ON January 20, 2021, Joe Biden vowed to overcome Covid and pledged America would "lead by example" in the world following years of unpredictability during the Trump administration

But, during his first year in office, the US has been blighted by foreign policy blunders in Afghanistan and is facing the prospect of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

And back home, the US is in a fight against the highly transmissible Omicron Covid-19 variant. 

Polling paints a grim picture for the Biden administration as 62 percent disapprove of the president’s handling of the economy, while 69 percent say the White House’s Covid messaging has been confusing. 

And, US party preferences appear to have shifted as 47 percent say they are either strong or lean Republican – a seven-point rise compared to the first quarter of 2021, according to Gallup.

Meanwhile, only 42 percent of Americans identify themselves as strong or lean Democrats, down from 49 percent at the start of 2021.

The last time the GOP held a five-point lead in party advantage was 1995 when they had just taken control of the House for the first time since the 1950s.

The Sun takes a look at the crises that have plagued the Biden Administration in his first year in office.

RUSSIA

Tensions between the US and Russia over the developing crisis in Ukraine show little sign of settling.

Moscow is reportedly sending in teams of snipers and deploying ballistic missiles as top diplomats warned that Europe is the closest it's ever been to armed conflict in the past 30 years.

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While a Russian invasion doesn’t appear to be imminent, Weichert believes such an event is “inevitable” but warns Moscow must make its move between now and April due to "impenetrable" ground as snowfall melts.

He told The Sun: “If the Americans do not resolve the situation diplomatically and eat a bit of crow to get some kind of equitable relationship with Russia that still protects Ukraine, then Moscow is going to blow up the world system.”

In recent weeks, Russia has ramped up its wargames as officials put its satellite-destroying S-550 missile that’s capable of shooting down “space weapons” into service.

Moscow also launched the Angara A-5 – its largest rocket since the fall of the Soviet Union 30 years ago – and added new nuclear missile subs to its ever-growing fleet.

Weichert said: “Putin wins points at home if he beats his chest at the West. But I do think if we’re not careful, Putin will lash out and he will strike.

"Washington is completely misreading this when diplomats and officials say it’s a bluff.”

The expert fears that Biden will “appease” the Russian strongman in the future, but warns that it could fuel Putin’s imperialism further amid reports that Moscow wants to create a “Soviet Union 2.0”.

Weichert thinks Putin perceives Biden as “sclerotic and weak" and believes Moscow could send mercenaries into Latin America amid the crisis in Eastern Europe.

It comes after hawkish Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov threatened to deploy forces in Latin America if security talks with the West fail to satisfy Moscow's demands.

Weichert said: “The US took Latin America for granted – just like space. We were the big dog in the region. It was so close to us.

“When the Soviet Union was gone, there was no other rival on the horizon and you have this bureaucratic inertia in DC where the assumptions made in the 1990s kept carrying over far longer than they should have.

“The US is both ignorant and arrogant. They don’t believe any country would challenge its so-called near abroad. Why wouldn’t rivals challenge Washington in its own backyard if we were challenging them in their near-abroad?”

AFGHANISTAN

Biden was blasted by both Democrats and Republicans for the US’ handling of the crisis that unfolded in Afghanistan last summer.

Many have branded the US’ exit from the war-torn region as “botched”, with some comparing it to the humiliating Fall of Saigon in the 1970s.

Thirteen US service members were killed in a suicide bombing by an ISIS-K terrorist at Kabul airport – America’s deadliest day in the country for ten years.

Hundreds of Afghans were left behind after the final US evacuation, while harrowing footage of desperate stowaways clinging onto cargo planes leaving the Afghan capital circulated around the world.

Trump called on Biden to resign in disgrace, branding the evacuation process a "terrible failure".

Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers Lindsey Graham and congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene have called for the president to be impeached.

In August, Graham warned that the chance of another 9/11 terrorist attack “went through the roof” following Biden’s handling of the crisis.

He accused the president of “setting the conditions” for another deadly attack – after two decades of war.

