America Is Losing, Despite What Biden Might Claim

In one of his earliest speeches as president, Joe Biden put the world on notice: “America is back.”

Sure, it would not be easy to repair the damage Biden said Donald Trump had done to U.S. prestige, and most of that repair work would be, in Biden’s estimation, diplomatic. But America faced other, thornier challenges, too. “American leadership must meet this new moment of advancing authoritarianism,” he said, “including the growing ambitions of China to rival the United States and the determination of Russia to damage and disrupt our democracy,” as well as “threats from Iranian-supplied forces in multiple countries.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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In one of his earliest speeches as president, Joe Biden put the world on notice: “America is back.”

Sure, it would not be easy to repair the damage Biden said Donald Trump had done to U.S. prestige, and most of that repair work would be, in Biden’s estimation, diplomatic. But America faced other, thornier challenges, too. “American leadership must meet this new moment of advancing authoritarianism,” he said, “including the growing ambitions of China to rival the United States and the determination of Russia to damage and disrupt our democracy,” as well as “threats from Iranian-supplied forces in multiple countries.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.