Biden Strikes Centrist Tone At First Town Hall: ‘You’re Going To Be Fine’

President Joe Biden sat down Tuesday night for a CNN town hall where he discussed his plans to help America “move on” after a deeply divisive four years under former President Donald Trump and the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For four years, all that’s been in the news is Trump. The next four years, I want to make sure all the news is the American people. I’m tired of talking about Trump,” Biden said.

Since his first debate with Trump, Biden has asserted himself as a force for stability. Following the cult of personality surrounding “the former guy” as Biden called Trump, the current president struck a compassionate chord with the Milwaukee audience. Milwaukee native Jessica Salas spoke about her children’s fears throughout the pandemic. In a move unimaginable from Trump, Biden then directly addressed Salas’s young daughter, Layla Salas, saying, “Don’t be scared, honey. Don’t be scared. You’re going to be fine, and we’re going to make sure mommy’s fine, too.”

Biden then doubled down on his initial COVID-19 vaccine promises. “What’s going to happen is it’s going to continue to increase as we move along,” the president said. “We will have reached 400 million doses by the end of May and 600 million by the end of July.” In another noticeable contrast from Trump-era rhetoric, Biden then said, “I don’t want to overpromise anything here.”

When asked about what it is like living in the White House, Biden struck a down-to-Earth tone. “I was raised in a way that you didn’t look for anybody to wait on you. And it’s where I find myself extremely self-conscious,” said Biden. Humility and humanity have become motifs of the Biden administration so far.

Article by Brandon Mumei