There is a growing body of evidence that the scandal over the Biden family is not, as many anti-Trumpers had hoped, a story concocted purely by outside forces interfering with the US election, but rather a major case that could seriously threaten Biden’s own image and credibility. This development leads me to the judgment that Biden’s election under these circumstances would be very bad for the United States, including the two major parties and Biden himself. I believe that many people, including the Clintons who have not come out in support of Biden, have come to this conclusion.
One of the main reasons Biden defended his presidential candidacy at his advanced age was that he could bring American society back together. While many question whether he will be able to do so, with the current scandal, it is certain that not only will he not be able to unite American society, but he will likely plunge the United States into greater division and political trouble because of it. In other words, no matter how many good intentions or even good policies Biden may have, his ability to govern has been dealt a devastating blow by this scandal that could implicate him personally. Some opponents of Trump will say that Biden, as troubled as he is, is better than Trump’s re-election because Trump is doing so much harm to America and the world. I can’t agree with that. Imagine if the Biden family scandal had come to light during the Democratic primary, would Biden still have been the Democratic nominee for president?
Not only would a scandal-ridden Biden likely become a lame duck president once he takes office, making it difficult for him to push for major domestic policy changes, but his China policy would also be in serious jeopardy in the current dangerous and delicate U.S.-China confrontation. The biggest danger is that Biden will be unable to find a good “China team” to devise a more systematic China strategy that has unanimous bipartisan support. This would make it easy for Xi Jinping to take advantage of the situation and make risky choices with serious consequences. By contrast, if Trump were elected, he would have the opportunity to do what Biden could not have done. This judgement is based on two factors: first, Trump is not a career politician in the first place, so it is easier for him to transcend partisan interests, and second, he is no longer under pressure to be re-elected, so he can be more hands-off in pushing for major reforms that are difficult for career politicians to push through. In other words, the only thing he has in mind is his historical standing, without being too bound by party and ideology.
Of course, it is completely unrealistic to expect Trump to solve all of America’s major problems. In fact, the American political revolution initiated by Trump’s rise to power has just begun. If Trump is elected, he will be the hand-me-down of generations of American political leaders, which means that the next American president will surely come from a new generation. Which party’s new generation will Trump create more opportunities for? I don’t think it’s necessarily Republican, i.e. a Trump re-election may not be worse for the future of the Democrats, whereas a Biden re-election has the potential to do long term damage to the Democrats.
History is not inevitable, and Trump’s re-election does not necessarily mean a better future for America. But as a matter of common sense, we can infer that Trump and his team have gained valuable experience over the past four years and have learned things that they could not have learned in any other way, and that Biden and his team, while badly needed, could not have, or even had time to learn and master. This includes the insights and experience of dealing with Xi Jinping and the China he leads. This difference is important not just for the United States, but for the entire world. Because Biden is entangled in Communist Party-related scandals, his team’s lack of experience and knowledge will make it significantly more difficult for the free world to come together to deal with the Chinese challenge.
And in my view, dealing with the challenge of Xi Jinping’s China is actually where the most critical theme for the next U.S. president to govern the country and lead the world lies, not only in the fundamental interests of the United States, but also in the fundamental interests of Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia, and other regions and countries.
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