Graham told CBS at the time: “I think it’s a dereliction of duty to leave hundreds of Americans behind enemy lines, turn them into hostages, to abandon thousands of Afghans who have fought honorably along our side, to create conditions for another 9/11 that are now through the roof."

US politics expert Thomas Gift, of University College London, told The Sun in August that the way the crisis unfolded was “incredibly damaging” for Washington’s reputation.

He said: “It’s very embarrassing for the administration and I think it will severely hurt the White House's reputation on foreign policy particularly at a time when Biden has said America is back.

"Afghanistan will be the defining foreign policy issue for Joe Biden if not the defining issue overall."

COVID

The Biden Administration has been gripped by the Covid pandemic since entering office last January.

The seven-day average for Covid deaths peaked in January 2021 at 3,300.

Officials appeared to claim victory over Covid-19 at the beginning of summer when the vaccine seemed to promise a return to normality, but the Delta variant changed the administration’s plans.

Covid cases surged, hospitalizations rose, and sadly as did the number of deaths – particularly in the South.

Ever since November, virus-related deaths have risen and the seven-day-average on Monday stood at 1,700 – way down on the January peak.

Experts say that between 50,000 and 300,000 Americans could still die from Covid-19 before the surge weakens in mid-March.

Epidemiologist Jason Salemi, of the University of South Florida, told the Associated Press: “A lot of people are still going to die because of how transmissible omicron has been.”

And, Dr. Sanmi Areola warned that morgues are starting to run out in Johnson County, Kansas.

Cases continue to soar as the wrath of Omicron continues to pummel the US, with an average of 800,000 new daily infections.

Hospitals across the country are overwhelmed, with around 150,000 patients in hospital with the virus.

Expert studies have shown that the risk of severe illness from Covid-19 is reduced by 90 percent or more among people who are fully vaccinated.

Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant.

The Biden administration has ramped up its defenses against Covid as 400 million N95 masks will be made available for free.

Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that masks should have two or more layers of washable and breathable fabric.

SLEEPY JOE

Biden’s presidency has been littered with embarrassing blunders and humiliating gaffes.

The commander-in-chief appeared to fall asleep during the opening speeches of the COP26 climate conference before he was seemingly woken up by one of his staffers.

He was embarrassingly caught on camera folding his arms and gradually dozing off as the conference kicked off.

Biden's eyes closed for a few seconds before he woke himself. They shut again for a second time before a man in a suit came over to stir him awake.

Viewers quickly caught on to the president's brief nap and began mocking him on social media.

Journalist Piers Morgan wrote: "Jeez… not the best look when you’re trying to tell the world to wake up."

The president was filmed falling three times on the steps of Air Force One before flying to Georgia in March.

JOE STUMBLES

He tripped a total of three times as he made his way up the stairs to board Air Force One.

However, Biden quickly recovered and carried on up the stairs, giving a salute before entering the aircraft.

The White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that Biden is "doing 100 percent fine" following the tumble.

CALLS PUTIN TRUMP

In June Biden accidentally referred to Vladimir Putin as President Trump.

Biden mistook the Russian President for Trump, as he delved into what was discussed at the summit.

He inadvertently said: "I caught part of President Trump's … eh Putin's … press conference."

Composing himself, Biden added: "He talked about the need for us to have some kind of modus operandi where we dealt with making sure that the Arctic was, in fact, a free zone."

SATCHEL PAIGE BLUNDER

And, while speaking at Arlington Cemetary in November, the president blundered over his words while talking about the baseball icon Satchel Paige’s career in the Negro League.

Biden said: “I’ve adopted the attitude of the great negro at the time, pitcher in the Negro leagues, went on to become a great pitcher in the pros, in the MLB after Jackie Robinson, his name was Satchel Paige.”

During the 1920s, the Negro League was composed of teams with African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans.

Paige, a renowned baseball player for over five decades, played in both the Negro League and the Major League.

His career culminated with his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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