On Tuesday, upon the north lawn of the White House, huge numerals spelling out “100” were displayed. It was a celebration of the life of Jimmy Carter, the 36th president of the United States. Carter had a short presidency due to the challenges posed by issues like rising prices and the Iranian hostage situation.
Joe Biden, who is currently serving as president, must understand the feeling of juggling multiple responsibilities. Approximately 45,000 dockworkers went on strike, causing ports from Maine to Texas to close, Hurricane Helene is still wreaking havoc in six US states, and Iran has fired at least 180 missiles into Israel.
Unlike Carter, Biden has already made up his mind about next month’s election: he will not be running for re-election. Whether his vice president and potential successor, Kamala Harris, will be brought down by the trifecta of problems is an open question. Her opponent, Donald Trump, is probably salivating at the thought of smearing her with the same chaos brush.
“The world is on fire and spiralling out of control,” he stated in writing. Nobody is in charge of the country, and we have no leaders. We have Joe Biden, who doesn’t exist, and Kamala Harris, who is too preoccupied with fundraising in San Francisco to even be considered a vice president.
Can it be stuck? The answer is uncertain. After Biden’s dismal showing in the June debate, Democrats must be releasing a sigh of relief once again. An annual disaster befalls the president’s foreign policy initiatives: the disastrous 2021 exit from Afghanistan, the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas.
Even in Gaza, he was unable to sway Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was murdered in a huge Israeli bombing the day after Biden informed reporters about a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon, as if Netanyahu were on board with the plan. It appeared to be an example of the president’s powerlessness and the boundaries of American influence.
Following Iran’s missile attack, Israel has threatened retaliation, and Republicans are preparing to seize the opportunity. “You look at the time under Trump, there were no wars, there were no conflicts, and the reason is at least our allies knew where we stood,” said Nikki Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN, addressing Fox News. They are always confused about our position with Biden and Harris.
An abundance of qualifiers should accompany this talking point—a world in chaos under Biden, in contrast to years of magnificent peace under Trump—including, but not limited to, Trump’s choice to dismantle the Iran nuclear deal and negotiate an end to the war in Afghanistan. Now that Biden is out of the race and Harris is in, it’s also more difficult to make.
Throughout her campaign, the vice president adhered to the Goldilocks philosophy of showing exactly the right amount of commitment to Joe Biden—not too much, not too little, but just right. During her speech at the Democratic National Convention, she praised the president and echoed Biden’s views on America’s global leadership. On the other hand, she is the “Bidenomics” candidate who promises to “turn the page” and provide “a new way forward” instead.
News reports are once again putting the line between Harris as vice president and Harris as a candidate to the test. Liberal activists are waiting for her to show some mercy toward the Palestinians and stand up against Netanyahu. Her refusal to change her stance on unconditional weapons policy is the reason the Uncommitted National Movement has decided not to support her.
During the Iranian strike on Israel, one reporter at the White House press briefing was eager to hear about her involvement. The press secretary at the White House, Karine Jean-Pierre, was careful to note that Harris had accompanied the president to the situation room.
“She was there,” Jean-Pierre stated. “She was there with him when he received that update, and she has been present or, as you mentioned, has called in on numerous occasions when it has come to extremely important and crucial matters of national security.”
Later on, Harris herself addressed the escalation in the Middle East by making an unannounced public appearance; she did this to reinforce her credentials as commander-in-chief, something she would not have felt compelled to do four months earlier. “My commitment to the security of Israel is unwavering,” she assured, making careful note of her presence in the situation room.
Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida last Thursday with a wind field that extended 350 miles from its center, is another topic on which both candidates are rushing to make their mark. At least 150 people have been killed and hundreds of homes and businesses have been destroyed. According to Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, it is of “an historic magnitude”.
On Monday, Trump visited Georgia and made an unfounded accusation that Biden had not communicated with Brian Kemp, the governor of that state. On Wednesday, Harris will visit Georgia, and in the days to come, he will visit North Carolina. The stakes are extremely high because the 2005 response to Hurricane Katrina has dogged governments for a long time.
Still, the third crisis may prove to be the most consequential in terms of election outcomes. If the first dockworkers’ strike since 1977 lasts longer than a few weeks, it has the potential to impede supply chains, lead to shortages, and increase prices. Since Trump’s economic edge has been diminished by Harris in the polls, that would be a political boon for Trump. In the race for union backing, both are competing.
A statement from Trump, who has defended Elon Musk’s practice of firing striking employees, read: “The issue should have never come to this and, had I been president, it would not have… Americans who prospered under Trump are now struggling to make ends meet due to Kamala Harris’s activities; this strike is a direct outcome of her policies.
Despite all, it was only the 1st of October. If nothing else unexpected happens in October, then there won’t be any surprises left.
