Original subtitles

(flag flapping)

- I, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, do solemnly swear,

- I, Lyndon Baines Johnson, solemnly swear,

- I, Richard Milhous Nixon, do solemnly swear,

- That I will faithfully execute

the office of President of the United States.

- I, William Jefferson Clinton,

- I, George Walker Bush, do solemnly swear.

- To preserve, protect and defend

the constitution of the United States.

- So help me God.

- Congratulations Mr. President.

(audience cheering)

(somber music)

- [Narrator] Leaders, protectors, history makers.

There is one job at the top that guarantees

your name in the history books,

a job that pledges to defend the constitution

and guard the free world,

freedom, liberty and justice,

the cornerstones of democracy

and the oath of the President of the United States.

Throughout the storied history of this great nation,

many presidents have left their mark from this high office

and the actions they take decide

the fate of millions of Americans.

The personalities and gestures of each

become part of their impenetrable legacy.

Join us as we take an in-depth look

at the journey of some of the most

influential people in the history of humankind.

These are The Presidents.

- This morning, both parties are under mounting pressure.

The Republicans over,

whether they should stay loyal to their maverick president,

and the Democrats over whether their priority should be

healing the nation as Joe Biden has vowed

or unraveling the legacy of Donald Trump.

- [Narrator] When Donald Trump

lost the presidential election on January 7th, 2021,

he left behind a divided and adrift nation in shock

after the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol building,

which put countless members of Congress lives in danger

and democracy in peril.

(protestors shouting)

- [Announcer] The president elect

of the United States of America, Joe Biden.

- [Narrator] On January 20th, 2021,

after two previous unsuccessful attempts,

Joe Biden became the 46 president

of the United States of America.

And at the age of 78,

the oldest president ever to be elected.

But for the first time in United States history,

a peaceful transition of power did not take place.

Taking office in the shadow of Donald Trump,

Biden faced a highly divided country

and an opposition that viewed him as illegitimate.

Biden declared that his ascension was the triumph

of not a candidate but of a cause, the cause of democracy.

- We choose science over fiction,

we choose unity over division and we choose truth over lies.

(audience cheering)

- [Narrator] After four tumultuous years of Donald Trump,

voters hoped that his experienced successor

would restore peace and provide a sense of calm

and steady leadership.

Biden promised to be different,

to reverse some of Trump's more controversial policies.

Just two weeks after the attack on the US Capitol,

Biden stood on the building's steps for his inauguration

and preached about the need for unity and healing.

- United, we can and will overcome

this season of darkness in America.

But while I'll be a Democratic candidate,

I will be an American president.

I'll work hard for those who didn't support me

as hard for them as I did for those who did vote for me.

- [Narrator] As he entered the White House

with an expansive agenda,

Joe Biden and his administration prepared themselves

for a difficult obstacle course.

His Build Back Better plan, aimed to rescue,

recover, and rebuild the country.

- Do not scare easily. We never bow.

We never bend. We never break When confronted with crisis.

No, we endure, we overcome

and we always, always, always move forward.

(audience cheering)

- Here's the deal, let's get back up.

(audience cheering)

We're decent, we're great, we're resilient people.

We can't believe again. We're better than this mountain.

We're better than this president.

So get up, take back our country.

This is United States of America.

There's nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.

God bless you all and may God protect our troops.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

(dramatic music)

- I accept this nomination

for president of the United States of America.

(lighthearted guitar music)

- [Narrator] Joseph Robinette Biden,

born during the Second World War in 1942,

spent his childhood in the blue collar city

of Scranton, Pennsylvania,

where his father struggled to find a steady job

after a series of business setbacks.

When Joe was 10, his family moved to Wilmington, Delaware

after his father secured a job selling cars there.

At the University of Delaware,

he studied history in political science and played football.

As a child, Biden headed a debilitating stutter

and was often mocked by his classmates.

During these years,

he developed a sharp interest in politics,

spurred in part by the inspiring inauguration

of John F. Kennedy in 1961.

