And that's it — Biden ends after 62 minutes, with questions from ten reporters whom he called upon from a list.
A lot of focus on the border, the Senate filibuster, and foreign policy. No questions about COVID-19, which apparently frustrated WH chief of staff Ronald Klain.
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) March 25, 2021
Biden touts an immigration bill that was obviously not designed to pass. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-01-25/can-biden-immigration-plan-pass-congress-no-chance?sref=XcONO5zf
Following the shootings in Georgia and Colorado, Biden is asked a question about plans for actions on gun crimes.
Suggests it's all about “timing,” and the pivots to discuss infrastructure, which he said he planned to unveil further on Friday during a visit to Pittsburgh.
Asked about gun legislation, Biden says success is about timing things right.
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) March 25, 2021
"The next major initiative is … infrastructure," he says.
Political incentives cause government infrastructure spending to overinvest in new projects relative to maintenance. It's nice that Biden is at least talking about maintenance, but I suspect that is not going to change.
Biden recalls his “two hour” phone call with Xi Jinping — whom he describes as not having “a democratic — with a small 'd' — bone in his body, but he's a smart smart guy.”
“I see stiff competition with China.”
Biden says he may have spent more time with Xi Jinping than any other US official over the years. He says Xi thinks “autocracy is the wave of the future.” In his two hour phone call with him, Biden told Xi he doesn’t want confrontation but expects competition
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) March 25, 2021
Biden has mentioned how much time has passed during this press conference several times. Think he's got some threshold he wants to surpass? Something like, 'I've talked for more than an hour, no one can say I've been avoiding the press anymore'?
It’s going to be hard for Biden not to go all the way and support abolishing the filibuster now that he’s said it‘s basically racist.
Biden claims “I've not been able to unite the Congress but I'm uniting the country.”
Biden takes a shot at the GOP when asked about the possibility of running against Trump for a second time in 2024.
“Oh c'mon. I have no idea whether there will be a Republican party. Do you?”
Biden says he plans to run for reelection. Were he to serve two terms, he would be 86 years old at the end of his presidency.