I recognize that there is some disagreement about the preemptive pardons amidst the readership of the site, but let me join in the chorus of concern over cleaving to norms rather than addressing reality.
I give you the 46th and 47th presidents:
I understand, to a point, the degree to which a man of Biden’s age and temperament felt the need to not be an asshole (please excuse the technical language) towards the incoming president. But this bit of norm-indulgence was not necessary and sent a terrible signal to the broader population.
I am not at all convinced that having Trump over for tea was necessary, let along appropriate. I am certain, however, that greeting him with a friendly “welcome home” was an absurd thing to do given that Biden, and then Harris, campaigned against Trump on the predicate that he represented a threat to democracy.
Here’s a CNN headline from October: Biden believes Trump is a fascist, White House says.
Treating him as normal only makes it seem (or, perhaps even confirms) that all of that was just campaign rhetoric.
I get that Biden has to legally and constitutionally afford Trump legal access to the various levers of power within the executive branch. However, treating him as utterly normal was not only not needed, but undercuts his own campaign in 2020, the alleged goals of his administration, and Harris’ 2024 campaign against Trump.
And one didn’t have to catch much of Trump’s various utterances yesterday to note that he is in no way extending the outgoing administration any niceties nor fake politeness.
Part of what concerns me about the Biden pardons is that they do not uphold, in my view, his own stated fealty to democracy, justice, and the rule of law. His treatment of Trump has likewise undercut those positions.
And, of course, this is the least of the concerns raised by yesterday.