In his junior year at college,

Biden went to The Bahamas for spring break

where he met his future wife, Neilia Hunter.

Even at such a young age,

Joe had high aspirations and wanted to impress.

Student Joe, told Neilia's mother,

that he intended to become

the president of the United States.

In 1965, he was accepted

into Syracuse University Law School.

Sweethearts, Joe and Neilia married the next year in 1966.

In 1969, Biden's first son Joseph nicknamed Beau, was born,

followed by Robert in 1970 and Naomi in 1971.

After his graduation from law school in 1968,

Joe became an active member of the Democratic Party.

And in 1972, he was elected at 29 years old

to the US Senate,

becoming the fifth youngest senator in US history.

(soft piano music)

Just a few weeks after,

a tractor trailer struck the family's car

as his wife and three children were driving home

from buying a Christmas tree.

Neilia and their one-year-old daughter, Naomi,

died before they reached the hospital.

His two young sons, Beau and Hunter,

were critically injured but survived the wreck.

Biden was sworn into the Senate

in his son Beau's hospital room.

- The truth is he almost wasn't a senator at all.

In 1972, shortly after his improbable victory,

but before he took the oath of office,

my father went to Washington

to look at his new office space.

My mom took us to go buy a Christmas tree.

On the way home, we were in an automobile accident.

My mom Neilia and my sister Naomi were killed.

My brother Hunter and I

were seriously injured and hospitalized for weeks.

I was just short of four years old.

One of my earliest memories was being in that hospital,

my dad always have our side.

We, my brother and I,

not the Senate were all that he cared about.

(soft piano music)

(cheerful music)

- [Narrator] From 1973 to 2009,

Joe Biden served a distinguished senate career.

Over the years, he won respect

as one of the senate's leading foreign policy experts

serving as chairman of the Committee

on Foreign Relations for several years.

In 1977, Joe married his second wife, Jill Biden.

They had one daughter together, Ashley.

By 1987, he'd been on presidential watch list for years

and was already seen as White House material.

He ran for the 1988 Democratic Presidential nomination.

However, he later dropped out of the race

after several allegations of plagiarism.

One of Biden's biggest achievements was that he co-sponsored

the Violence Against Women Act in 1994,

which provided 1.6 billion to investigate

and prosecute violent crimes against women,

specifically domestic violence,

sexual assault, and stalking.

20 years after his first presidential bid,

Biden decided to run again for the US presidency in 2008.

As he entered the presidential race,

he attacked front runner Hillary Clinton's plan

for the war in Iraq.

However, 2008 was still not the right time for Biden.

After years of the Bush administration,

people in America wanted change

and Barack Obama offered this in the form of

being not only the first African American to run for office,

but by being bright, articulate, and a symbol for change

after years of war in the Middle East.

- We are one people.

We are one nation,

and together we will begin the next great chapter

in the American story with three words

that will ring from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea,

yes, we can.

Thank you, New Hampshire. (audience cheering)

Thank you.

- [Narrator] After garnering only 1% of the total vote

and finishing fifth place in the Iowa caucus,

on January 3rd, 2008, Biden ended his presidential bid.

But he certainly was not going away.

On January 20th, 2009,

when Obama was sworn in as the 44th US President,

Biden became the 47th vice president.

The pair we're a perfect fit.

As vice President, Biden played a leading role

in getting the economy back on track.

What he was most well known for

during his time as vice president

was his stance on combating violence against women.

Tragically in 2015, Joe lost his son Beau, to brain cancer

at the age of 46.

Biden had quietly reduced his public schedule

to spend more time with him.

"Beau Biden was quite simply,

the finest man any of us have ever known,"

Biden wrote in an emotional statement about his son.

- Beau always say, "Dad, look at me. Look at me.

When they ask about me, smile dad.

Don't look sad, dad.

No matter what happens, dad, I'm gonna be okay.

But you gotta promise me, promise me,

promise me you'll be okay."

