As President Joe Biden makes a final diplomatic push to stave off a Russian invasion of Ukraine, he is faced with looming political consequences at home that could have long-lasting effects on the Democratic Party’s ability to maintain its power in Washington.
A Russian invasion of Ukraine, which White House officials have said could occur as early as this week, would be likely to drive up gas prices amid the highest inflation in decades, wipe out significant gains in the stock market and give Republicans a new line of attack to argue against Biden’s foreign policy acumen — putting an already unpopular presidency on even shakier ground with voters heading into the fall midterm elections, Democratic strategists and pollsters said.
The White House “needs to prepare the American people for what might happen in Ukraine if Putin invades and how that war impacts American national interests,” said Michael McFaul, who was the U.S. ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We can pretend that wars far away don’t affect us, but history, especially World War I and World War II, shows they tend to eventually influence our security.”
Biden began preparing Americans for the consequences in remarks Tuesday warning that energy prices could spike, but he said his administration was working on ways to blunt the impact.
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