**Biden's Legacy Under Scrutiny After Harris' Election Loss to Trump**

In a provocative article published by *The Atlantic*, renowned biographer Franklin Foer casts a critical spotlight on President Joe Biden following Vice President Kamala Harris' recent defeat to President-elect Donald Trump. Foer, known for his 2023 book "The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future," contends that Harris' failure predominantly tarnishes Biden's legacy and may impact him more profoundly than it does her.

Foer's article reveals an internal awareness within Biden's team that Harris' loss would severely affect the president’s historical standing. One of Biden's closest aides candidly warned before the election that Biden had more at stake than Harris, a prediction that seems to have materialized with Trump’s victory.

The essay delves into the reactions and reflections of Biden's advisors on Election Day, many of whom shared a sense of disillusionment. Additionally, there was a concerning sentiment among Biden’s circle that some members still harboured the misguided belief that Biden could have secured a win had he been in the race, raising fears about the potential public airing of this view.

Foer also details the criticisms from Biden’s team regarding Harris’ campaign strategies. A significant critique was her abandonment of populist messaging, a shift influenced by her brother-in-law, Tony West, Uber's chief legal officer. This repositioning, aimed at gaining CEO support, diluted her initial image as a staunch adversary of Big Business and weakened her attack on Trump.

Moreover, Biden’s aides critiqued Harris for not sufficiently countering identity politics. They argued that Biden would have clearly taken a stand against letting trans women compete in women's sports, though Foer notes Biden himself did not stake out such a position during his presidency. Although Harris avoided a campaign steeped in ‘woke’ ideology, she did not effectively repudiate claims made by Trump, such as her alleged support for sex-change operations for prisoners, which allowed Trump to paint her in a radical light.

Foer concludes that the substantive achievements of Biden’s presidency, including the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS Act, and the infrastructure bill, may ultimately be credited to Trump as they bear fruit over time. These legislative successes, Foer argues, might fortify Trump’s forthcoming administration rather than Biden’s historical record.

Reflecting on the election outcome, Biden extended an olive branch to the nation on Thursday, emphasizing the importance of unity and the peaceful transfer of power. “We accept the choice the country made. I've said many times, you can't love your country only when you win,” Biden remarked, urging Americans to see each other as fellow citizens rather than adversaries.