Not done yet: still-smarting Joe Biden to focus on his legacy in final months

With a diary suddenly freed up by the end of his re-election bid, the president is looking to safeguard his achievements

When a reporter asked if the White House had already started the transition process, Karine Jean-Pierre seemed bemused. Why?" the press secretary retorted. Are you trying to kick us out already? We've got five months."

Whatever excitement there is in American politics at the moment, the White House is not the centre of the action. What was expected to be a hectic final sprint towards the presidential election, with Joe Biden pinballing between swing-state rallies, has been replaced by long, languorous afternoons in humid Washington.