Self-created problems nothing for Biden to brag of: China Daily editorial

The State of the Union Address US President Joe Biden delivered on Tuesday, his first, has won more plaudits for its criticism of Russia than the solutions he proposed to tackle the United States' economic and social woes.

But the rah-rah it generated will likely be short-lived, since Biden probably created more doubts than confidence in his claim that "We are stronger today than we were a year ago", as much of his speech was dedicated to resolving problems created by his administration, including the Ukraine crisis.

Biden's economic policy rather than benefiting the most needy in the US has further increased their burden. Before the rollout of his ambitious multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure construction and public services programs, he was repeatedly warned about the inevitable inflation they would fuel.

The inflation in the US, the highest in 40 years, does not harbor growth potential but risks of stagnation and the snowballing of social issues, as it is low-income families that will bear the brunt of the pain it causes with many American families already living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to keep up with the rising cost of food, gas, housing, and so much more.

A recent survey showed that 75 percent of those polled hold a negative view of his administration's economic policy and 54 percent think the US economy is worse than it was a year ago. And although the Ukraine crisis has provided him with an ideal opportunity to boost his approval rating, in the most recent ABC News/Washington Post survey only 37 percent of those surveyed approved of the job he was doing, with 44 percent saying they were strongly opposed to his policies.

Rather than uniting the country, as he promised to do in his inauguration speech, the divisions in the US, which were violently exposed in the storming of Capitol Hill in January 2021 remain evident.

Not to mention how hollow his pledge now rings that the US would lead the world by power of example rather than the example of power.

His administration's attempts to sow the seeds of division around the world are directly to blame for the current conflict in Ukraine and worsening tensions between the US-led West and other countries. While the great lengths it has been going to build a parallel system in the world market, in a bid to contain China, have been at the cost of global supply chains, which has harmed people's livelihoods worldwide.

As such, with about 2,000 COVID-19 deaths each day in the country, almost the same as that under his predecessor, few will easily buy Biden's promise that "we will be stronger a year from now than we are today". Which does not bode well for his party's chances in the upcoming midterm elections.

His speech showed that what Washington still fails to accept is that the costs and the threats to the US are entirely of its own making.