President Biden mostly stayed out of former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Tim Miller, of the moderate conservative site The Bulwark, praised him for "tonally ... living up to his campaign promise" to not "inflame divisions" during the proceedings, even though he had "ample opportunity to do so." In his response to Trump's acquittal, Biden, though critical of his predecessor's role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, did seem to focus less on the verdict and more on how to move forward, again calling for "an end to this uncivil war" and the healing of "the very soul of our nation." That said, Politico reports, don't expect Biden and his administration to stop talking about Trump anytime soon.
Three people familiar with the situation told Politico the Biden White House will continue to use Trump as a foil "for the foreseeable future" in the hopes of building support for the president's agenda. The strategy reportedly stems from 2009, when Biden, then vice president, and former President Barack Obama came to believe they didn't defend their policies forcefully enough from Republican criticism, which they viewed as a major factor in the GOP's big victory in the 2010 midterm elections.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why Rikers Island will no longer be under New York City's controlThe Explainer A 'remediation manager' has been appointed to run the infamous jail
-
California may pull health care from eligible undocumented migrantsIN THE SPOTLIGHT After pushing for universal health care for all Californians regardless of immigration status, Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest budget proposal backs away from a key campaign promise
-
Is Apple breaking up with Google?Today's Big Question Google is the default search engine in the Safari browser. The emergence of artificial intelligence could change that.
-
Israel-US 'rift': is Trump losing patience with Netanyahu?Today's Big Question US president called for an end to Gaza war and negotiated directly with Hamas to return American hostage, amid rumours of strained relations
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talksspeed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 daysspeed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
India strikes Pakistan as tensions mount in Kashmirspeed read Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it an 'act of war'
-
Israel approves plan to take over Gaza indefinitelyspeed read Benjamin Netanyahu says the country is 'on the eve of a forceful entry'
-
Putin talks nukes as Kyiv slated for US air defensesspeed read 'I hope they will not be required,' Putin said of nuclear weapons on Russian state TV
-
US, Ukraine sign joint minerals dealspeed read The Trump administration signed a deal with Ukraine giving the US access to its mineral wealth
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
