Is Biden's rough 1st year all his fault?


President Biden will hold an oh-so-rare press conference on Wednesday afternoon. (Hopefully he doesn't accidentally create an international incident this time.) Given his ultra-low approval numbers at the one-year mark of his presidency, a lot of the questions will be of the "how did it go so wrong?" variety.
Politico has rounded up some of the likely queries ahead of time. One reporter wants to ask Biden about why so many Americans think the country is on the "wrong track." Another wants him to explain to Black voters why both voting rights and police reform efforts have so far failed. And there might be a question about how working families will fare now that child tax credit payments have dried up, with little near-term hope of their revival.
"His disapproval [rating] is because many promises have not come through," said April Ryan, who reports for The Grio.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For Biden — and for the Democratic Party — it doesn't look to be a fun afternoon.
Ryan might not be entirely correct that Biden's troubled presidency is the result of a failure to keep promises. Sometimes he has been the victim of circumstances: A year ago, it was possible to hope that the pandemic would be more or less over in America by now. It's not. And Biden has been judged for his failures of execution: His poll numbers started dropping right around the time of the messy, deadly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The president has low numbers right now partly because he hasn't always done his job well.
But it's true that that much of Biden's agenda is currently dead in the water — and that's not entirely his fault. The president wants to see action on police reform. It's Congress that can't work out a deal. He clearly wants to see a voting rights bill passed; senators from his own party won't take the necessary actions to get the job done. The same goes for the child tax credit. You can argue that Biden should've used his bully pulpit to push harder or louder or faster for any of these items. But in the case of these major legislative proposals, the buck doesn't really stop with him. It's up to the legislative branch to get the job done, and it hasn't.
Years ago, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had the insight that Republicans in Congress could inflict damage on Democratic presidents through a strategy of obstruction. During the current administration, McConnell hasn't had to do that much work lately — his opponents have spent much of the last year bickering with each other. Democrats McConnelled themselves. Biden, who will stand alone in front of the cameras on Wednesday afternoon, is paying the price.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The Waterboys
Feature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
By The Week US
-
Are bonds worth investing in?
the explainer They can diversify your portfolio and tend to be a safer investment than stocks
By Becca Stanek, The Week US
-
Elon has his 'Legion.' How will Republicans encourage other Americans to have babies?
Today's Big Question The pronatalist movement finds itself in power
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
The anger fueling the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barnstorming tour
Talking Points The duo is drawing big anti-Trump crowds in red states
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Why the GOP is nervous about Ken Paxton's Senate run
Today's Big Question A MAGA-establishment battle with John Cornyn will be costly
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Bombs or talks: What's next in the US-Iran showdown?
Talking Points US gives Tehran a two-month deadline to deal
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff
-
Trump purports to 'void' Biden pardons
Speed Read Joe Biden's pardons of Jan. 6 committee members are not valid because they were done by autopen, says Trump
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Are we really getting a government shutdown this time?
Talking Points Democrats rebel against budget cuts by Trump, Musk
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Will Trump lead to more or fewer nuclear weapons in the world?
Talking Points He wants denuclearization. But critics worry about proliferation.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US