Biden says nation weary from COVID-19, but US in a better place

President Joe Biden listens to a question from a reporter during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Joe Biden listens to a question from a reporter during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Joe Biden acknowledged Wednesday the pandemic has left Americans exhausted and demoralized but insisted at a news conference marking his first year in office that he has "outperformed" expectations in dealing with it.

He said he would likely have to settle for "big chunks" of his signature economic package to break an impasse in Congress and further attack inflation and the pandemic.

Biden said he believes important parts of his agenda will be passed before the 2022 midterm elections and voters will back Democrats if they are fully informed -- an assignment he said he will pursue by traveling the country.

The president began the news conference by reeling off early progress in fighting the virus and quick passage of an ambitious bipartisan roads-and-bridges infrastructure deal. But his economic, voting rights, police reform and immigration agenda have all been thwarted in a barely Democratic-controlled Senate, while inflation has emerged as an economic threat to the nation and a political risk for Biden.

Despite his faltering approval numbers, Biden claimed to have "probably outperformed what anybody thought would happen" in a country still coping with the coronavirus.

"After almost two years of physical, emotional and psychological impact of this pandemic, for many of us, it's been too much to bear," Biden said.

"Some people may call what's happening now 'the new normal,'" he said, his voice rising. "I call it a job not yet finished. It will get better."

Biden seemed to relish Wednesday's encounter, extending what was expected to be an hourlong news conference to nearly two hours. At several points, he looked at his watch, smiled and kept calling on reporters

He fielded questions about inflation, Russia's intentions with Ukraine, nuclear talks with Iran, voting rights, political division, Vice President Kamala Harris' place on the 2024 ticket, trade with China and the competency of government. Those questions showed the multitude of challenges confronting the president, each of them as much of a risk as an opportunity to prove himself.

On his nearly $2 trillion economic agenda West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has blocked from moving forward, Biden said he'll pass the parts of the package that can net sufficient votes. This likely means not extending expanded child tax credit or providing financial support to community colleges, Biden said.

"I think we can break the package up, get as much as we can now, come back and fight for the rest," he said, adding he would apply the same strategy to his voting rights agenda.

If Biden had one set of regrets, it seemed to be his inability because of the coronavirus to connect with more Americans outside the capital. He noted this challenge was most acutely felt by Black voters who wanted him to push more aggressively on expanding access to voting. His one major strategic change, he said, will be to tour the country much more frequently.

Biden said he still hoped voting rights legislation would pass in some form and wasn't prepared yet to discuss possible executive action on the issue. Still, he understood civil rights groups were anxious and frustrated about the lack of action, particularly Black voters who question why he didn't press the issue harder, and for longer.

There are at least 19 Republican-backed laws in states that make it harder to vote, and Jan. 6 insurrection supporters are filling election local election posts and running for office. Biden said part of the problem is because he hasn't been out speaking enough to the people.

"I don't get a chance to look people in the eye because of both COVID and things that are happening in Washington," he said.

The president also acknowledged he underestimated how strong the GOP resistance against him would be, as his bipartisan infrastructure deal increasingly appears to be the main exception to a fierce and unyielding partisan divisiveness that now defines U.S. politics.

"I did not anticipate that there would be such a stalwart effort to make sure that the most important thing was that President Biden didn't get anything done," he said.

The enduring impact of COVID-19 has become a weight on Biden's presidency, despite his best efforts to rally the country in common purpose to defeat the virus. As a candidate, he promised to restore normalcy to a pandemic-riven nation, but overcrowded hospitals, shortages at grocery stores and fierce divisions over vaccine mandates and face mask requirements abound.

photo President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
photo President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
photo President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
photo President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
photo President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
photo President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
photo President Joe Biden looks at his watch as he talks about staying to keep answering questions from reporters during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
photo President Joe Biden call on a reporter to ask a question during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)