Brittney Griner release shows Joe Biden can't keep relying on populist politics and needs real wins going forward

It took 294 days for basketball star Brittney Griner to be safely returned from Russia, with the US exchanging notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout to secure her release.

It was a win for the Joe Biden administration, heralded as a great success for the country and an emotional moment for all involved. The deal achieved what was a top goal for President Biden, but failed to win freedom for another American, Paul Whelan, who has been jailed in Russia for nearly four years.

The release of Griner in a way serves as the perfect embodiment of the Biden presidency so far – a victory, with room for opponents to score freely.

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It is fair to say things have not gone as swimmingly as first hoped for Biden since he took office. Plummeting polls, costly economic issues, failure to capitalise on expectation and constant roadblocks have haunted his administration.

This video grab taken from a footage shown by Russian state media shows US basketball star Brittney Griner (L) during a swap of prisoners with Viktor Bout (2ndR), a Russian notorious arms dealer(Photo by -/Russian State Media/AFP via Getty Images)This video grab taken from a footage shown by Russian state media shows US basketball star Brittney Griner (L) during a swap of prisoners with Viktor Bout (2ndR), a Russian notorious arms dealer(Photo by -/Russian State Media/AFP via Getty Images)
This video grab taken from a footage shown by Russian state media shows US basketball star Brittney Griner (L) during a swap of prisoners with Viktor Bout (2ndR), a Russian notorious arms dealer(Photo by -/Russian State Media/AFP via Getty Images)

A poll in the summer found that only 10 per cent of Americans believed the country was heading in the right direction. In July, Biden’s polling was around the 30s. The overturning of Roe versus Wade had many questioning whether the president was the right man to lead the party into the next presidential election, with pollsters predicting a midterm wipe-out for his party.

However, it was behind Roe versus Wade that Biden and his party rallied, keeping control of the Senate and avoiding major losses in the House, with the emergence of some Donald Trump candidates also aiding the Democrats.

Now Biden once again finds himself on the end of what many are hailing as a polls boost with the release of Griner. However, opponents have quickly taken aim at the president, highlighting the release of Bout, the Russian once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death”, and an American left behind in the negotiations.

For all of Biden’s recent successes, there have been real consequences. While Roe versus Wade has rallied some of his support base, it comes at a real cost for millions of Americans. Griner could be spun by opponents as a failure, or a half-baked attempt to have both Americans released.

With questions over Biden’s future, the president and Democrats need to start delivering real undisputed knockout blows if they are serious about remaining in power.

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