Joe Biden looked back on his first year as American president on Wednesday and admitted at a press conference that the challenges have been many and great.
—
But the first year has also resulted in “enormous progress”, said Biden, who cited mass vaccination as examples of what he has succeeded in doing.
“We went from having vaccinated 2 million people when I was sworn in, and today 210 million Americans are fully vaccinated,” he said.
Biden admitted that the pandemic is far from over and that the omicron variant of the virus is now hitting hard.
– I know that there is a lot of frustration and exhaustion in the country. And we know why, covid-19. Omikron is now challenging us in a way that makes this the new enemy, he said.
No need to panic
The pandemic has so far claimed nearly 880,000 lives in the United States, which is experiencing an average of over 740,000 new cases and nearly 1,600 deaths daily, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
–– But even if it gives cause for concern, there is no reason to panic. We have done everything we can, we have learned and we have adapted as fast as we can and prepared for a future after the pandemic, Biden said.
New jobs
He also cited job creation as an example of what he has succeeded well with.
– We have created 6 million new jobs. More people work in one year than ever before. Unemployment has fallen to 3.9 per cent, child poverty has fallen by almost 40 per cent, Biden continued.
– This country still has the best in front of it, not behind it, he said.
Warns Russia
Biden was asked about the United States’ relations with Moscow and the tense situation on the border between Russia and Ukraine during the press conference.
A possible invasion will have catastrophic consequences and result in major human losses for Russia, he warned, but stressed at the same time that he does not believe that President Vladimir Putin wants war.
“I do not think President Vladimir Putin wants a full-scale war, but he wants to test NATO and the United States,” said Biden, who believes Russia will somehow take action.
– I’m not sure if he knows what to do, but I guess he will go in, Biden said.
Russia will then have to pay a high price, he added, and said that the country may, among other things, be shut out of the international banking system.
Bad polls
Thursday marks one year since Biden took the oath of office and moved into the White House. While his predecessor Donald Trump held 21 press conferences during his first year as president, Biden has lined up at just nine.
The opinion polls are not uplifting, but have declined steadily since Biden took over. While 57 percent of those surveyed initially thought he did a good job, the proportion after one year has dropped to 43 percent.
Only his predecessor Donald Trump has done worse in the polls after one year in power, because he was down to just over 38 percent, according to Gallup.
–
:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/8f8a6bd4-02b0-11ec-be88-02c309bc01c1.jpg "Deaths in Mexico from Hurricane Grace, New York braces for Hurricane Henri | Abroad")