What he meant by that was,

he knew we'd take care of the family,

but he wanted to make sure that I continue

to do the things that I cared so deeply about.

- On January 12th, 2017,

President Obama presented Biden

with the presidential medal of freedom with distinction,

the nation's highest civilian honor.

Obama called Biden, the best Vice President

America's ever had and a lion of American history,

and told him he was being honored

for faith in our fellow Americans

for your love of country and a lifetime of service

that will endure through generations.

As 2016 came, Biden did not remain quiet

during the campaign seasons,

publicly flagging up his disagreement

with many of the policies

of the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

(audience cheering)

- We will make America safe again.

And we will make America great again.

Thank you. (audience cheering)

- [Narrator] Biden critiqued Trump's proposal

to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States

as well as his stated intent

to build a wall on the border with Mexico.

During an interview

at the 2016 Democratic National Convention,

Biden asserted that moral and centered voters

would not vote for Trump.

(audience applauding)

- I stand here to tell you,

that I have no doubt, none whatsoever,

that in the Trump administration

there will be no diminution of support

as a consequence of this transition.

Even if the new administration will decline or reduce again,

which it is not, Congress would never let that happen.

The American people would never let that happen.

- [Narrator] Joe Biden continued to speak out against Trump

once he was in office, especially questioning comments

Trump had made about climate change,

healthcare, immigration and LGBTQ rights.

On April 25th, 2019, Biden delivered the expected news

that he was running for president in 2020.

In his presidential announcement video,

Biden openly criticized Trump's leadership.

- It was there on August of 2017,

we saw Klansman and white supremacists

and neo-Nazis come out in the open,

and that's when we heard the words

of the President of the United States

that stunned the world

and shocked the conscience of this nation.

He said there were, "Some very fine people on both sides."

Very fine people on both sides?

With those words, the President of the United States

assigned a moral equivalence between those

spreading hate and those of the courage to stand against it.

- [Narrator] Joe's slogan for the 2020 race was

"Our Best Days Still Lie Ahead",

and he wanted America to Build Back Better.

The original ambitious 3.5 trillion Build Back Better

social plan was designed to cement Biden's reputation

as a reforming president.

It's sought to make

the largest nationwide public investments

in social, infrastructure and environmental programs

since the Great Depression era policies of the New Deal.

(dramatic music)

- We can overcome four years of Donald Trump.

But if you give him eight in the White House,

we'll forever and fundamentally

change the character of this nation in my view.

And that's why we have to win this time.

That's why we have to take back the White House.

President Trump inherited an economy

from Obama-Biden administration that was given to him

just like he inherited everything else in his life.

(audience cheering)

- [Narrator] The main challenge for Biden

was to undo many of Trump era's policies

as well as restoring America's reputation

with regards to foreign policy.

- And they know that if we give this man

another four years in the White House,

he'll forever and fundamentally

change the character of this nation.

We can't let this happen.

That's why from the moment I entered this race,

I did say we're the battle for the soul of this nation

and we are.

(audience cheering)

This isn't just another election,

this is well beyond this party.

This is about ending an era of well,

ending an era, God willing of a President who,

look, this is bigger than any of us.

It really is.

We cannot allow Donald Trump

to be reelected to the United States presidency again.

- [Narrator] A new issue surfaced in September, 2019

with the revelation that President Trump

allegedly sought help from Ukraine

to boost his chances of reelection in 2020

and had pressured the Ukrainian government

into investigating Biden and his son, Hunter.

- That there is an alternative theory

of how this crime was committed

and the crime was committed by Democrats.

And as his lawyer,

it's my obligation to establish those facts.

- I don't care about Biden's campaign,

but I do care about corruption.

His campaign, that's up to him. Politics, that's up to them.

I don't care about politics. This is about corruption.

And if you look and you read our Constitution

and many other things,

I have an obligation to look at corruption.

I have an actual obligation and a duty.

- I wonder why he's so worried about me.

