Biden's "extended version" press conference responds to four major "time-limited" challenges

China News Service reporter Chen Mengtong

US President Joe Biden used a nearly 2-hour press conference at the White House on the 19th to conclude his first year of administration, and at the same time set the tone for the "midterm elections" in November this year.

This is the second time since March last year that Biden has held an official press conference at the White House in nearly 10 months. According to the plan, the press conference lasted about 1 hour, but Biden continued to answer reporters' questions in "extra time" after completing the scheduled question-and-answer session.

Throughout the press conference, Biden answered nearly 30 questions from more than 20 reporters, but high inflation, stagnant legislation, the new crown epidemic and Ukraine became the four high-frequency words in the audience.

"Do you still have confidence in the White House team?" "How is this administration proving its capabilities to the American public?" "What is the 'report card' of the United States' fight against the epidemic?" Behind each problem is the public pressure faced by the Biden administration in the context of the current serious rebound of the epidemic in the United States and the record high inflation, and it is also a legislative challenge that the Democratic Party must cash in before the midterm elections.

"One thing that I think is already clear is that the public doesn't want me to be a senator with the title of president. They want the president and senators to do their part. Near the end of the press conference, Biden sighed.

"For most of the 2 hours, the president has been defending his governing agenda." The New York Times commented that Biden used the results of a record low unemployment rate in the United States, the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill and the new crown vaccination rate to justify his first-year term, while also expressing the expectation that he would shrink the goals of governance.

At present, the "Rebuild America Program" spending bill totaling about $2 trillion and the protection of voting rights bill and other key Democratic legislative agendas are at an impasse in Congress. Biden said he will seek to pragmatically advance the legislative process in the form of a spin-off bill. "It's going to be an uphill battle. I'm not dreaming, I'm asking for something pragmatic that the American people have longed for for a long time, and I think we can achieve it. ”

Speaking about the covid-19 pandemic, Biden admitted that the American people have felt "frustrated and tired." "Some people may call what's happening right now the new normal, but I'll call it the unfinished business and it's going to get better," he said. We are moving in this direction – covid-19 is no longer disrupting everyday life, no longer a crisis, but a threat that needs to be guarded against – and while we haven't yet reached that point, we will do it. ”

According to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, on the first anniversary of Biden's administration, the cumulative number of confirmed covid-19 cases in the United States has exceeded 68.54 million, and the number of deaths has exceeded 857,000. A year ago, the two figures were 28 million and 495,000, respectively.

Almost all of the press conference's questions about U.S. foreign policy revolved around Ukraine. Biden reiterated that Russia's military action against Ukraine would suffer "unprecedented" sanctions and serious consequences.

Biden also reconfirmed on inquiry that he would run for re-election and vice president Harris would continue to be his running mate.

The press conference lasted for more than 1 hour, and some reporters asked questions, and from Biden's answers, he did not hear his willingness to adjust the policy in 2022.

Biden responded that he would leave Washington more in the new year and "do three things different from last year": first, to communicate directly with the public face-to-face; second, to listen more widely to the "constructive criticism" of experts in various fields; and third, to participate deeply in the midterm election campaign.

"Go out and explain in plain and simple language what we've done, what we want to do, and why we think it's important," he said. ”

The Associated Press noted that successive U.S. presidents have often seen the midterm elections as their "touchstone" for governing. But historical data suggests that only once this century has the new president's party not lost a seat in Congress in the midterm elections. That was in 2002, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001. (End)

Source: China News Network