Dive into Biden’s successes and failures after 1 year in office with these 6 podcast episodes

On January 20th, 2021, former Vice President Joe Biden took office as the 46th President of the United States. He inherited a global pandemic that had yet to have a vaccine and social climate that was heated. With his approval rate just above 40%, these podcasts are taking a look back at Biden’s first year in office.

These episodes are looking at his failures and his successes as well as the year ahead. They also look at what Vice President Kamala Harris has been up to and what the Democratic Party is saying about the mid-terms and 2024 election. Will Biden run again? Will Harris have to step in? Or will a newer face step in to lead the party? Inflation is up, but unemployment is down. What does this all mean?

Find out all of this and more with these podcasts about Biden’s first year in office.

Skimm This

From theSkimm, “Skimm This” is a weekly podcast unpacking the week’s biggest stories. The hosts called up White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki to talk about Biden’s priorities heading into his second year: from continuing to battle COVID to getting bills passed through the split Senate. With mid-term elections coming up later this year, he’s looking to turn around his plummeting approval rating.

Today, Explained

Along with The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos, “Today, Explained” scores Biden’s first year. While they recorded this episode in December of 2021, not much has changed besides the Biden administration finally sending at-home COVID tests. They discuss his goal to cool the temperature in DC, along with mitigating the spread of COVID-19, which they seemed to celebrate a little too early in the summer months. But like any good competition, they can’t just look at where Biden has gone wrong – they have to look at his opponents, too, and the Republican party is a worthy opponent.

Consider This from NPR

NPR’s “Consider This” is taking a long, hard look at Biden’s progress. While his most immediate challenge was the pandemic, he made big promises to take action on climate, racial equity, and infrastructure. Hear where he has succeeded and where he has fallen short in this episode with NPR correspondents Kelsey Snell and Tamara Keith.

Pantsuit Politics

As is the usual for “Pantsuit Politics,” they are taking a different approach than other news outlets. Namely, keeping in mind that the one year deadline/review for President’s agendas is merely arbitrary: they presumably have three more years to accomplish their goals. But, they also know that the President needs to prove they are doing what they promised (or, in some cases, not doing what they promised). They also look at what Vice President Kamala Harris has been up to in the past 12 months as the first female VP of the United States. Not only is there pressure from that title, but they discuss how Biden’s age could prevent him from running again (despite the Democratic Party saying he absolutely will) and what that means for her future.

Axios Today

After Biden’s press conference on January 19th, he has some cleanup to do. As Presidents do, he defended his first year in office by listing his success and improvements within the country. But, he also made some comments that have exacerbated divisions within the Democratic Party, mainly making a knock at Senator Bernie Sanders which has progressives fuming. And with Russia on the brink of invading the Ukraine, Biden now has to fight battles at home and abroad.

The New Yorker Radio Hour

Evan Osnos, along with New Yorker colleagues Susan B. Glasser on legislation, Jonathan Blitzer on immigration, Elizabeth Kolbert on climate, and John Cassidy on the economy take stock of President Biden’s successes and failures thus far. Biden made lofty campaign promises: a transformational agenda that would change American life not unlike that of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s. But, he’s not Roosevelt. And he won’t have 12 years to do it. So, what has he done? Hear all of this and more on “The New Yorker Radio Hour.”