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Why do people see President Biden’s First Year so differently?

January 20, 2022
Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

One year into Joe Biden’s presidency, the reviews are in. But why do they range from marked success to tragic failure?

Below, we break down how each side is perceiving Biden’s first year as president, and why we see it so differently.

What else is each side focusing on?
  • Millions of people have gotten vaccinated.
  • More jobs have been created in Biden’s first year than in the first year of any other presidency, and unemployment is down.
  • Biden’s economic policies have helped people with the lowest incomes.
  • Out of control inflation and widespread shortages throughout Biden’s first year have left Americans struggling financially.
  • Illegal immigration at the southern border is high. 
  • Children are being left behind as a result of school closures. 
  • The US is no longer respected on the international stage after Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. 
  • Only 43% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the presidency.
The Narrative

The first year of Biden’s presidency has come with unprecedented challenges from the pandemic. Although Biden hasn’t been able to pass his entire legislative agenda, notable progress has been made, especially in critical areas such as clean water, vaccinations, and economic relief.


We are making progress in dismantling Trump’s America. The Biden presidency is restoring the good life that Trump ruined.

The first year of the Biden administration has been an unmitigated disaster. Biden’s inability to act decisively has led to failure after failure, especially in important areas such as immigration, high inflation, and far-reaching pandemic restrictions.

 

We are living in Biden’s America, an America moving in an immoral, destitute, and authoritarian direction. We must righteously fight against this administration to ensure a better future.

How could a reasonable person come to think this?

People on the left are more likely to have supported Biden since his election and have a positive outlook on the future, emphasizing the Biden administration’s successes when looking back at his first year as president.

People on the right are more likely to have opposed Biden since his election and have a pessimistic view of the past year, emphasizing the Biden administration’s failures when looking back at his first year as president. 

What else is the left focusing on?

  • Millions of people have gotten vaccinated.
  • More jobs have been created in Biden’s first year than in the first year of any other presidency, and unemployment is down.
  • Biden’s economic policies have helped people with the lowest incomes. 

 

The narrative: The first year of Biden’s presidency has come with unprecedented challenges from the pandemic. Although Biden hasn’t been able to pass his entire legislative agenda, notable progress has been made, especially in critical areas such as clean water, vaccinations, and economic relief.

We are making progress in dismantling Trump’s America. The Biden presidency is restoring the good life that Trump ruined. 

 

How could a reasonable person come to think that?

People on the left are more likely to have supported Biden since his election and have a positive outlook on the future, emphasizing the Biden administration’s successes when looking back at his first year as president.

What else is the right focusing on?

  • Out of control inflation and widespread shortages throughout Biden’s first year have left Americans struggling financially.
  • Illegal immigration at the southern border is high. 
  • Children are being left behind as a result of school closures. 
  • The US is no longer respected on the international stage after Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. 
  • Only 43% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the presidency.

 

The narrative: The first year of the Biden administration has been an unmitigated disaster. Biden’s inability to act decisively has led to failure after failure, especially in important areas such as immigration, high inflation, and far-reaching pandemic restrictions.

We are living in Biden’s America, an America moving in an immoral, destitute, and authoritarian direction. We must righteously fight against this administration to ensure a better future.

 

How could a reasonable person come to think that?

People on the right are more likely to have opposed Biden since his election and have a pessimistic view of the past year, emphasizing the Biden administration’s failures when looking back at his first year as president.

When we come across new information — such as an indicator of Biden’s success or failure — our mind doesn’t process it in a vacuum. We use our existing views and values to process the new information, and ultimately decide if it holds weight.

This process is helpful for survival; it helps us make quick decisions about potential dangers. But it can obstruct our interpretation of new information if we favor information which aligns with our worldview over information that does not — because none of us have an entirely accurate view of the world.

And it doesn’t help that our brains aren’t very good at accurately attributing blame when it comes to complicated issues like COVID-19 or the economy. 

So when it comes to evaluating President Biden’s job performance during his first year, his supporters will naturally deemphasize flaws in his actions, while emphasizing what’s going right — because it makes sense that Biden would have a successful first year (at least in comparison to Trump). Meanwhile, Biden’s critics will naturally deemphasize successes, while emphasizing what’s going wrong — because it doesn’t make sense that Biden would have a more successful first year than Trump.

 

To help mitigate these automatic processes, it’s often helpful to ask ourselves whether we’d attribute the worst or best of this year to the president if the election had gone differently.

Notable amplifiers

What do you think? Do you agree with one side, or do you fall somewhere in between? Give us feedback on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, or by emailing info@narrativesproject.com.

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