My timeline

[BushKerry04]

February 17, 2041:Oval Office & White House Tour
On February 17, two college friends of mine and their families visited Rachel and I for the first time. Paul O'Rourke and I met in an economics class we were in together during our freshman year, and had interesting debates about the topic. Like me, Paul commuted to college. In his case, he is originally from York, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, he went back to York and joined his father's law firm. He's now a prominent real estate attorney in the community and is married with three children. Paul and his wife, Tricia, have been married about as long as Rachel and I. Rebecca Hoffman and I were both active in the Franklin & Marshall Democratic Club, and we struck up a friendship due to our similar politics. Originally from Highland Park, New Jersey, she relocated to Lancaster for college and still lives there to this day, where she owns a financial advisory practice along with her wife, Marla. Marla was Rachel's college roommate, and they met through Rachel and I. Paul and Rebecca have both been involved in my campaigns; Paul hosted phone banks for my state legislative campaigns and Rebecca helped raise money for all of my campaigns for State Senate, U.S. Senate, and President. Additionally, both hosted phone banks at their businesses during my U.S. Senate races and served on the Pennsylvania Finance Committee for the presidential campaign.

Rachel and I had the chance to show them our respective office's. I use the Resolute Desk, and the photos on the thin table behind me consist of a photo of my parents and I from my Bar Mitzvah, Rachel's and my wedding photo, Vice President Susan Rice swearing me in to the United States Senate in January 2031 with Rachel and my parents looking on, a photo of my dog and two cats, a photo of me with four of my Grandparents at my college graduation, and a photo with Paul, Rebecca, and I from our 10th college reunion. My oval office also consists of several portraits; on the walls aside from my desk include a portrait of George Washington at Valley Forge on the left, and a portrait of Rosa Parks with Martin Luther King Jr. on the right. Above the fireplace are five portraits; directly ahead of where I sit when at the Resolute desk is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, on the top left is Thomas Jefferson, on the top right is Susan B. Anthony, on the bottom left is Jeannette Rankin, and on the bottom right is John Dickinson. I also have four busts in the oval office; Frederick Douglas, Theodore Roosevelt, Margaret Chase Smith, and Alice Paul.

[BushKerry04]

February 20-25, 2041: Dealing with recession
My team and I didn’t take a victory lap following the passage of our economic agenda. The economy remains in recession, with unemployment and inflation both at 6% for the month of January. The unemployment rate was unchanged from December, while inflation fell slightly from 6.1% to 6%. Treasury Secretary Kulger, Commerce Secretary Polis, OMB Director MacGuineas, Gina Raimondo, Nicole Giordano, and my economic advisor Liz Ann Sonders had been meeting on a daily basis to discuss the path forward for the economy. My Council of Economic Advisors blamed three things in particular for the recession. Declining business investment due to the trade policy of the prior administration, a slowdown in immigration which caused a slowdown in productivity, and the Federal Reserve sharply raising interest rates after the return of deficits. Officially, the recession began in November 2039. There was some good news at this point. My economic team believed unemployment had peaked at 6.3% in July 2040. Similarly, inflation likely peaked in December at 6.7%. The challenge would be getting both to come down. There were three things I could do immediately, through executive orders, to help the situation. First, lift the cap the Vance administration had placed on legal immigration. Secondly, order the Small Business Administration to issue more loans for capital equipment to increase productivity. And third, roll back Vance administration tariffs. The first two steps were easy, rolling back tariffs takes time. The economic program we passed in January would help with encouraging the creation of jobs and putting money back into people’s pockets. Our concern was the speed at which this would be implemented; the first checks will likely go out in June, at the earliest. We needed something immediately. On February 23rd, I signed these executive orders.

On February 25th, my team and I met with Speaker Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Klobuchar, and others to discuss the situation and offer our proposal. What we came up with was legislation to boost infrastructure spending and capital spending in both the private and public sectors. When we extended infrastructure funding during the Whitmer administration, revenue was up and we were able to spend money without going into debt. Times were different now. Additionally, gas tax revenues have become outdated; in 2030, 65% of vehicles on the road were powered by gasoline compared to 35% EV. Today, it’s 50/50. We needed to tax electric vehicles. Speaker Jeffries, Senator Klobuchar, Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Todd Young (R-IN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Representatives Hillary Scholten (D-MI), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Shontel Brown (D-OH), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Nicole Malliotakis (D-NY) spent an entire week working on details for bipartisan legislation.

