The Biden presidency
Our latest coverage of the politics, policies and people shaping America
Welcome to The Economist’s coverage of Joe Biden’s presidency. On this page you can find our reporting on his domestic and foreign policies, as well as other stories on American politics. You can also find our statistical analyses, data journalism and explanatory articles. To keep up to date, bookmark this page, follow along as we track shifts in American public opinion, listen to our weekly American-politics podcast, and sign up for our newsletter. If you are not already a subscriber you can unlock some of our content by registering here.
Latest stories
Lexington: Joe Biden has shown a steady hand in the Gaza crisis
But more severe tests are still to come
Joe Biden lifts sanctions on Venezuela, but not without conditions
Nicolás Maduro’s government will have to hold its side of the bargain
Lexington: Joe Biden should admit Republicans are (partly) right about border security
The witless politics of polarisation is jeopardising support for legal immigration
Paralysis in Congress makes America a dysfunctional superpower
Wars in Ukraine and Israel, and the risk of one over Taiwan, test American staying power
The post-Title-42 lull in border crossings is over
That is bad news for Joe Biden
Domestic politics
Lexington: America’s dumbest, wildest budget fight yet
Sensible lawmakers should exploit it to make some demands of their own
What Ken Paxton’s acquittal means for Texas Republicans
Threats from the MAGA phalanx cowed lawmakers
Why some GOP candidates don’t act as aggrieved as Donald Trump
Spoiler: they’re not white
Hunter Biden’s woes, and a new impeachment saga, will go on and on
Republican claims of bribery do not stack up, but uncomfortable details do
What Democrats can learn from Bobby Kennedy
The father—not the son—was the party’s last great populist
Domestic policy
The resumption of student-loan payments will hit American growth
It is not just borrowers who face a return to reality
Joe Biden’s love of unions runs into a giant strike
It is easier to support workers when they aren’t hurting the economy
America’s new drug-pricing rules have perverse consequences
Medicare’s price mandate will deter innovation
The battle between American workers and technology heats up
The flashpoints are AI and electric vehicles
Why affirmative action in American universities had to go
And why what comes after could be better
The Supreme Court declines to upend American election law
A fringe theory gets a chilly reception from the justices
Foreign policy
Joe Biden’s visit to Hanoi is a signal to China
America and Vietnam have a shared interest in reining in aggression at sea
How the Pentagon assesses Ukraine’s progress
A rare interview with America’s Defence Intelligence Agency
America, Israel and Saudi are “at the cusp of a deal”
Joe Biden’s diplomacy could upend the Middle East, and give the Saudis nuclear technology
How to stop a three-way nuclear arms-race
America, China and Russia must agree on mutual restraints before it’s too late
A new nuclear arms race looms
It will be harder to stop than the contest of the cold war