(Washington) “One of the few things we agree on. Joe Biden joked Tuesday about the COVID-19 vaccine booster his predecessor Donald Trump received.
“The other day, former President Trump announced that he had received his booster dose. This is one of the few things on which we agree, ”said the American president on Tuesday, in a speech devoted to his strategy against the Omicron variant.
Its formulation is an understatement, as the antagonism between the two men is strong – if only because Donald Trump, against all evidence, continues to claim that he is the real winner of the last election.
Joe Biden’s remark on Tuesday refers to a video clip of a public intervention by Donald Trump, hosted by a former host of the conservative Fox News channel, who shared it on social media on Monday.
“Did you get the booster dose?” “, Asks this host, Bill O’Reilly, to the former president, who answers” Yes “. Donald Trump then gesticulates to silence protests in the audience of the event. ” Do not do that ! He repeats.
The former president and his wife were vaccinated shortly before their departure from the White House, but without publicly reporting it, while Joe Biden received his two doses and his recall to the press.
Donald Trump, however, subsequently encouraged his supporters to be immunized, despite the very strong reluctance of some of them.
Another chance at the 1750 billion plan
In addition, Joe Biden assured that he would find common ground with the democratic senator Joe Manchin who blocks in Congress the adoption of the plan of social and environmental reforms of the American president.
“I think there is always a possibility of getting passed ‘Build Back Better’,” the White House host said at his press conference. “Senator (Joe) Manchin and I are going to come up with something,” he added.
The West Virginia senator said Sunday that he would not give his voice, decisive, to the plan “Build Back Better”, “Build back better”, Joe Biden.
This is $ 1.750 billion in spending that should make America triumph in the face of climate change and competition from China.
At the domestic level, this program plans to lower the cost of childcare and drugs, as well as significant investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In November, the plan was adopted in the House of Representatives, where Democrats had overcome internal differences between centrists – worried about the effect on the debt – and the left wing, which wanted to go further in spending.
But its adoption was rejected in the Senate, which has 50 elected for each camp. Any Democrat or affiliate therefore has, in effect, what is akin to vetoing bills if Republicans close ranks.
“The fight for” Build Back Better “is too important to abandon it, we will find a way to move forward next year,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki assured Monday, without giving more than details.
The leader of the Senate Democrats, Chuck Schumer, had promised that an “amended version” of the big bill would be voted on. “We will continue to vote until we have something,” he insisted.