In 2020, political writers who favored Joe Biden seemed to all coalesce on the same word: empathy.

Time magazine ran a big story about “Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and the Importance of Empathy.” The Atlantic enthused that “in the entire history of American presidential campaigns, there may never have been a wider gap in empathy than between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.” In the Conversation, readers learned that “Joe Biden’s ‘Empathy’ May Boost U.S. Foreign Policy.” CNN reported on how “nearly every top Democrat says the same thing about former Vice President Joe Biden when they make their endorsement: He is a man defined by his decency and empathy.”