Editor’s Note: For another viewpoint, see: Counterpoint: Biden Is Doing More Than You Think.
As we move into the second year of Joe Biden’s term as the 46th president of the United States, it is safe to say he has performed poorly on several of the most pressing issues a president is tasked with handling.
First, Biden declared on several occasions while campaigning for the presidency that he would “shut down the virus.” Biden has not delivered on that campaign promise. In fact, despite inheriting three vaccines, several treatment options, and a robust testing program, more Americans have died of COVID-19 under President Biden than under his predecessor.
Biden also promised he would not mandate vaccines as a candidate as well as when he was president-elect, which he violated soon after he took the oath of office.
On almost all fronts, Biden has failed miserably in his quest to “shut down the virus.” Just last month, COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed the all-time record. Moreover, Biden’s mishandling of the pandemic has resulted in massive shortages of at-home, rapid tests as well as much-needed treatment options, such as monoclonal antibodies.
Moreover, his vaccine federal vaccine mandates have caused mass resignations among health care workers at a time when medical facilities cannot afford to lose any staff amid the latest case surge.
Second, the Biden administration’s economic policies have caused widespread chaos. Inflation is at a 39-year high of 6.8 percent under Biden’s stewardship. Although there are many factors that have led to this devastating bout of inflation, Biden’s misguided macroeconomic policies surely share much of the blame.
Before Biden was inaugurated, the United States had achieved energy independence, gas prices were low, and the economic recovery after the initial wave of COVID-19 was gaining momentum. Yet, all of that progress has been reversed in less than one year. Since taking office, Biden has declared war on American energy production by shutting down pipelines and forbidding new leases for natural gas and oil exploration on federal lands.
That has resulted in skyrocketing gas prices, higher electricity and home-heating bills, and Biden had to beg, literally, OPEC to increase oil exports. Also, because energy is the lifeblood of the economy, Biden’s ill-advised energy policies have exacerbated inflation.
Third, Biden was handed a secure southern border, which is now wide open. In 2021, more than 2 million people illegally crossed the U.S. southern border. At the same time, fentanyl and other illicit drugs poured over the porous border in record amounts. Last year, more than 100,000 Americans died of fentanyl overdoses.
Although Biden is not solely to blame for the record number of drug overdoses during his first year as president, his lax enforcement of the southern border is certainly a factor that precipitated the surge in drug overdoses.
Fourth, as commander in chief Biden did a pitiful job in his first year on the job. Nowhere was that more evident than in his botched handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. By unilaterally ordering that all U.S. forces would leave Afghanistan by September 11, Biden put the U.S. military in a precarious position. That decision was made worse when Biden also went against the advice of his generals and ordered the withdrawal from Bagram Air Base before civilians and military personnel had the opportunity to embark safely.
As a direct result of his Afghanistan mistakes, 13 U.S. military members paid the ultimate price as they heroically tried to guard the gates to Hamid Karzai Airport in the waning days of the pullout.
As an indirect result of his Afghanistan debacle, the world is now more fraught. China and Russia are on the march, eager to test the will of Biden. In the coming years, it is looking more likely that Taiwan and Ukraine could be invaded due to Biden’s haphazard handling of Afghanistan.
Fifth, Biden has failed miserably in his quest to “unite” the country. According to recent polls, Americans are extremely divided on the direction of the country. For instance, according to Gallup, only 24 percent of Americans are “satisfied with the way things are going” under Biden.
All in all, in his first year in the Oval Office, Biden has failed in foreign affairs, economics, and his handling of the pandemic. As an American, I sincerely hope Biden learns from his mistakes and rights the ship over the next three years.