It's been amazing.

He spanned between 15 and,

12 and 15 million running negative ads against me.

- [Narrator] Biden called Trump's actions an abuse of power

and said he would support impeachment

if the president did not cooperate with Congress.

A topic that took on additional urgency

when House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi,

ignited impeachment proceedings that same day.

On August 11th, 2020, Biden announced Kamala Harris

as his vice presidential running mate.

Choosing Harris as his running mate

mirrors Obama's decision to pick Biden in 2008.

She balanced Joe out.

It's gonna be about working to regain the trust of Americans

and understanding that they have a right

to have a government and to have leaders in this country

who see them and care about them

and have some curiosity about their circumstance in life

and their needs, be it for their family, their neighborhood,

or their community or their country.

- [Narrator] At the time of the 2020 elections,

many Americans were nostalgic

for the previous Obama administration.

Biden as Vice President through these years,

offered a lot of the voters comfort.

- It's not enough to want to do well.

You have to turn in the essay, you have to do the reading,

you have to deliver on the promises you make.

Joe wrote and passed the Violence Against Women Act

when no one thought it could be done.

He stood up to the NRA twice and won.

He secured those last votes for the Affordable Care Act.

He has spent his entire career bringing people together,

building bridges, delivering on promises that he can make.

My husband has seen his share of bullies

and of trials and of tragedies,

but it's never made him feel cynical,

never made him want to use his power for personal gain.

Instead, it's made him more committed to serving others.

A leader who brings people together,

not tears families apart like we've seen at our borders.

A president that you can be proud of,

who believes that our best days are ahead of us.

That's my husband, Joe Biden.

- We are a diverse country, yes,

and some people would suggest that in diversity

when there is a diverse population,

one cannot achieve unity.

I reject that notion because this is my belief.

Yes, we are diverse

and we have so much more in common than what separates us.

- [Narrator] The main threat to Biden

was Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders,

who had a huge following,

an appeal to the further left side of the Democratic Party.

But in August, Biden officially became

the 2020 Democratic Presidential nominee.

His acceptance speech won praise

from the far left and right.

- I accept this nomination

for President of the United States of America.

But while I'll be a democratic candidate,

I will be an American president.

- In this election,

we have a chance to change the course of history.

- Here and now I give you my word.

If you entrust me with the Presidency,

I will draw on the best of us, not the worst.

- So let's fight with conviction.

Let's fight with hope.

Let's fight with confidence in ourselves

and a commitment to each other.

- And now history has delivered us

to one of the most difficult moments America's ever faced,

four, four historic crises all at the same time.

- We will tell them what we did.

- And this is a battle we will win and we'll do it together.

I promise you I'll be an ally of the light,

not the darkness.

- [Narrator] From that moment,

Trump attempted to cast doubt over Biden's abilities,

claiming that he was suffering from dementia

and that he was taking

performance enhancing drugs in the primaries.

- America should not take lectures on racial justice

from Joe Biden, sleepy Joe.

(audience cheering)

- [Speaker] It was also suggested

that throughout the race that Trump and his party

would create false stories

to divert attention away from him.

- [Narrator] The first presidential debate

took place on September 29th, 2020.

The 90 minute showdown was called a dumpster fire,

a train wreck who was widely criticized

as being a low point in the US presidential politics.

Amid the acrimonious exchanges,

Trump interrupted Biden 71 times.

- I'm not here to call out his lies.

Everybody knows he's a liar.

I just wanna make sure, - Joe, you're the liar.

I wanna make sure,

- Joe, you did last in your class or first in your class?

- I wanna make sure, - Mr. President,

can you let him finish, sir?

- No, he doesn't know how to do that.

I'm not gonna answer the question because,

- Why wouldn't you answer that question?

- Because the question is, - Radical left,

- Will you shut up, man?

- Listen, who is on your list, Joe?

This is on your rife. - Gentlemen, I think,

- This is so unpresidential.

- No, no. We have ended this segment.

