President Joe Biden spoke at his first formal press conference of 2022 on Wednesday, Jan. 19 — one day before marking his first year in office.
After growing concerns of the state of the nation and Biden’s approval ratings continuing to drop, the press conference was intended to address the increase in COVID cases, inflation and the supply chain. Many of these issues Biden presented have affected numerous southern Utahns throughout the last year.
The president was adamant that he had not “over-promised” Americans what he could accomplish within his first year, instead that his administration “outperformed” expectations.
Many Americans are frustrated with the administration’s dealing with COVID cases and the increasing rate of inflation. A recent Quinnipiac poll found Biden’s approval rating at an all time low, hitting 33%.
The president’s approval rating began to decline after the withdrawal from Afghanistan. When asked about the poll numbers, Biden said he “didn’t believe in the polls” and makes “no apologies” regarding the withdrawal.
The president defended the administration’s handling of COVID and pointed to the decrease in deaths.
Last week the Supreme Court struck down the Biden Administration’s vaccine requirement and when asked about the ruling, Biden believes the decision was a “mistake.”
Biden’s primary legislation he hoped to get passed last year was the Build Back Better package but aspects of the legislation have been held up by members of the Democratic Party.
When asked if he should start implementing more moderate policies to get all democrats on board, the president responded with, “I’m not asking for castles in the sky.”
The president acknowledged that in order to get his Build Back Better legislation passed, chunks may need to be split up to get through Congress.
As tensions continue to rise between Russia and Ukraine, Biden pointed out that Russia is likely to invade Ukraine yet it is solely Russian President Vladmir Putin’s decision.
In response to the potential invasion, Biden said that Russia would “pay a serious and dear price for it.”
However, Biden claimed that he does not think Putin wants a “full-blown war” with the United States.
As Biden plans to address both foreign and domestic issues within the next year of his presidency, Utah lawmakers plan to focus on job growth and education with a recovering economy.
Article by: Lexi Hamel
news@suunews.net
Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash
