6 takeaways from Joe Biden's CNN town hall
CNN
President Joe Biden took part in his first town hall since entering the White House last month, answering questions from CNN's Anderson Cooper (and audience members) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
I watched, took notes and have some thoughts about what mattered most -- and why. My takeaways are below. 1. A hard deadline on vaccinations: Less than five minutes into the town hall, Biden made a promise that will be the big news not just tomorrow but for months to come: He said that "by the end of July, we'll have over 600 million doses, enough to vaccinate every single American." That pledge sets the clock ticking on Biden and his administration's efforts to ensure that every single person in America who wants a vaccine will have one by the end of July. (Biden also said he expected there to be 400 million doses by the end of May. And he set another goal: That things would be largely back to normal in the United States by next Christmas.) It's worth noting that this is a change from Biden's previous pledge from last month that everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one by the "spring." Biden laid the blame for the need to push that timeline at the feet of the Trump administration, insisting that his predecessor "wasted so much time" in dealing with the virus.
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