By some counts, president Joe Biden can lay claim to a banner first year in office. But the numbers also reveal plenty of setbacks. Economic growth surged, but so did inflation. America exited Afghanistan, but the war ended with a chaotic evacuation and suicide bombing. COVID-19 aid and infrastructure bills passed, but pricey social and climate proposals stalled. Ripon College political scientist Marty Farrell says Biden has not done a good job of giving the impression of being in charge. Biden ends his first year in the White House with a clear majority of Americans for the first time disapproving of his handling of the presidency, and just 28 percent of Americans saying they want Biden to run for reelection, including only 48 percent of Democrats. Biden held a two hour news conference last week, but Farrell says it was mistake not to hold more news conferences last year. Biden was seen by voters as one who could restore a sense of normalcy and a reassuring tone to the White House. But Biden also found out, as all his predecessors have, that events beyond his control would shape his time in office and the public’s assessment of him.
