Amid the mounting criticism for not holding a press conference in the initial fifty days, President Joe Biden has finally addressed the press, discussing a range of issues on varying policy matters.
As the events unfolded, Biden discussed developing relations with China, increasing coronavirus vaccinations, Republicans’ plans of voter suppression, the foreign policy issues with Afghanistan and North Korea, and much more.
What does this press conference mean, and what should be the way forward for Biden? Let’s see.
Biden’s Approach to Censure China on Democracy Designs in Press Conference
Apart from mentioning all the usual things for which the US has been criticizing China, including human rights and trade practices, Biden censured China for its deprecation of democracy this time.
As China criticized US democracy and called it an old-age phenomenon, Biden retaliated back to defend the democratic governance styles in the modern world. According to Biden,
“This is a battle between the utility of democracies in the 21st Century and autocracies…We have got to prove that democracy works.”
(Joe Biden)
After the demise of the Trump doctrine, the US is seeing Russia and China coming closer to each other.
This is why the US is trying to explore new avenues beyond Russia for collaborations in various domains, which made Biden pass this type of statement against the governance styles of both countries.
It is pertinent to note here that the cordial relations with any of these powers seem impossible under the Biden administration.
Biden Strengthens US role in Vaccine Diplomacy
Amid the rising vaccine diplomacy by the countries across the globe, the US is also trying to expand its role in global vaccine distribution.
Initially, Biden announced $4 billion for vaccine aid; however, lately, Biden has announced to spend $10 billion in aiding people across the world, further strengthening the US’s bid in vaccine diplomacy.
This will further improve US foreign relations, as vaccine diplomacy is a classic tactic of the modern world to win the sympathy of the smaller countries.
Afghanistan: Not Immediate but Ultimate Withdrawal
The US troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan became the talk of the town amid the upcoming presidential elections in Afghanistan, and Trump-made deals of troops’ withdrawal by May 1.
However, Biden has signaled that the immediate troops’ withdrawal by May 1 may become difficult for the US.
It is pertinent to note here that despite the negation of an immediate withdrawal, Biden has also signaled a withdrawal soon from Afghanistan, in a year or two.
This is a welcome move from the president, however convincing the Afghan government and the Taliban for this compromise will be a tricky job, as an imminent wave of violence seems inevitable amid the Taliban’s claims to restore their rule if the US fails to comply with the withdrawal promise.
Rapid Vaccination and 2024 Reelection – Biden Surprising Everyone
Biden’s vigilance in vaccinating Americans was also seen in his press conference, where he not only claimed to achieve a landmark of 100 million shots but also vowed to achieve another 100 million vaccine shots before his first one hundred days of the presidency.
Going at the same pace, it would be possible to immunize every American before completing one year of his presidency, which is a positive indicator against the persisting health crisis in the United States.
Not only this, but this vaccination will also help in reopening the strangled economy completely, which was shut down badly in the wake of coronavirus.
To add surprise to everyone’s curiosity, Biden has also claimed to run for the 2024 presidential elections, surprising some and worrying many.
A lot of Democrats were eyeing the presidential nomination in 2024, and Biden’s statement in this regard is nothing less than a point of worry for them.
Final Thoughts
Apart from the other policy measures, Biden also discussed controlling guns, for which his advisors are preparing three executive actions as Congress went into a stalemate on passing the legislation.
This was an immediate and much-needed measure, as the mass shootings have been increasing in the United States with every passing day.
The recent ambitions of North Korea of launching new missiles also worried Biden as he labels North Korea a top foreign policy agenda item.
The US under the Biden administration has much to achieve in the foreign domain, for which Biden was vocal in the press conference.
Despite too much delay in holding his first press conference, Biden did cover most of the challenges faced by the US these days.
The issue remains the implementation of all those measures for which he talked about in his press briefings.
On top of all the persisting evils, it is time for Biden to behave strictly in gun control, furthering US plans in the foreign world, and eradicating the pandemic from its roots with the rigorous vaccination, as they seem to be the urgent issues to tackle.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.