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Joe Biden’s first year in the White House came to an end with a cycle of broken promises that are now taking their toll on the president with very low approval ratings among Americans.
The polling aggregator Real Clear Politics shows that 53% of Americans disapprove of the 46th U.S. President’s performance, compared to only 43% who approve.
After becoming president, Biden promised to end the coronavirus, get all Americans out of Afghanistan and make a series of immigration changes that he has so far failed to deliver. Meanwhile, disenchantment with him is bigger than ever, leaving Americans with more questions than answers.
He did not deliver to Americans in Afghanistan and neither did he deliver to allies
Last August 20, Joe Biden went so far as to promise the return to the United States of all Americans before the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan; however, during the evacuation, he left hundreds of citizens and allies in that country, while dozens are fighting for their lives and hiding from the Taliban.
In September, when the troops were withdrawn, Biden admitted that some 200 Americans were stranded in that country, but it later became known that the number was much greater. So far, the Democratic administration has not offered an official report on the situation and all that is known is that there are still Americans who remain in Afghanistan because their relatives have not received permission to travel to the United States.
Unfulfilled promises on immigration
During his presidential campaign, Biden promised an immigration reform that he has not yet fulfilled. Instead, what has happened is an unprecedented immigration crisis.
In 2020, Biden said that in the first 100 days he would pass immigration reform and, in addition, promised changes to the system to reverse the policies put in place by Donald Trump. His claims labeled “open borders policy” generated a historic increase in illegal migrants but no reform as promised.
COVID-19: more unfulfilled promises
Upon becoming president, Biden promised to control the pandemic, and instead of doing so, there is a shortage of tests to detect the disease admitting that he did not “do enough.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged Friday that there is “no question” that the pandemic is negatively affecting Biden’s polling.
“This is a really difficult time in our country,” she said. “We’re still fighting COVID and a lot of people thought we would get through it, including us.”
When he was still president-elect, Biden said he would not issue vaccine mandates. Now, a year into his first year in the White House, he has issued mandates forcing Americans to get vaccinated.
The Democratic president had also promised to solve the testing problems faced by the previous administration, signing an executive order at his inauguration that appointed a COVID-19 response coordinator to handle test distribution. He recently acknowledged that his efforts were not enough.
He promised to revive the economy, now it has the highest inflation in 30 years
Biden promised on several occasions, including his inauguration, to rebuild the middle class and revive the American economy; however, rising inflation, including rising gasoline prices, and the supply chain crisis dealt a blow to the Democratic president’s agenda.
The “Union of the nation” turned out to be just words
Biden promised to be a unifying force and made it a key theme of both his inaugural address and after learning of his election victory. However, both critics and Biden’s own supporters point out that the country remains deeply polarized.
Biden has adopted a hostile tone toward the millions of Americans who have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine. He also took steps to launch investigations against parents who oppose mask mandates and critical race theory in their children’s schools.
It is unknown how Biden will face his second year in office, and above all, if he will be able to fulfill the promises he left behind in 2021, and which have generated great discontent among the American population.
Sabrina Martín Rondon is a Venezuelan journalist. Her source is politics and economics. She is a specialist in corporate communications and is committed to the task of dismantling the supposed benefits of socialism // Sabrina Martín Rondon es periodista venezolana. Su fuente es la política y economía. Es especialista en comunicaciones corporativas y se ha comprometido con la tarea de desmontar las supuestas bondades del socialismo