WASHINGTON. “By being together, side by side, the US and the EU can demonstrate that democracies are better suited to protect citizens.” This is how the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, welcomes US President Joe Biden. A welcome that does not surprise the tenant of the White House making his debut
tending together, side by side, the EU and the US can demonstrate that democracies are better suited to protect citizens, promote dignity and generate prosperity. “The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, said via social network, welcoming the summit to the US president Joe Biden.
In the first conference as US president Joe Biden obviously talks about the pandemic and the economy. He indicates that “signs of hope are coming from the economy”: many observers have “revised growth estimates for this year upwards, indicating growth of more than 6%. But there are still too many Americans still out of work, there is still a lot of work to be done ». With reference to the over 1.9 trillion aid package recently launched by his administration, he highlighted that “the number of people applying for unemployment benefits has fallen below 100 thousand for the first time in a year, it is the first time since the beginning. of the pandemic “.
As for vaccinations, he spoke of the new goal of 200 million doses of vaccine administered in the US in the first hundred days of his administration: “I said we wanted to reach 100 million doses” of vaccine against Covid-19 “in first 100 days of mandate and the goal has already been achieved in the first 42 days. Now there is a new goal that is to administer 200 million doses in the first 100 days, double the one established at the beginning ”a number that no country comes close to.
In recent days, his administration has been the subject of much criticism for the crisis on the border with Mexico: «The vast majority of the flow of immigrants crossing the border is sent back – his explanation -. What we are trying to do is rebuild the immigration system. There is a leap of migrants every year ”. There is no boom, according to the president: «The truth is that nothing has changed. Many people came, with a 28% increase in unaccompanied children at the border during my administration, and 31% in the last year in 2019 before the pandemic in the Trump administration. It happens every year. There is always an increase in people wanting to enter the winter months, does anyone mean that there was a 31% increase because he was a “good” person and did well at the border? This is not the case, but because at this moment they are less likely to die during the journey due to the heat in the desert and because there are special circumstances in which the country is facing the problem ».
Criticism of his predecessor on the management of the flow of migrants is inevitable: «I will not turn my back on unaccompanied children at the border and I will not let them go hungry. No other administration would do that, except Trump ”. Many immigrants of age and immigrant families who try to cross the border into Mexico, the “overwhelming majority”, are “sent back, sent home”, but with some families this is not possible, “because Mexico refuses to take them back. They say they won’t take them back, not all of them. ‘ So the White House is “negotiating with the Mexican president and I believe we will see a change. They should all go back. All. The only people we will not leave alone on the other bank of the Rio Grande, without help, are minors ».
And if we talk about his former rival, one can only think of his hypothetical return to the field in the next race to the White House, from which even Biden himself would not want to escape: “My plan is to run again for the presidency in 2024 ”with Kamala Harris in the ticket as vice president. Challenge to Trump? “I have no idea if there will be a Republican party.” In the meantime, he assures us that the close on weapons is only a matter of time.
After the attack against Putin, the words on China are much more diplomatic: «I have known Xi Jinping for some time, he is an intelligent person. We talked for two hours: I told him clearly that we don’t want a fight but a competition, and fair competition ».