Joe Biden is responsible for the strong economy under Donald Trump

The argument

Proponents of this position accept the premise their opponents start from and dispute the credit. Whilst the Trump administration has resided over a strong economy, they argue, the groundwork for this was laid during Obama's presidency, where Joe Biden served as vice president. The claim is about timing: an economy does not turn in a single year, so the question is not who held office during the good numbers but when the trajectory that produced them began. The evidence offered is that the favourable trends predate the administration claiming them. In the years after the 2008 financial crash, Obama and Biden oversaw rising growth rates that have continued under Trump, and continued, on this account, rather than commenced. Trump also boasts historically low levels of unemployment, however unemployment was already low when he came to office at 4.7%, so the achievement is the maintenance of a position rather than the reaching of it. Similarly, the rise in median household income can also be traced back to the Obama era, where median household income rose sharply between 2014 and 2016. Each headline figure, examined for when its line began moving, points backwards. The argument then turns to performance under pressure, which is where the two records are said to diverge. More recently, Trump has failed to manage the coronavirus pandemic and has overseen a major recession, which is a test of crisis management rather than of continuity. Biden played a significant role in Obama's post-2008 recovery and laid the foundation for the longer term economic stability and growth that continued under Trump up until the pandemic. That is the comparison proponents rest on: Biden has shown his ability to navigate an economic crisis and restore prosperity, which is the task the moment presents, and so he will be better for the US economy.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Whilst it is true that the post-2008 economic recovery under Obama and Biden delivered a robust economy, it is a stretch to deny Trump credit for the continued growth and prosperity during the first three years of his presidency. Trump deserves praise for building on the economic success of Obama’s presidency. This argument also goes too far in praising Biden for ultimately Obama’s work. Whilst Biden was certainly an important figure in Obama’s administration, this is not sufficient to hold him responsible for the strong economic performance during and after his vice presidency. Obama was ultimately responsible for the economic recovery from 2008 to 2016.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P3] Trump is responsible for the continued strength of the economy under his presidency [Rejecting P4] Biden is not responsible for the achievements of Obama's presidency, Obama is