What a Real President Does

Joe Biden meant it when he said that he wanted to be president for the whole country

President Joe Biden walks on the South Lawn of the White House on December 12, 2021. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Images of the deadly destruction caused by tornadoes that cut across Kentucky and five other states this weekend are hard to fathom. They are a reminder of our changing planet and the necessary role that government plays in providing support to victims confronted with the painful task of putting their lives back together after catastrophic weather events turn their world upside down.

The sudden discovery of compassion Saturday by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul seeking relief for Kentuckians—he who voted against relief after the devastating Hurricane Sandy in New York, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and virtually every other disaster relief request over the last decade—got me thinking about the role and responsibility of President Biden.

Were he to emulate the previous occupant of our White House, he likely would express his lingering grievance over the voting totals (Trump won the state by a 25.9 percent margin) and then refuse to release the necessary funds. Recall in 2020, amid one of California’s largest wildfires in state history, Trump hesitated to provide support, eventually relenting after a public plea and appeal by Gov. Gavin Newsom. As Miles Taylor, then at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), noted, Trump “told us to stop giving money to people whose houses had burned down from a wildfire because he was so rageful that people in the state of California didn’t support him, and that politically it wasn’t a base for him.”

This kind of selfish pettiness, especially amid extreme disaster that ended the lives of more than 70 Kentucky residents, is not what a real president does. “This tragedy is uniting everyone around the common goal of helping and healing,” wrote Sen. Paul’s spokesperson in response to criticism of Paul’s abysmal record. “Politicizing that suffering would be low for even the deepest partisan….”

It didn’t take Sen. Paul’s sudden concern for disaster survivors and desire for funding for President Biden to provide emergency relief. As the White House statement noted, Biden authorized DHS and FEMA to “coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population,” and additional assistance “to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe….”

In a normal world, this compassion would be pro forma, not a distinct reminder of what responsible leadership looks like. It’s what a real president does, one who doesn’t seek to punish perceived enemies in times of suffering and grief, one who recognizes his duty is to all Americans, whether they voted for him or not, whether their Senator is on your side or not.

This led me to reflect on other examples in recent months that exemplify what a real President of the United States does. Consider a few:

• Last week President Biden let Vladimir Putin know what he thinks about the Russian President’s amassing of roughly 70,000 troops along the border with Ukraine—and what American interests are. That included noting his belief in Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the need for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy. He backed that up with a promise from the US and NATO allies to impose heavy economic penalties if Putin chose to escalate and pursue military invasion. The two-hour call, which included the presence of aides, was followed by calls to NATO allies, including France, Germany, Italy and the UK.

• Last month, despite pushback, the Biden administration issued an emergency regulation for COVID-19 vaccination at some 76,000 health care facilities that take part in Medicare and Medicaid programs. That requirement covers over 17 million health care workers across the country, protecting the many millions more that rely on safe service. That same day, November 4, the administration detailed the requirement for employers with 100 or more employees to get each of their workers fully vaccinated or test at least weekly. The new OSHA rule, from the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, will cover 84 million employees. I hate to imagine the scale of additional tragedy from the coronavirus if Trump had succeeded in holding onto power.

• And let’s not forget that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed Congress just two days later, on November 6, and President Biden signed the $1 trillion bill into law a week later. Yes, it was bipartisan, with 19 Senate Republicans and 13 GOP House members voting for it. Yes, many more more Republicans will tout the successes of the investment that will direct billions to states and local governments to build and repair outdated roads, bridges, transit systems and more. But Biden advocated for this because of his continuing belief in trying to bring Republicans along; it is an illustration of his commitment to make conditions better for all Americans, wherever they live, whoever they voted for.

I might include Biden’s Summit for Democracy here, despite my own skepticism about the wisdom of that virtual event, given the struggles currently facing the US. As I noted in last week’s dispatch, the 80 world leaders in attendance last week heard Biden assert that "in the face of sustained and alarming challenges to democracy and universal human rights all around the world, democracy needs champions.” That’s what a real US President says. So were his words that the duty is to make it “easy for people to vote, not harder. And that's going to remain a priority for my administration until we get it done.”

Joe Biden has proved that he understands that his real duty is to serve all Americans. He knows—you know he knows—the fundamental responsibility to ensure the survival of our democracy. That includes securing voting rights legislation and protecting free and fair elections. In the months ahead—and before the midterms when the Republicans could take back the majority—he needs to prove that he fully understands what a real president must do.

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