Political positions of Joe Biden

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47th Vice President of the United States
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Joe Biden, President of the United States, served as vice president from 2009 to 2017 and in the United States Senate from 1973 until 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he made his second presidential run in 2008, later being announced as Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's running mate in 2008. He was elected vice president in 2008 and re-elected in 2012. In April 2019, Biden announced his 2020 presidential campaign.[1] He became the presumptive Democratic nominee in April 2020,[2] was formally nominated by the Democratic Party in August 2020,[3] and defeated Republican incumbent Donald Trump in the November 2020 election.[4]

Over his career, Biden has generally been regarded as belonging to the mainstream of the Democratic Party.[5][6] Biden has been described as center[7][8][9] to center-left,[10] and has described himself as the latter.[11] Figures farther to the left such as Bernie Sanders have criticized Biden for not embracing Medicare for All or the Green New Deal. Biden's policies emphasize the needs of middle-class and working-class Americans,[12] and have drawn political support from those groups.[13] Biden has supported campaign finance reform including the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and overturning Citizens United;[14][15] the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act;[16] the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;[17][18] student tax credits;[19] carbon emissions cap and trade;[20] the increased infrastructure spending proposed by the Obama administration;[18] mass transit;[21] renewable energy subsidies;[20] student loan forgiveness;[22] and reversals of Republican tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations.[23][12][24] He supports building upon the Affordable Care Act through a public health insurance option instead of a single-payer system.[25][26] He supports decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level and the right for states to legalize it.[27] Biden has been publicly in favor of same-sex marriage since 2012 when he became the highest-ranking U.S. official to voice support for same-sex marriage, preempting Obama on the subject.[28] He also supports the Roe v. Wade decision and since 2019 has been in favor of repealing the Hyde Amendment.[29][30]

  1. ^ Burns, Alexander; Martin, Jonathan (April 25, 2019). "Joe Biden Announces 2020 Run for President, After Months of Hesitation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  2. ^ Steve Peoples, Biden vs. Trump: General election battle is now set, Associated Press (April 8, 2020).
  3. ^ Joe Biden Accepts Presidential Nomination: Full Transcript, New York Times (August 20, 2020).
  4. ^ Annie Linskey & Philip Rucker, Joe Biden triumphs over Trump, says it is 'a time to heal' even as Trump does not concede, Washington Post (November 7, 2020).
  5. ^ John Nichols, Joe Biden and Cory Booker Should Debate One Another, The Nation (June 20, 2019).
  6. ^ Matthew J. Belvedere, Biden suggests Ocasio-Cortez's far-left politics won't play in a general election against Trump, CNBC (July 5, 2019).
  7. ^ Boot, Max (August 9, 2021). "Biden's centrist strategy makes sense: It can prevent Trump's return". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  8. ^ Smith, Sean (November 15, 2020). "Be warned Joe Biden – centrism is no longer a safe haven in politics". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  9. ^ Hook, Janet (August 12, 2020). "Picking Harris, Biden puts centrist stamp on Democrats' future". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  10. ^ Giovanni Russonello, On Politics: Biden's Big Challenge, New York Times (April 9, 2020).
  11. ^ Transcript: Former Vice President Joe Biden is Interviewed about His Platform, CNN, New Day (July 5, 2019).
  12. ^ a b Bill Barrow & Michael Ribinkam, Biden: Trump has 'no idea' about working-class struggles, Associated Press (October 23, 2019).
  13. ^ Katie Glueck & Jonathan Martin, Why Joe Biden Resonates With Blue-Collar Voters, New York Times (November 19, 2019).
  14. ^ "Joe Biden on Government Reform". Joe Biden on the Issues. OnTheIssues.org. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  15. ^ Axelrod, Tal (April 16, 2020). "Biden announces endorsements from End Citizens United, Let America Vote". The Hill. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  16. ^ "Joe Biden on Crime". Joe Biden on the Issues. OnTheIssues.org. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  17. ^ Biden, Joe (February 17, 2010). "Assessing the Recovery Act: 'The best is yet to come'". USA Today. Retrieved April 5, 2013 – via whitehouse.gov National Archives.
  18. ^ a b Biden, Joe (January 27, 2011). "Biden: Mubarak Is Not a Dictator, But People Have a Right to Protest". PBS NewsHour. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  19. ^ "Joe Biden on Education". Joe Biden on the Issues. OnTheIssues.org. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  20. ^ a b "Joe Biden on Energy & Oil Reform". Joe Biden on the Issues. OnTheIssues.org. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  21. ^ Hockenberry, John (April 23, 2009). "Vice President Joe Biden pushes mass transit spending". The TakeAway. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference la_times_apr_4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ "Joe Biden's claim that he won't raise taxes on people making less than $400,000". The Washington Post. 2020.
  24. ^ "Joe Biden on Tax Reform". Joe Biden on the Issues. OnTheIssues.org. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  25. ^ "2020 CANDIDATE JOE BIDEN BACKS MEDICARE PUBLIC OPTION: 'YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE A CHOICE'". Newsweek News. April 30, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  26. ^ "Biden just weighed in on 'Medicare for All'".
  27. ^ "Joe Biden supports decriminalizing marijuana, stops short of calling for legalization". CNN. May 16, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  28. ^ "Marriage Equality Is Joe Biden's Legacy. He Had To Evolve To Get There". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  29. ^ Lerer, Lisa (March 29, 2019). "When Joe Biden Voted to Let States Overturn Roe v. Wade". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  30. ^ Catholic News Agency (February 19, 2020). "Biden touts Catholic faith as campaign falters". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved August 1, 2020.