What you don't know about the Biden administration
Drone armies, expanded overtime pay and over-the-counter birth control pills are just some of the new things Biden has ushered in as president that you might not have heard about.
Some of President Joe Biden’s biggest decisions — withdrawing from Afghanistan, supporting Ukraine defend itself from Russia — flashed across your screens in headlines. But like every administration, the Biden White House also deals in day-to-day minutiae that, despite failing to catch the ears of TV talking heads, nonetheless impacts American political life.
So we asked POLITICO’s newsroom: What has Biden done that most of us have missed?
We got a surprising range of answers, from building a drone army and making birth control available in drugstores to easing marijuana restrictions and updating the colors of Air Force One.
Here are the moves Biden has made that you probably don’t know about — but should.
“You’re in the foothills of creepy.”
Can you guess who said this about Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.**
Swifties vs. MAGA … Pop star Taylor Swift and football phenom Travis Kelce could be the stars of a 1950s white-picket-fence sitcom — a shining symbol of heteronormative, caucasian American success. But in 2024, the terminally online right has instead cast them as nefarious, homosexual, radical leftists scheming to, um, rig the Super Bowl for, uh, Joe Biden? POLITICO Magazine’s Catherine Kim wanted answers, so she called up Brian Donovan, a University of Kansas professor who teaches a popular course called “The Sociology of Taylor Swift.” He had some words of caution for anyone willing to cross Swifties: “They are a political force that I don’t think anyone really should mess with.”
Have you seen the headlines about a MAGA meltdown over Taylor Swift? Are you too tired to keep up with all of the far right’s conspiracy theories? Do you even know the significance of the term “Taylor’s version”? If not, buckle up: POLITICO Weekend has some tips to sound like you’re both politically shrewd and culturally relevant when dissecting this week’s wildest claims over brunch. (From POLITICO’s Catherine Kim):
- When your friends bring up the conspiracy theories, scoff at the idea that Swift’s relationship with Kansas City Chief star player Travis Kelce is orchestrated by Democrats to boost publicity — all for when she eventually endorses Joe Biden during the Super Bowl. First of all, Swift does not need any extra publicity: She’s a cultural juggernaut who sold 4.5 million tickets to her Eras Tour across 60 tour dates. Second, show them this picture and point out that the couple is clearly madly in love.
- Looking for a conspiracy theory to top the “Tayvis” Super Bowl scandal? Present the “Taylor Swift is a Pentagon asset for combating misinformation online” claim that Jesse Watters suggested during his FOX News show.
- Insiders know that slamming Swift and Kelce isn’t a politically smart move. Swift has one of the most dedicated fandoms that spans generations, many of whom are women who relate deeply to the singer. Point out that baseless attacks against Swift will likely alienate a lot of women voters — many of whom are already turning away from the GOP.
- A niche detail to casually drop is that Trump isn’t happy about Swift’s fame. He’s been known to tell aides behind closed doors that his fans are more loyal than Swifties.
- Pay close attention to whom Swift endorses after this fiasco — if she even endorses at all. She might have sided with Joe Biden in 2020, but real Swifties know the pop star is notorious for avoiding politics. It’s safe to predict a boost in turnout for Biden if she does endorse him though.
She Defeated Trump in Court — Twice … E. Jean Carroll’s lead attorney, Roberta Kaplan, secured an $83 million judgment against Donald Trump last week, her second court victory over the former president in less than a year. In a new interview with former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori, she opens up about her legal strategy, the implications for Trump and why he’s become his own worst enemy in the courtroom.
Nevada Is Tripping Over Itself to Support Trump … In the latest installment of his road trip across America to make sense of the 2024 election, David Siders heads to Nevada, where the Republican Party is so eager to hand Trump the nomination that it’s effectively planning to ignore the state-mandated primary election, holding a caucus two days later that will determine what candidate wins the state’s delegates. It’s led to mass confusion and frustration in the state: “It’s crazy, it’s nuts,” said Ron Knecht, a former Republican state controller. “It’s the ultimate degeneration of Republican politics.”
A remarkable letter by President Abraham Lincoln has come on the market, one that illustrates his ability to avoid the kind of poisoned partisan politics that has infected our own era. On May 31, 1863, Lincoln wrote to Union Major General Robert C. Schenck to describe Francis Thomas, a former Democratic Governor of Maryland who had unloaded blistering criticisms in a personal letter to him. The president did not indulge in payback, though. Instead, he praised Thomas as a “very true man.” He added, “I do not know that he agrees with me in everything — perhaps he does not; but he has given me evidence of since friendship, & as I think, of patriotism.” That willingness to forgive paid enormous dividends for Lincoln: Thomas later became an ardent supporter. His letter is for sale at the Raab Collection for a hefty fee of $87,000.
**Who Dissed answer: It was Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy, who has deployed the oddly geographic phrase before, saying in 2018 that Cambridge Analytica’s alleged misuse of Facebook users’ data was “getting into the foothills of creepy.”
