Joe Biden: coronavirus, migrants, China, Korea and A …

The American President, Joe Biden, promised this Thursday at the first press conference of his term apply 200 million doses of the anticovid vaccine during his first 100 days of government, doubling his original goal and said he intended to apply in 2024.

The Democratic President too hinted he would miss the May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of all US forces from Afghanistan, negotiated by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump with the Taliban, although he clarified that He hoped to end the longest war in American history this year.

Also, Biden he relativizes the influx of undocumented migrants at the border, the majority coming from Central America, reaffirms that he is not seeking a “confrontation” with China, and assures that the United States will give a “coherent response” if North Korea “chooses escalation” in testing. missile.

In his low-key tone, Biden showed a very different picture of Trump’s bombshell, in his first formal meeting with reporters since taking office on January 20. “I was hired to solve problems, not to create divisions,” he said, noting Congress’s approval of the massive $ 1.9 trillion economic aid package.

Biden opened his media date with the launch of his new anti-ovidoid vaccination target in a country where the pandemic has already killed nearly 550,000 people. “I know it’s ambitious,” he said. “But … I think we can do it.” On Thursday, the White House announced the implementation of a $ 10 billion plan to correct inequalities in vaccine access, which particularly affect ethnic minorities.

Under Biden, the United States has seen a drastic increase in vaccinations developed in the Trump administration, as well as economic support, resulting in fewer hospitalizations and fewer claims for unemployment benefits, which fell below 700,000 on Thursday for the first time in the pandemic declared in March 2020.

– “I’m not going to apologize” –

Amid these successes, the Republican opposition accuses Biden of encouraging thousands of illegal immigrants, including many unaccompanied minors, to enter the United States, by relaxing Trump’s immigration policies. “I will not apologize for abolishing policies that violated international law and human dignity,” he said. Biden.

Supposing, Biden suspended migrant deportations for 100 days, introduced bill to regularize the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country, and began admitting some of the asylum seekers who had been waiting in camps in Mexico for months.

Biden said the increase in the number of migrants on the border with Mexico “occurs every year” because in winter “they can travel less likely to die from the heat of the desert. He assured that the flow does not ‘is not taller because he is a “good guy.” “People are leaving Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador mainly because of earthquakes, floods, lack of food and gang violence,” he said. he declared.

But officials say the number of unaccompanied minors increased, reaching nearly 9,500 in February. Biden assured he would not leave any abandoned children and acknowledged that the United States is allowing the entry of several migrant families because Mexico refuses to accept their return. “We are in negotiations with the President of Mexico, I think we will see this change,” he said, stressing: “Everyone should return”.

– “Difficult” withdrawal from Afghanistan –

Biden has just handed Vice President Kamala Harris responsibility for the border situation, sparking speculation he is laying the groundwork for a successor for 2024. But the 78-year-old president was clear about his political future. “My plan is to run for office. That is my expectation,” Biden said. She noted that she didn’t plan that far in advance, but that she “fully hoped” that Harris would be her running mate again.

He also said he would add nuance to some of Trump’s two main foreign policy issues: Afghanistan and North Korea.

Biden, who as vice-president of Barack Obama was one of the first defenders of the exit from Afghanistan, considered “difficult” a withdrawal for May 1st. “We will be leaving; the question is when will we be leaving,” he said. When asked if he expects US troops to stay in Afghanistan in 2022, Biden He said, “I can’t imagine that is the case.”

He was also questioned about North Korea, which on Thursday fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea, in its first substantial provocation to the new US government. “We are consulting our partners and allies,” he said. Biden. “And there will be an answer if they choose an escalation.” It will be a “response to the measure,” he added. The president nevertheless said he was “prepared for a form of diplomacy” with Pyongyang, but “it must be conditioned that its result be denuclearization”.