WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — It’s been one year since President Joe Biden stepped into the shoes of the presidency, and on Wednesday he looked back at the progress his administration has made.
“It’s been a year of challenges but it’s also been a year of enormous progress,” the president said.
Biden emphasized how his office has handled the economy, infrastructure, and coronavirus pandemic.
“We brought together business and labor… We’re about to make a record investment in rebuilding America… We have the tools. Vaccines, boosters, masks, tests,” Biden said.
The president defended his administration’s approach to the virus.
“We have made enormous progress. You mention the number of deaths from COVID. Well, it was three times that not long ago. It’s coming down, everything’s changing,” Biden said.
And the president said he doesn’t regret his decision to pull out of Afghanistan.
“Do I feel badly what’s happening … as a consequence of the incompetence of the Taliban? Yes, I do. But I feel badly, also, about the fistulas that are taking place in eastern Congo. I feel badly about a whole range of things around the world, that we can’t solve every problem,” Biden said.
The president said the future of the country depends on whether all sides can find a way to work together on the country’s problems.
“Unless you can reach consensus, in a democracy you cannot sustain the democracy. And so, this is a real test,” Biden said.
If approval for the president’s effort continues to decline, it could be a worrying sign for Democrats heading into the midterm elections.