We're gonna move on.

- [Narrator] In the final presidential debate,

Biden came out swinging,

making a case that over 222,000 Americans

had died from coronavirus in large part

because of the Trump administration's response

to the deadly disease.

In contrast to the first debate,

the microphones of both candidates

were muted at selected times.

- Ounce of fear and frustration and discouragement,

now is it time to show up

and vote like this country depends on it because it does.

(audience cheering)

- [Narrator] Election night, November 3rd,

the election night ended without a clear winner.

As many state results were too close to call

and millions of votes remained uncounted.

However, by November 7th, the country had spoken.

The majority that decided

four more years of Donald Trump would be unimaginable.

But he refused to go quietly.

With no concessions in sight or evidence of that matter,

Trump took to the microphone at a press conference

to declare the election fraudulent,

a catalyst for chaos to come.

- Under unprecedented assault.

Unlike anything we've seen in modern times, an assault.

- I know you're pain, I know you're hurt.

We had an election that was stolen from us.

It was a landslide election and everyone knows it,

especially the other side.

But you have to go home now. We have to have peace.

- [Narrator] Several prominent Republicans

denounced Trump's claims of electoral fraud,

saying they were damaging to the election process,

dangerous to political stability and undermining democracy

while others supported his demand for transparency.

When Congress officially declared Joe Biden

as the election victor on November 7th, 2020,

51.3% of American voters

heaved a sigh of relief along with much of the world

even though a large number of Republicans

still sided with Trump's version of events.

- My fellow Americans yesterday

once again proved that

democracy is the heartbeat of this nation.

This has been the heartbeat

of this nation for two centuries.

And even in the face of pandemic,

more Americans voted this election

than ever before in American history.

Over 150 million people cast their votes.

I think that's just extraordinary.

- [Narrator] Making Donald J. Trump a one-term president

after four years of unrest in the White House,

Biden promised to restore political normalcy

and a spirit of national unity

to confront raging health and economic crisis.

Mr. Trump is only the third elected president

since World War II to lose reelection

and the first in more than a quarter century.

Biden entered his first year

with a focus on ending the pandemic,

expanding healthcare, reforming immigration,

stronger action on climate change, raising the minimum wage,

sorting out college debt

and implementing higher taxes for the rich.

- We did it. We did it Joe.

You're gonna be the next president of the United States.

(laughing) (cheerful music)

- [Narrator] Joe Biden promised to Build Back Better

acting as a seasoned and steady hand

in an uncertain, dangerous world.

- It's time to put away the harsh rhetoric,

lower the temperature, see each other again,

listen to each other again.

And to make progress,

we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies.

They are not our enemies, they're Americans.

The Bible tells us to everything there is a season,

a time to build, a time to reap,

and a time to sow and a time to heal.

This is the time to heal in America.

- Oh Bidens, thank you.

Thank you for everything, everything you've done for us.

So folks, so here's the deal,

Let's get back up.

We're decent, we're big, we're resilient people.

We can't believe again, we're better than this mountain.

We're better than this President.

So get up, take back our country.

This is United States of America.

There's nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.

God bless you all and make God protect our troops.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

- [Narrator] Armed with an ambitious plan

for his first 100 days in office,

Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris,

first planned to reverse some of the actions

taken by the Trump administration over the past four years,

such as the ban on transgender people

serving openly in the military,

which Biden repealed in January, 2021.

Despite a bitter presidential race,

Biden began his term with 56% of the country

approving of his performance,

having won more than 80 million votes,

more than any other US presidential candidate in history.

- But just look at the joy

on the other side of the great divide.

Liberal Americans for four years

have been emotionally exhausted, shocked,

even embarrassed by the Trump era.

Now there is a sense of monumental relief.

- [Narrator] But in his first year,

he had a startling slide in fortunes

and his popularity started to fade.

(crowd cheering)

- You know, we can't let up now.

The vaccines are safe.

I promise you, they're safe. They work.

Everybody in America,

16 years old and older is now eligible.

