Biden seeks to build real and political bridges in a divided America

Joe Biden Keeps the suspense over a new White House run, but a trip to Kentucky this Wednesday perfectly encapsulates the expected pitch: a Democratic president building bridges, real and political as the opposition Republican Party appears divided.

Biden cut a composed figure as he left for Covington, Kentucky, leaving behind the turbulent internal republicans in Washington, who have regained control of the House of Representatives but have been unable to agree on who their next president will be.

The president described the situation in the lower house as “shameful” and assured that he would continue to focus on “doing things.”

He heavily underscored this message as he visits a deeply Republican state and a stronghold of Senate opposition leader Mitch McConnell, who will accompany him, a gesture almost unheard of in the polarized political environment US.

The reason for this meeting is to celebrate the $1.6 billion that the federal state will commit to double an aging and busy bridge that connects Kentucky with the neighboring state of Ohio, financed in a historic infrastructure spending package that was approved with Republican support.

McConnell is despised by more progressive Democrats. However, his work to win Republican votes to pass the infrastructure bill showed that bipartisanship is not entirely dead.

A perfect metaphor for Biden, who has promised to rebuild the decrepit infrastructure of the world’s leading power but also to rebuild the dialogue between the Democratic and conservative camps, which was left in ruins, or almost, after the presidency of Republican Donald Trump (2017-2023). .

That message allowed Biden to win in 2020 and will be the lynchpin of a re-election campaign if he runs, something he is expected to announce in the coming weeks.

“It’s a Giant Bridge, Man”

The puente Brent Spence, which links Cincinnati and northern Kentucky, is a stark example of deteriorating infrastructure across the country. Senior Biden administration officials, including Vice President Kamala Harris, will visit three other major bridges scheduled for repair in Chicago, Connecticut and San Francisco’s famed Golden Gate Bridge.

When asked about the trip to Kentucky, Biden played down his friend-foe bond with McConnell.

“Everyone talks about how important it is. It has nothing to do with our relationship,” Biden said earlier this week.

He insisted that the reason for the trip was quite simple: “It’s a giant bridge, man. It’s a lot of money.”

However, Biden, who was a senator for more than three decades, is well aware of the power of communicating publicly with someone with whom he has debated for many years. As he said at another event the two attended in February, “Mitch, I don’t want to damage your reputation, but we’re real friends.”

And the bridges not only join two points, but offer campaign slogans.

“When we think about infrastructure, we’re connecting communities,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, underscoring Biden’s interest in working with Republicans.

It remains to be seen if Biden will also appeal to this message of unity if he seeks re-election in 2024.