In Joe Biden’s plans, his first press conference as President of the United States would be the step to capitalize on his government’s recent successes, such as the approval of the $ 1.9 trillion economic relief plan. dollars and significant advances in immunizing Americans.
On Thursday (25), the president managed to double his campaign target and announced the vaccination of 200 million people by the end of April, when he will end one hundred days in power. But as he ascended the White House pulpit, the president was aware of the scrutiny he would face in the face of a severe immigration crisis and the pressure for stricter arms control measures in the country.
In front of reporters, Biden said he would double the original goal of vaccinating 100 million people in the first 100 days of his tenure. “By my 100th day in office, we will have delivered 200 million doses of vaccine to people’s arms, that’s right, 200 million in 100 days,” Biden said. “I know it is ambitious to double the original target, no country is even close to that.”
The president delivered on his original promise in 58 days and, given the jumps in the immunization schedule – 2.5 million doses applied on average per day – decided to use the announcement as good news in the face of problems unfavorable.
Asked about immigration and gun control issues, which his government did not tackle quickly, Biden said he was hired “to solve problems and not to create divisions,” but said said he would solve the problems, which he sees as long-term policies.
“I was elected to solve the problems, and the most urgent was Covid-19 and the economic crisis for millions of Americans, so I focused on that,” the president said. “The other immigration issues, the guns, are long term policies, we can do that, but the key was to give people some peace of mind so they don’t worry if they go. lose a family member. “
Democratic aides scheduled the press conference nine days in advance, which was viewed as a mistake by those closely monitoring Washington. The dynamics within the White House are volatile and criticism of Biden has increased due to the lack of border control between Mexico and the United States, with record numbers of detentions of immigrants and requests to act more assertively on the regulation of armaments, after two hours. massacres. to gunfire which killed 18 people in less than a week.
Biden has been advised to try and speak directly to the people, control the narrative, and show he’s ready for the next challenge amid the crises he himself has chosen as his priorities: the pandemic, the economic crisis, racial inequalities and climate change.
According to a CNN survey, the Democrat is the longest-serving president for a press conference in the past hundred years. His 15 most recent predecessors have done so with up to 33 days in the White House — Biden has been in the post for two months now. ??
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PANDEMIC
Biden capitalized on advancing the immunization campaign, which has taken a leap forward in the United States since its inauguration and, with deaths and hospitalizations falling, has taken the country on a more reliable road. The Democrat says Americans will be able to experience something close to normal until July.
The president had promised to vaccinate 100 million people in the first 100 days of his government, but he reached that figure in just 58 days and decided to double the target. He announced that at the end of April, 200 million people would have been vaccinated in the country – twice as many as initially expected.
In total, about 125 million doses of the vaccine have already been applied in the United States – 44 million Americans are fully immune and 81 million have received at least the first dose, or 26% of the population.
The United States follows the leaders in the number of Covid-19 cases and victims – there are more than 545,000 deaths – but the curves have improved and deaths have fallen by 30% in the past two weeks, according to the New York Times.
On March 11, Biden announced that all adult Americans could be vaccinated starting May 1, focusing on priority lines, but an accelerated vaccination meant the goal could be met before that.
After a slow start in vaccination (an average of 900,000 vaccines administered daily between December and January), the United States has moved to an average of 2.5 million vaccines administered daily – the opening of mass vaccination centers, pharmacies and supermarkets joining the campaign, and research showing an increase in US support for the immunizer has helped progress.
IMMIGRATION
The Biden government’s first major crisis is the lack of border control between Mexico and the United States, where officials show neither the capacity nor the resources to cope with a record two-decade increase in the number of immigrants. trying to enter the United States. without documents – many of them campaign against children.
Biden has tried to play down the crisis, saying the increase in the number of people arriving at the border is seasonal, which is happening “every year” around this time.
The president said his plan was to “rebuild the system” to try to accommodate the record number of people trying to enter the country. “It’s not because I’m a nice guy [que as pessoas estão tentando entrar nos EUA], occurs every year, ”Biden said.
Senior journalists report restrictions on the press to monitor currency patrol work, which did not even happen under the Donald Trump administration, known for taking aggressive measures at the border.
Under pressure, Biden began acting earlier this week in an attempt to ease the wear and tear. On Wednesday (24), she announced that Vice President Kamala Harris will lead US efforts to contain the border crisis, working with Mexico and the countries of Central America.
A day earlier, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had released video photos showing the conditions of the children of detained immigrants, in a move that officials called “an effort to be transparent.”
The government released the footage the day after the Axios news site revealed internal photos of a detention center in Texas, showing conditions of overcrowding and improvisation at facilities amid the pandemic.
About 9,400 minors were among those detained and deported last month, according to CBP data. If we consider the figures from October to February, the total is almost 30,000 children and adolescents. Many remain in detention centers longer than the 72 hours allowed by US law and under inappropriate conditions.