[BushKerry04]

February 27, 2041: First Interview as President

NORA O’DONNELL: Mr. President, you’ve now been in public life for over two decades. At what point did you decide you wanted to be President of the United States?

COHEN: Folks often don’t believe this, but I never considered running for President until a year before I declared my candidacy. I ran for office at the county level because my home county and hometown were changing, and I wanted to help chart a path forward that provided opportunity for all. I ran for the Legislature and then the United States Senate for two reasons; first, I am a believer in personal term limits. It was never my intention to remain in one office for decades, but I really enjoyed the work. Secondly, in both instances, my predecessors were appointed to cabinet positions at the state and federal levels. I felt that I was best positioned to win the elections I ran in and deliver for my constituents. That’s what got me to run for President. Other candidates I felt could win and govern didn’t run. I felt and continue to feel a responsibility to do my part to move this country in a direction that emphasizes greater freedom and equality for all.


NORA O’DONNELL: When it comes to economic policy, you’ve signed a large part of your economic program into law, and you’ve proposed other policies. On a daily basis, what are you doing to address Americans' concerns about the economy?

COHEN: My economic team is working to ensure that we are moving in the right direction, and every agency of government is committed to helping Americans get through this difficult period. I signed a directive, and spoke personally with my cabinet and others about ensuring we implement our economic program in a way that ensures help is getting to Americans. The Social Security Administration has increased hiring and approved more overtime to make sure folks can get unemployment insurance, the Small Business Administration has been working with community banks and other stakeholders to fast track loans, we just opened up Medicaid enrollment again, and HUD has issued $100 million in grants to stop evictions. I’m proud to say that my team and I have been working closely together to monitor economic conditions and help states better serve residents impacted by inflation or layoffs.

NORA O’DONNELL: What is your message to the American people?

COHEN: Help is on the way, and hope is on the way. I remember in 2008 and 2009, I was in college and many of my friends had to deal with worrying about affording their education because their parent or parents lost a job or had a business that saw declining sales. In fact, my family’s insurance company saw a significant drop in business in 2008 and 2009. I can’t claim to have experience worrying about where my next meal is going to come from, but I do have empathy for those who worry about that. I remember in 2009, folks I knew were encouraged by President Obama’s words and more importantly, his actions to rescue the economy. So my message is this, I hear you, I see you, and I am trying my best to address this economic crisis. It’s going to take some time, but we are in this together and will get through it as one nation.


NORA O’DONNELL: During the campaign, you put forth a healthcare plan, and yet you were only able to put in place one component of that proposal, Medicaid expansion. You also promised to increase subsidies and make changes to the current healthcare reimbursement model. Do you intend to work with Congress to author healthcare reform?

COHEN: Yes, and we’ve already expanded Medicaid and created a fund to ensure no one goes bankrupt due to medical debt. We are also working on the budget to provide new funding for clinics, hospitals, and programs for women’s healthcare and delivering care to underserved communities. The greatest expansion of health insurance of the past eighty years has been the Affordable Care Act, one of the signature achievements of President Obama’s administration. Like President Biden and President Whitmer, I intend to strengthen it by increasing subsidies and putting in place more protections for those with preexisting conditions. Over the long-term, we have more work to do to ensure adequate funding of Medicare and Medicaid, do more to embrace telehealth, expand access to care for our veterans, and promote innovation and healthier lifestyles. I have been supportive of the idea of a tax credit for gym membership as an example.

NORA O’DONNELL: So far, your critics have argued that you haven’t engaged with Republicans and have instead catered to the base of your party. Will you reach across the aisle?

COHEN: If you ask anyone who’s ever worked with me, they’ll tell you that I’m principled, but open to different ideas. The Economic Revitalization and Fairness Act did pass along party lines in Congress, but my administration sought input from Republican Governors, County Commissioners, County Executives, and Mayors. We also sought input and counsel from many in the private and nonprofit sectors, regardless of their personal partisan affiliation. I personally am in regular contact with Republican elected officials across the country on a regular basis, my administration works with their administrations. I’m working to deliver for the American people, and I’m trying to do so in a way that transcends partisanship. Some in the Republican Party have been receptive, others insist on being obstructionist.