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Biden’s “America First”

March 24, 2021

Joe Biden was never going to completely repudiate Donald Trump's "America First" doctrine.

In style, policy direction and the empathy he shows to the public, the current U.S. president is different. He brings a long career in politics that Trump lacked, as a senate veteran dealing with issues from foreign policy to the judiciary and civil liberties, and as vice president under Barack Obama.

Allies have welcomed his re-engagement with them and the United Nations and the Paris Climate Accord.

But on his tough stance against the rising power of China, and cornering the vaccine market to ensure a comprehensive rollout in the U.S., the two men share similar goals.

Other wealthy nations are also seeking to hold on to supplies to fight the pandemic at home. But as European inoculation programs lag, the U.S.'s ramped-up drive has been so successful — it's on pace to inoculate most of its adult population by summer — because first Trump, and then Biden, arranged to buy all of the pharma companies' known U.S. production for months to come.

Only then will the focus shift abroad, with America potentially becoming the world's biggest exporter of Covid-19 shots, Josh Wingrove explains.

In his first two months in office, Biden has enjoyed some notable victories, including the passage of his $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package, and he's largely succeeded in keeping the squabbling progressive and moderate wings of his Democratic party on board. But huge hurdles lie ahead.

His party's majority in Congress is razor thin, and he needs to keep Democrats happy while placating Republican voters for whom Trump's "America First" message still resonates.

And as Ellen M. Gilmer and Erik Larson report, Republican-led states have started court challenges to his agenda on everything from immigration to the use of federal Covid-19 relief funds and the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

That Biden is focused on putting America first shouldn't be a surprise. It's how he is doing it that's different. — Karl Maier

Hearts on the North Lawn of the White House placed by the First Lady's office for Valentine's Day.

Photographer: Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg

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Global Headlines

Tightening up | Vaccine shipments from the European Union to the rest of the world may face severe disruption under tougher rules due to be unveiled today that would end guarantees of uninterrupted exports to some 90 countries. The move marks an escalation in the EU's battle to secure supplies by potentially blocking all shipments to countries that do not reciprocate, with the U.K a prime target.

  • Brazil reported more than 3,000 Covid-19 deaths for the first time in a 24-hour period as the pandemic spreads unchecked across Latin America's biggest economy.

Turkey accused | President Emmanuel Macron expressed fears that Turkey may seek to influence France's upcoming elections. "The threats aren't veiled, so I think that we must be very lucid," he told France 5 TV yesterday, without explaining how meddling may occur. Macron's relationship with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been tense, though they agreed in January to try to mend ties and held a video call this month.

Inconclusive again | No clear winner emerged from Israel's fourth election in two years, leaving legally embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrambling to woo rivals to stay in power. The prime minister's fate could rest on his ability to co-opt a former ally who challenged him for the premiership — and possibly a breakaway Arab party.

Netanyahu gestures as he speaks at a Likud party event in Jerusalem today.

Photographer: Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg

Chip fight | Intel unveiled a bid to regain its manufacturing lead by spending billions of dollars on new factories and creating a foundry business that will make chips for other companies. The plan is a rallying cry for those who want Intel — and the U.S. — to reassert technology leadership as China invests heavily to develop its semiconductor industry and there are renewed calls for the U.S. government to support domestic production.

  • Many of the world's biggest automakers are suspending operations at factories in Asia, Europe and North America with a persistent shortage of chips exacerbated by a fire at a key foundry over the weekend.
  • Beijing has proposed establishing a joint venture with local tech giants that would oversee the lucrative data they collect from hundreds of millions of consumers, sources say.

Tech challenge | Digital vaccination apps being rushed to market to allow for global travel are creating their own problems. It's unclear if apps will be able to securely talk to each other or use open source software standards, like those that verify credentials securely over the web. Relying on proprietary systems raises the prospect that a company developing an app may have access to people's data.

What to Watch

  • Hong Kong and Macau temporarily suspended Covid vaccines manufactured by BioNTech because of a packaging defect, a blow to inoculation drives key to reviving their pandemic-battered economies.

  • The U.S. is maintaining pressure on Germany over a new gas link to Russia, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline runs counter to the EU's interests. He'll meet Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell today.

  • A top White House official warned migrants seeking to enter from Mexico that the border is closed after she discussed how to resolve the increasingly dire situation with Mexico's foreign minister.

And finally ... A giant container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, blocking off one of the world's most important maritime trade routes for everything from oil to consumer goods. Tugs are attempting to move the Ever Given after the 400-meter ship became wedged lengthways across the canal in Egypt yesterday, leaving at least 100 other vessels gridlocked as they tried to transit between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Analysts warned prolonged disruption could push up freight costs by forcing vessels to divert to longer routes.

The container vessel MV Ever Given blocking the Suez Canal today.

Source: Planet Labs Inc./Planet Labs Inc. via AP Photo

 
 

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