Biden Reflects on First Year at Press Conference

President Joe Biden gave a speech and answered questions from the press for nearly two hours on Wednesday, one day before the anniversary of his inauguration.

Biden addressed a wide range of topics and answered questions from outlets across the political spectrum. On his first year as president, Biden said he “didn’t overpromise” but instead made “enormous progress.” On the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Biden again threatened sanctions but said Russian President Vladimir Putin would “test the West … as significantly as he can,” adding, “My guess is he will move in.” On the future of his Build Back Better agenda, the president said, “We’re going to have to probably break it up” into separate bills. Biden also briefly lamented the polarized nature of political news.

Coverage of Biden’s speech made top headlines across the spectrum but was sharply polarized. Coverage from the left tended to be relatively straightforward, with several outlets prominently featuring Biden’s Russia prediction. Coverage from the right tended to be more negative; a Fox News (Right) homepage headline said, “Biden defends terrible first year during fiery news conference, goes even further,” with the tagline, “Oh, Joe…” Both Washington Examiner (Lean Right) and CBS News (Lean Left) called Biden “defiant.”