President Joe Biden hosted his first press conference on Thursday, and he did not have the best showing. Pundits predicted the Biden press conference would not go well, and that prediction came to fruition after he left the podium.
Here are some of the highlights from the press conference.
Opening Remarks
President Biden discussed the COVID-19 pandemic in his opening remarks. He updated the nation on how successful the administration has been in administering shots. Also, he announced plans to administer 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in his first 100 days in office.
Furthermore, Biden said that by his 100th day in office, most schools, kindergarten through eighth grade, will be back for in-person learning five days a week.
I do not believe that COVID-19 was the best topic for his opening remarks. There are many other pressing issues occurring in the United States, especially at the southern border.
Biden Press Conference: Foreign Wars
The war in Afghanistan is the longest in United States military history since it began in 2001. The conflict is not as violent as it was at its peak, but troops are still in Afghanistan. The United States government has spent $1 trillion from 2001 to 2020 for the war in Afghanistan.
Donald Trump negotiated a deadline with the Afghanistan government to pull out troops by May 1. Biden said that the soldiers would leave, but it most likely will not happen by the deadline.
Biden Press Conference: The Border
The majority of questions that Biden faced involved the border. There have been more than 100,000 undocumented immigrants who have entered the country since Biden took office. Biden blamed Trump for the lack of capacity for immigrants at the border.
Biden’s open border policy is a stark contrast from Trump’s approach. Border security concerns have been a significant policy issue for presidents for decades.
At this time, Biden will not visit the border because he does not want to bring his secret service and make a scene. He does not know when he will let journalists enter the camps where immigrants are being held.
Biden Press Conference: The Filibuster
President Biden gave the impression that he is also trying to end the filibuster. He is doing this to combat Republican attempts to block policies on voting rights, climate change, and immigration reform.
Abolishing the filibuster is a divisive topic. Some see the filibuster as a hindrance to government action. Others view the filibuster as a necessary action to ensure the voices of the non-majority parties are heard.
The Biden press conference did not receive good ratings from many news outlets. Even liberal-focused news outlets like CNN did not praise Biden. CNN fact-checked Biden’s points from the press conference, and he did not grade out very well.
Biden also fielded questions about his foreign policy and voting. He did not field a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy, which made headlines following the conference.
Finally, Biden also announced that he is planning to run for reelection in 2024. However, he did not disclose this on his own. His answer came after a reporter asked him what his plans were for the 2024 election.
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