Joe Biden’s first 100 days: more action, less golf, no Twitter drama
- Biden’s opening months in office have been a whirlwind of activity during the pandemic
- The US president is holding above 50 per cent approval, according to opinion polls
Sometimes he’ll stumble on a digit – after all, flubs come with the man. But the message is always clear: the toll of the virus weighs on him constantly, a millstone that helps explain why the typically garrulous politician with the megawatt smile has often seemed downright dour.
For any new leader, a lingering pandemic that has killed more than a half million citizens would be plenty for a first 100 days. But it has been far from the sole preoccupation for the now 78-year-old Biden.
The oldest person ever elected US president is tugging the nation in many new directions at once, right down to its literal foundations – the concrete of its neglected bridges – as well as the racial inequities and partisan poisons tearing at the civil society. Add to that list: a call for dramatic action to combat climate change.
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He’s doing it without the abrasive noise of the last president or the charisma of the last two. Biden’s spontaneity, once a hallmark and sometimes a headache, is rarely seen. Americans are seeing more action, less talk and something for the history books.