When Joe Biden was sworn in as President of the United States exactly one year ago on January 20, 2021, expectations were high. Just a few weeks earlier, extremist supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. The new president inherited polarization and division from his predecessor. One of Biden’s most important promises was to reunite the Americans.
A year later almost nothing is left of the promises of a dynamic start. Inflation is rampant, the pandemic is out of control, and President Biden’s popularity plummeted from 50% in the summer to 41% just before Christmas.
Joe Biden’s assets include successes. In March, it launched a $ 1.9 trillion aid package to help financially vulnerable families affected by the pandemic. Towards the end of the year, the president was able to win the Republican vote for a $ 1.2 trillion investment project in infrastructure.
Biden failed to end the division in the United States
Biden’s biggest mistake was the hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August. The Taliban then brought the country under their control with dizzying speed, effectively abolishing most of the fundamental human rights.
Seth Jones, vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, criticized the withdrawal from Afghanistan as “unprepared”. , vulnerable and weak “.
Besides, Biden did not keep his promise to unite in American society. Even today, a year after taking office, 40% of Americans question Biden’s election victory in opinion polls.
“Many words and few works”
One of the biggest defeats of the first year of his term is the failure to ratify the Build Back Better bill, which concerns an investment program in child care, education and climate protection.
Without a doubt, 2021 was not an easy year for President Biden. However, the next three years of his term are difficult to predict. The biggest challenges include strengthening China’s military presence in the Pacific, political instability in the Middle East and the threat of Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine. US expert Seth Jones is convinced: “In order for the US to regain its credibility, they will have to face Russia, China and Iran with determination. “At the moment, however, we hear a lot of words from Washington, which unfortunately are not accompanied by action.”
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DW – Isabella Escobedo / Stefanos Georgakopoulos
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