be a political gift for Mr. Trump, whose lead in economic polls is eroding by Ms. Harris. Both sides are vying for union support.
President Trump, who has previously praised Elon Musk for firing striking workers, said in a statement: Kamala Harris is not entirely to blame, but this strike is a direct result of her actions. ”
Even though all this had happened, it was still October 1st. The only surprise right now would be if there are no more October surprises.
