Biden pledged to unify, not divide. Delivering on that pledge will be difficult.

For Democrats, Joe Biden’s election in 2020 may have been the political equivalent of a deal with the devil: They ousted Donald Trump and got a mild-mannered, aging president to deal with a pandemic, Afghanistan, immigration, the budget and a hopelessly intransigent Congress, and in return the party would have to accept the consequences in 2024. 

That’s how it’s playing out as Biden completes his first year in office.

His approval numbers have been in the red since late August and considering the mood of the country, a quick turnaround might be impossible.

Predicting the future?

Looking ahead, here, as the president would say, is the deal: