In the months and weeks leading up to January 6, 2021, there was a persistent, panicky buzz among Democrats: What if Trump simply refuses to leave?

But whenever Joe Biden was asked about that possibility, he shook it off and laughed. “Not gonna happen,” he said, brimming with confident grandpa wisdom.

Of course, on some level Biden was very wrong. Trump was so determined not to leave office, he enabled (staged? I’ll let the courts decide) an insurrection.

And yet, he was also very right. Trump did leave office. Biden was inaugurated. There were major bumps along the way, to be sure, but ultimately the levers of government worked exactly as they were supposed to.

That duality—a resolute faith in the systems that guide Washington coupled with a kind of pollyannaish naiveté about just how bad Trump and the Republicans have gotten—defines Biden to a tee.

The question remains: Is he actually unaware of just how corrupt the GOP has gotten? That can’t be it. But I don’t think he’s necessarily faking his optimism and good faith either. It’s essential to who he is. He has a bone-deep faith in American democracy. And he tends to see the best in people.

I confess, sometimes Biden’s willingness to give his opposition the benefit of the doubt drives me a bit insane. He often acts like this is politics as usual when, in fact, we are dangerously on the precipice of fascism. I want him to react more strongly to what’s happening on the other side of the aisle. I want him to sound the alarm—warn people how bad it’s gotten, condemn the MAGA Republicans with full voice. (By the way, MAGA Republicans is a Biden coinage—another sneakily ingenuous strategy. He isn’t condemning the whole GOP, just the “MAGA Republicans”—this gives Republicans who want to save face an exit ramp.)

So you see, maybe, just maybe, Biden’s appealing to the GOP’s better angels is an effective political strategy. He’s always talking about “my friend Kevin McCarthy” or referring to the various GOP congressmen and women as “good people.” He was kind when Mitch McConnell froze—twice—calling the minority leader to check up on him and politely noting that recovery from a concussion is an ongoing process. (Meanwhile, McConnell made snide cracks about sandbags, a reference to Biden tripping on a sandbag during the Air Force Academy graduation.)

All of this reminds me of a strategy my mother uses when she’s asking for a discount or rebate from a big brand.

“I know you’re a good company who takes care of its customers,” she says—and damned if she doesn’t get the money every time.

Biden has actually been a very effective president under extremely trying circumstances. He’s brokered huge deals—the American Rescue Plan, the Federal Gun Safety Bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, et al—all in the face of a chaotic and recalcitrant GOP. He does this by giving his opponents the benefit of the doubt, even when they clearly don’t deserve it.

Biden seems to be saying, you can feel free to scream that the sky is falling. I’d rather get shit done.