To get vaccinated for free now.

And we're working with leaders around the world

to share more vaccines and boost production,

to make sure every country has the vaccines they need.

And if we can get this done,

we won't have to miss another moment.

- So go get your vaccine

and help all of us get back to the lives

and the people we love.

- We can do this. We really can.

So thank you and God bless you.

Get vaccinated. It's safe.

- [Narrator] Mr. Biden took office

as the US economy was beginning to emerge

from a year of pandemic lockdowns,

but the COVID-19 pandemic was far from over.

Team Biden arrived at the White House

with a 1.9 trillion plan to beat the virus,

the American Rescue Plan,

including a widespread vaccination campaign

and a massive increase in testing.

From his first day in office,

Biden set a different tone from his predecessor.

He installed an experienced team

and got vaccines out to millions of Americans

in a matter of months.

On July 4th, 2021, the president declared

the US had gained the upper hand against this virus.

However, within weeks,

the Declaration of Victory looked silly

as vaccinations plateaued

and the fourth wave of COVID tore through the country.

The omicron variant while milder than previous variants,

sent cases surging again.

Nevertheless, through the American Rescue Plan,

over 600 million doses were administered

leading to 65% of US adults being fully vaccinated.

However, despite overwhelming evidence

of the effectiveness and safety of vaccinations,

a growing number of people were reluctant

to receive recommended vaccinations

or refuse them all together.

As of November, 2022, COVID-19 had claimed the lives

of more than 1 million people in the US.

The highest recorded national death toll from

the global pandemic.

America's pandemic response

was one of the most generous in the world.

(soft piano music)

(protestors chanting)

(pedestrians chattering)

On his first day in office,

Biden issued an executive order

to end Trump's controversial travel Muslim ban.

He also pledged to abolish the policy

that separated parents from their children

at the US Mexican border.

And his administration began to reunite some families.

He also promised to protect the Dreamers,

people brought illegally to the US as children

who were permitted to stay under the Obama era policy

as well as ensure they are eligible for federal student aid.

The number of minors held in detention centers

has plummeted.

But since Biden took office,

the US Southern border has seen a record breaking number

of migrants that has created disquiet and new challenges.

In 2021, there were almost 2 million encounters

between migrants and US border officers,

including 165,000 involving minors.

Biden's plan to offer legal status

to an estimated 11 million undocumented people in the US

has stalled in Congress.

Long-term reforms remain elusive

and many Trump era policies remain in effect.

When the US president

was on the campaign trail two years ago,

he promised that the United States

would reenter the landmark Iran nuclear deal,

which Trump had scrapped in 2018.

But nearly two years into Biden's term however,

talks to rejoin the deal have failed.

Instead, Iran has enriched more uranium than ever before

and elected a hard line new President Ebrahim Raisi,

who is less likely to engage

in constructive dialogue with the West.

- Let me be clear,

any America who wants to come home, we will get you home.

Make no mistake, this evacuation mission is dangerous.

It involves risks to our armed forces

and it's being conducted under difficult circumstances.

I cannot promise what the final outcome will be

or whether it will be, that it will be without risk of loss.

But as Commander in Chief,

I can assure you that I will mobilize

every resource necessary.

And as an American,

I offer my gratitude to the brave men and women

of the US Armed Forces for carrying out this mission.

- [Narrator] In August, 2021,

Biden created new problems for himself

as widely criticized when in continuation to Trump's deal

with the Taliban, the US withdrew

its last troops from Afghanistan

without leaving any residual force

marking the end of the United States' longest war.

It caused public upset as Biden failed to account

for how quickly the country would fall.

In the chaotic final days

during the evacuation of thousands of Afghans,

a terror attack killed as many as 170 civilians

and 13 American service members

at Kabul International Airport.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Afghan forces collapsed

and the Taliban surged back to power.

Two decades after US-led forces toppled their regime.

- These ISIS terrorists will not win.

We will rescue the Americans in there.

