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Exactly nine months ago today, we took a look at a striking political split screen. On one side, the public saw congressional Republicans struggling to choose a House speaker, while on the other, President Joe Biden was in Kentucky for a celebratory event touting a major infrastructure project.
The resulting image was one the White House was eager to project: A Democratic president was succeeding, while GOP lawmakers were flailing. One party offered chaos, while the other offered results.
A month later, a related political split screen was on display. Donald Trump thought it’d be a good idea in February to promote North Korean criticisms of U.S. foreign policy. At the same time, Biden, on the heels of a historic trip to Kyiv, delivered a bold address in Warsaw on the importance of protecting democracy.
In July, Trump became the first former American president to face a federal criminal indictment. Simultaneously, his White House successor announced a series of worthwhile policy measures designed to help U.S. workers and consumers.
But for those who take note of split screens, this week has offered an unusually stark image. NBC News, for example, published this report on Tuesday morning.
Major drug companies including Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb have committed to participate in Medicare drug price negotiations with the federal government, the Biden administration said Tuesday.
As that story was breaking, Trump was throwing another tantrum at a New York courthouse, where the Trump Organization is on trial for alleged fraud, while on Capitol Hill, congressional Republicans were preparing to oust their House speaker for failing to fully satisfy some of his most radical members.
A day later, NBC News ran another report on another Biden priority.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday touted his administration’s efforts to address student debt, including an additional $9 billion in relief that the White House announced. The additional relief, set to help about 125,000 Americans, brings the Biden administration’s total approved debt cancellation to $127 billion for nearly 3.6 million Americans, Biden said in remarks at the White House.
As the public learned of these developments, Trump’s trial — and tantrums — continued in New York, while GOP lawmakers struggled with their future and confronted reports about their inability to govern.
Circling back to our earlier coverage, I’m reminded of the 2020 presidential campaign, when voters were effectively told that a Biden presidency would be a welcome shift from the daily drama and scandals of the Trump White House. Biden would use his experience and temperament to oversee an executive branch focused on problem-solving.
It wouldn’t be glamorous. It wouldn’t generate excitement or banner headlines. But Americans would see a president and his team doing real and worthwhile work that would help make a difference, without the West Wing circus.
This week offered another timely reminder that those election-season vows were correct.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.