Biden starts to repair damage

IMMEDIATELY he was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States of America last Wednesday, Joe Biden set about undoing the damage done by his discredited predecessor Donald J Trump, with a slew of Executive Orders, including signing back up to the Paris Climate Agreement, removing the travel ban on people from many predominantly Muslin countries and initiating immigration reform to provide a path to citizenship for the undocumented, including many Irish people.

However, dealing more decisively with the Covid-19 pandemic – which has claimed 400,000 lives across the United States – will be the main priority of Biden’s first 100 days in office with a $1.9 trillion stimulus package towards mitigating its economic damage and a big push on vaccinations. His main problem though will be getting enough supplies of the vaccines.

The other big fall-out of the outgoing presidency that will undoubtedly divert attention from Biden is the impending second impeachment trial in the Senate of Trump, but it is something that needs to be done after his risible words on January 6th last that sparked the storming of the Capitol building in Washington. As a result, the Biden inauguration had the National Guard on high alert, not alone in DC, but at State capitals across the United States in order to protect its democratic institutions against anarchists emboldened by the former president, whose subsequent condemnation of the violence he incited was too little too late.

Due process must now follow with the Senate trial and its outcome will be the true legacy of the Trump presidency. Meanwhile, Joe Biden faces an uphill battle to restore order and some semblance of normality.