Briefing | The pragmatist

Joe Biden would not remake America’s economy

He would improve its fortunes, though

SOME LEADERS, when they come into office, have a powerful economic vision for transforming how their country creates wealth and distributes it. Others approach power as pragmatists whose goal is to subtly shape the political and economic forces they inherit. Joe Biden is firmly in the second camp. He is a lifelong centrist whose most enduring economic belief is his admiration for hard-working Americans and who has shifted with the centre of gravity in his party. But Mr Biden’s ability to go with the flow means that, at the moment, both the left and the right are anxious about the prospect of Bidenomics.

This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “The pragmatist”

Bidenomics: The good, the bad and the unknown

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