One thing Joe Biden and Xi Jingping agree on: America is a land of “possibilities”.

Of course, when Biden says it–or rather leans into it–the emphasis is on positive outcomes. Things we accomplished, like the moon landing. Things we can accomplish, like upward mobility. Things we may yet accomplish, like curing cancer. In a word, Biden’s interpretation of “possibilities” is optimistic.

On the other hand, coming from Xi, the word takes on a decidedly different tone. After all, discord, disharmony, and decay are also “possible” states of being. Arguably, all three descriptions apply to contemporary American society. And so to Xi, “possibilities” becomes just another word for “chaos”.

Funny how two people can use the same word to describe opposites.

Surely, the Biden camp is aware of the nuance. And yet the President continues to talk about America as a land of possibilities. It’s almost as if Xi dared him to publicly embrace an ambiguous phrase that could just as easily describe a negative outcome for the American people as a positive one.

And to his credit, Biden called that bet, in essence doubling down on optimism.

In all events, surely there is something to the fact that both leaders are using the same word…