We will get our Afghan allies and our mission will go on.

- [Narrator] In November, 2021,

Biden signed a $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure bill

into law unlocking funds for transportation,

broadband and utilities.

The house also narrowly passed a pared back version

of his Build Back Better bill,

which included universal preschool,

large childcare subsidies,

and government negotiation over some drug prices.

However, the bill as well as his voting rights legislation

has remained stalled in the Senate

with few prospects for passage.

As Biden is entering his third year,

some say the plan seems to be dead.

Joe Biden had an eventful first year as president.

He entered his second year with several problems

facing low approval ratings for his handling of the economy

as inflation continued to ravage the country.

(suspenseful music)

The pandemic brought unemployment to its highest rate

since the Great Depression

and businesses struggle to stay afloat

amid lockdowns and labor shortages.

Employment rebounds somewhat over 2021

with 6.4 million jobs added

and jobless claims dropped to a near 50 year low.

A historic economic recovery with Biden overseeing

more job growth in his first year

than any president since Jimmy Carter.

But other economic headwinds have arisen instead.

Millions of Americans have quit their jobs.

The labor shortage is contributing

to global supply chain problems and rocketing inflation.

Higher prices will likely

last well into the president's third year.

In early 2022, oil prices soared

to the highest level in seven years,

as the Russian invasion of Ukraine

caused global oil markets to surge.

In March, Biden announced a ban

on Russian oil imports into America.

This has kept adding to popular discontent.

Biden has pledged support for Ukraine,

assuring the ally of America's

unprecedented support in its war with Russia.

The United States is the largest single country donor

of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

At the beginning of summer 2022,

Joe Biden's presidency was on the brink of failure.

The economy was teetering on the precipice of recession.

The Democrats were speculating in the press

about who else they could nominate for president in 2024.

However, the situation quickly changed

when on July 31st, 2022,

the Biden administration scored a major victory

against the Al-Qaeda terrorist group

with the killing of leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri

in a drone strike.

This was a landmark moment in the fight

against the group responsible

for the nine 11 terrorist attacks.

- [Speaker] Help role. Here you go, right there.

(protestors chanting)

- [Narrator] On Friday, June 24th, 2022,

the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade,

the landmark piece of legislation

that made access to abortion,

a federal right in the United States.

The decision dismantled 50 years of legal protection

and paved the way for individual states

to ban abortion rights.

In August, 2022, the US president signed the executive order

to protect travel between states for abortion.

It was the second executive order Biden had signed

regarding abortion rights

in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision.

- Four months since the Dobbs decision,

but were no longer have to imagine that chaos

and the heartache is causing.

In just four months,

abortion bans have gone on effect in 16 states,

and there's so much confusion and uncertainty

that doctors and nurses

fear they could face criminal charges

for just doing their job responsibly.

I wanna repeat it again,

the only sure way to stop these extremist laws

that are put in jeopardy women's health and rights

is for Congress to pass a law.

(protestors chanting)

- [Narrator] On August 16th,

the US Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act,

an enormously consequential bill

that includes nearly 400 billion in clean energy investments

and will lower the cost of living for America's families,

all while fighting inflation and reducing the deficit.

- This year alone, just this calendar year, okay,

this is official,

the Democrats and that guy Biden and that vice president,

came along and reduced the federal debt by $1.4 trillion.

We cut it in half.

The largest debt reduction in American history,

we cut the deficit in half.

- [Narrator] Biden also recommitted the US

to the global fight against climate change

by rejoining the Paris Agreement,

which Trump had left in 2017.

One of his major long-term accomplishments

may be his prolific appointment of judges.

He has named more in his first year

than any president since Ronald Reagan,

including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson,

who became the first black woman to serve on the court.

Following the horrific shooting at Uvalde, Texas

that killed 19 children and two adults

at an elementary school, President Biden signed into the law

the first major gun safety reform in nearly three decades

on June 25th, 2022.

