The United States had since the mid-20th century various politicians whom some of them even were presidents affiliated with the Third Way.
While Harry S Truman never used the term "Third Way" the third way proponent Will Marshall, argues that Truman embraced a kind of Third Way.
The Third Way movement in the United States started with Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. Eisenhower himself was for a philosophy which he called "Middle Way", he rejected both the right-wing and left-wing. Eisenhower was a supporter of free enterprises, limited government but also New Deal policies, which put him in odd with the most people in the Republican Party except for the Rockefeller Republican faction.
Richard Allen Posner described both Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon as advocaters of third way politics, he argues that their economics were identical to the ones of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. The Great Society of Johnson get's seen as similar to the "Activist Government" of John Quincy Adams, but unlike Johnson, Adams is not seen as a third way proponent. Richard Nixon was like Eisenhower for New Deal policies.
During his presidency Gerald Ford didn't see himself as a compassionate conservative. However, in 2001, he proclaimed he was the first compassionate conservative.
Jimmy Carter described himself in a press conference as a something which he calls "middle-of-the-road". This was before presidency, when he was the Governor of Georgia. For his time as president only Jack Knott and Aaron Wildavsky described Carter as a "third way" president, however they didn't explained why he was one, which could be explained that the term "third way" after Tony Blair and other didn't was used then for former leaders like later for Johnson and Nixon, this would mean that Carter wasn't a third way advocater in the sense of Tony Blair. In terms of economics, Carter mixed left (keynesianism) and right (fiscal conservatism and neoliberalism) economics.
The former president George H.W Bush and his moderate brand of conservatism which is compassionate conservatism get's described as similar to Clintonism, both support a market economy but still advocate for state interventionism in the economy, in the case of Bush it was the government involvement in the education sector, further Compassionate conservatism mixes both right and left economics and is because of this considered as the Republican brand of the Third Way. Bush also rejected supply-side economics, for example Reaganomics got described by him as Voodoo economics, however he also advocated for some neoliberal economic policies after all.
Bill Clinton espoused the ideas of the Third Way during his 1992 presidential campaign. When he took office he further supported the Third Way which shows in his ideological views and domestic policies. In terms of economy, Clinton supported neoliberal economic policies like free trade combined with "welfare state liberalism" economic nationalism, keynesianism, state interventionism and neo-keynesianism, this variant of neoliberalism embraced by third way politicians get's called "Centre-left neoliberalism", another name for it is Progressive neoliberalism. Third way politicians reject traditional neoliberalism like the one of Reagan, Thatcher, Friedman etc. Clinton also advocated for some counter supply-side economic policies, while Paul Krugman had the opinion that it was good, Alan Reynolds on the other hand had the opinion that Clinton supported supply-side economics. Alan Blinder an economic adviser to Clinton called supply-side economics an "ill-fated" and perhaps "silly" school on the pages of a 2006 textbook. The Cato Institute criticized Clinton, but they see him economical more conservative than George W. Bush. The economic views and policies by Clinton get called Clintonomics, while the overall ideology is called Clintonism. In terms of culture Clintonism embraces cultural liberalism The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), a pro-Democratic Party establishment, argues that Clintonism "stands for economic growth and opportunity; for fiscal responsibility; for work, not welfare; for preventing crime and punishing criminals; and for non-bureaucratic, empowering government" and further says that "these policies are key to the successes in the beginning of the 21st century." Bill Clinton created something called Triangulation which sees Third Way ideologies as neither right nor left. Hillary Clinton the wife of Bill Clinton was in her youth member of a group of Rockefeller Republican, where third way proponents like Eisenhower and Nixon were members.
Similar to his father he is an advocater for Compassionate conservatism, but unlike his father he supported supply-side economics, even when he later supported keynesianism more. While Bush supported free trade and free-market capitalism, he still saw it as necessary that the state should intervene in the economy, Bush supported a bigger welfare state, due this Bush himself said that he supported Democratic capitalism and called it "the greatest system". Unlike Reagan who used democratic capitalist economic policies like strong public sector spending due votersâ skepticism of liberal capitalism, Bush was ideological a supporter. In practice he combined neoliberalism and Keynesianism. While Reagan who was a neoliberal also advocated for some keynesian economic policies, the difference to Bush is, that Reagan was ideological opposed to keynesianism. Bush's economic policies got also compared to Nixonomics and are seen as similar. Due this Bush get's seen as a Third Way politician. Lawrence Lindsey an advocater of Compassionate conservatism at the time of Bush wrote a staunch academic defense of Reagan's supply-side tax cut in 1990, however he is no hard-core supply-sider. In fact, his book concludes that a rate reduction pays for itself in the form of higher revenues only when the top rate is 50 percent or higher. His rationale for a tax cut is demand-side stimulus â classic Keynesian economics. Greg Mankiw, former chairman of President President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, offered similarly sharp criticism of the supply-side economic school in the early editions of his introductory economics textbook. "Tax cuts rarely pay for themselves. My reading of the academic literature leads me to believe that about one-third of the cost of a typical tax cut is recouped with faster economic growth." Greg Mankiw is part of the New Keynesian economics school.
While Barack Obama was seen as different to Clinton by some people, ideological and in practice he was close to Clinton. Obama talked very positive about Clinton's welfare reforms and tax cuts as an example, however while he Obama had Clintonian elements he still criticizedother policies of Clinton. Similar to Clinton, Obama embraced neo-keynesianism. In March 2009, Barack Obama, said in a meeting with the New Democrat Coalition that he was a "New Democrat" and a "pro-growth Democrat", that he "supports free and fair trade", and that he was "very concerned about a return to protectionism". Already in 2008 he was seen as a New Democrat. The New Democrats embrace the third way and similar to George W. Bush also Democratic capitalism. Many Obama cabinet picks and House and Senate Democrats were New Democrats, which gave them more influence over the government.
While Joe Biden is seen as a third way proponent like Clinton and Obama, Bloomberg noticed that the Democrats moved away from Third way politics under his presidency. Biden is considered to be a former New Democrat because during his presidency, Biden has broken with New Democrat policies on some issues, such as spending and free trade. Similar to Johnson's Great Society also Bidenomics got seen as similar to the "Activist Government" of John Quincy Adams. Biden advocated for something called "modern supply-side economics", which include workfare, regulations and government intervention.