If there is one thing Donald Trump excelled at as US president, it was finding ways to get things done without needing to gain approval from a Democratically-controlled House of Representatives.

Once confirmed and in office, President-elect Joe Biden will face a similar problem. The Senate looks likely to remain in Republican hands. After yet another contentious and close election, the country is deeply divided. Still, being president holds many privileges. If Mr Biden can leverage them, he’ll be able to achieve significant parts of his agenda, even without Democratic control of Congress.

First, he has the power of the federal government at his disposal. Mr Trump found all sorts of ways to govern by executive order; Mr Biden can do the same. He has already announced plans to name his own task force to deal with the coronavirus pandemic on Monday and is likely to rejoin the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization, and to repeal travel bans from some Muslim-majority countries.