WASHINGTON: Like previous outgoing US presidents, Joe Biden has been racing to complete unfinished business in an attempt to bolster his legacy – and protect his signature policies – before handing over the keys to the White House.
With archrival Donald Trump's return to power, Biden's work to protect his administration's official actions and his own reputation has gained additional momentum, experts say.
“Outgoing presidents often try to accomplish as much as they can before leaving office and also shape public opinion about their administration,” said Robert Rowland, a communications professor at the University of Kansas. AFP.
“There are many examples of intense periods of salience,” particularly when power shifts from one party to another, said Julian Zelizer, a history professor at Princeton University.
Biden, whose rare public appearances have shown him visibly physically diminished, is no exception to the rule.
His recent decision to commute the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row inmates drew the ire of his Republican opponent.
In response, Trump has vowed to seek death sentences for even more defendants.
“Biden is scared by what he fears President Trump might do,” Rowland said.
“That fear is making him especially forceful in trying to limit the agenda of the incoming Trump administration and solidify his administration's accomplishments,” he said.
The outgoing president had previously granted 39 presidential pardons and commuted sentences to nearly 1,500 people, with the White House hailing it as “the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.”
“All presidents use their power to pardon or commute sentences at the end of their presidencies,” said Wendy Schiller, a political science professor at Brown University. AFP.
Zelizer said the court actions may be motivated by Biden seeking to “fulfill some of the promises he made during his campaign on criminal justice.”
However, one of his most notable decisions was to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who he said had been subjected to unfair treatment by courts and prosecutors.
The move drew strong criticism from Trump and Republicans, but also from close Democratic allies.
Rowland said the pardon has “definitely had a major negative impact” on Biden's reputation, adding momentum to his work in recent days to shape public opinion about his outgoing administration.
