Over the past four years, Joe Biden has featured on 18 covers of The Spectator. They range from the upbeat – the halcyon days of 2020 and 2021 when he swore to restore the world order – to the sombre – such as the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the chaos in the Middle East. Overall though, they clearly tell a tale of a leader in decline, whose fitness for office came to be questioned increasingly loudly throughout his tenure. Eventually, he was unable to silence the doubters no longer, announcing this Sunday that he would not contest the next presidential election.
1 August 2020
Biden edges ahead in the polls as Covid causes the Trump economy to grind to a halt.
7 November 2020
On polling day, Biden triumphs by 306 Electoral College votes to Donald Trump’s 232.
12 December 2020
Having won the presidency, the question is now asked: is Biden up to leading the West?
23 January 2021
Sworn into office, Biden’s first challenge is dealing with a divided country.
24 April 2021
A bumpy first 100 days ensues for Biden, in what is traditionally the President’s honeymoon period.
19 June 2021
A meeting of the G7 in Cornwall sees Biden trumpet his infrastructure plans.
21 August 2021
The humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan is arguably Biden’s defining foreign policy moment.
30 October 2021
Biden and other world leaders arrive in Glasgow for the Cop26 summit.
6 November 2021
Amid poor personal ratings, questions begin to be asked about Biden’s fitness for office.
19 March 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sees the West’s resolve put to the test.
2 April 2022
Russia fails to take Kyiv as expected, prompting questions about US war aims.
23 July 2022
Donald Trump emerges once more as the favourite to win the Republican nomination for 2024.
12 November 2022
In a tight set of midterms, the Republicans win the House but Democrats hold the Senate.
26 November 2022
With no end in sight to the war in Ukraine, the two great powers must conduct back channel talks.
7 January 2023
Faced with a lack of viable rivals, Biden looks set to be the Democrat nominee once again.
21 October 2023
Middle Eastern woes threaten to drag the Biden administration into another interminable conflict.
13 April 2024
Following Ukraine’s strikes into Russia, Biden signals to the Kremlin that Kyiv is behind them.
6 July 2024
After a disastrous debate showdown, the chorus of doubt about Biden’s fitness for office becomes deafening, forcing him to quit three weeks later.
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