But will it be enough to end the rising amount of children

who suffer injury or death from gun violence?

- Saying that we allow an 18 year old

to go in and buy an AR 15,

what the hell did we think he was gonna do with that?

- [Narrator] A few months later,

Biden attended the annual national vigil

honoring the victims of gun violence

ahead of the 10th anniversary of the

Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting,

in which 26 people were killed,

including 20 children between the ages of six and seven.

- All of you here tonight,

it's under different circumstances,

but I know a little bit what the loss feels like.

It'll be an anniversary in the 18th of this month,

I lost my wife and daughter and we lost my two sons

when a tractor trailer broadsided them.

And it's not long after that,

an anniversary of losing my son.

I know that feeling.

Everyone's different, but I know that feeling.

You know, it's like a black hole

in the middle of your chest,

you're being dragged into

and you never know whether there's ever any way out.

And what I admire so much about all of you,

is you show up and remember.

So I call on Democrats and mainstream Republicans

and Independents to come together.

We can meet this moment, we can meet it together.

I truly believe we're just getting started.

I've never been more optimistic about America's future.

I'm meaning sincerely.

We just have to remember who in God's name we are.

We're the United States of America

and there's nothing, nothing beyond our capacity

if we work together.

So vote, vote, vote.

Get out to vote. Win, vote, vote, vote, vote.

- [Narrator] At the midterm elections

on November 17th, 2022, the altered political landscape

led to the Republicans clenching a majority

in the House of Representatives.

This will shape the 2024 presidential race

and will spell trouble

for the administration of the President

when it comes to introducing in passing laws

over the final two years of his term.

As of December, 2022,

in the midst of a faltering economy and trouble abroad,

president Joe Biden is facing a decline in support

from the American people.

Some say his presidency is failed in a central task

to unite an unruly America.

In a period of historic crisis,

voters are wily questioning his capabilities.

However, Joe Biden has repeatedly expressed his optimism

about America's future saying,

"There is simply nothing beyond our capacity

to get done if we do it together."

What Biden has accomplished is substantial.

The only question now is whether the country can,

as Biden put it, "Come together better than it has so far,

because a lot of people's lives and futures depend on it."

- And even though my Republican friends in Congress

seemed to be hoping for a recession,

they were very disappointed yesterday.

The GDP report showed the economy's growing.

It's growing.

In fact, the economy grew 2.6% last quarter,

although it may not feel like it to everyone,

but people's incomes went up last quarter

more than inflation went up.

So economic growth is up, price inflation is down,

real incomes are up, and gas prices are down.

And by the way, exports are also up.

(somber music)

- [Narrator] Joe Biden launched his campaign back in 2020

by claiming his mission was to restore the soul of America

and keeping the nation afloat,

mainly undoing his predecessor's work.

With that higher mission in mind,

the President is both succeeding and struggling

to address the simultaneous crisis,

preserving a fragile democracy and restoring national unity.

His theory has been that a more traditional president

can write what's wrong in the country

and bring people together.

It is still to be determined

if Biden achieved what he had set to achieve.

The best chance Biden has to retain Capitol Hill

is to act now and reboot his presidency.

Perhaps the one saving grace has to come

from what has been a core theme

of his five decade career, patience.

As his second year turns to his third,

Joe Biden may have one final opportunity

to demonstrate unity.

How he pursues that could make all the difference.

- Because we lead not only by the example of our power,

but by the power of our example.

That is the history of the journey of America

and God willing.

As love and hope and light,

join in the battle for the soul of the nation.

And this is a battle we will win and we'll do it together.

I promise you.

With passion and purpose, let us begin you and I together,

one nation under God, united in our love for America,

united in our love for each other.

For love is more powerful than hate.

Hope is more powerful than fear,

and light is more powerful than dark.

This is our moment. This is our mission.

We are America second to none.

And we own the finish line.

Don't forget it.

God bless you all and make God protect our troops.

Come on.

We're America.

Thank you.

(audience cheering)

(somber music)