What did Biden promise to do as president in 2020?

President Joe Biden is campaigning for reelection, touting all of his administration’s accomplishments over the past three years as he seeks to rally support from Democrats, independents, and swing voters ahead of next November.

As Biden continues to herald his successes throughout his tenure, his reelection campaign is a time for voters to look back and see which pledges he made as a presidential candidate and where those promises stand now.

BIDEN’S OFF-RAMP SHOULD HE BOW OUT OF THE 2024 CONTEST

Here is a list of Biden’s campaign promises in various policy areas that are being weighed ahead of the 2024 election.

The economy

Biden pledged to invest in infrastructure and dedicate his administration to improving jobs.

“We’re going to invest in infrastructure, clean energy, and manufacturing and so much more,” Biden said in December 2020 as president-elect. “We’ll create millions of good-paying American jobs and get the job market back in the path to full employment.”

Biden also promised that he would not raise taxes for certain taxpayers.

“I guarantee you, my word as a Biden, no one making less than $400,000 will pay a single penny more in taxes — not a penny,” Biden said during a campaign rally in October 2020.

Gun violence

Biden made combating gun violence a significant part of his presidential campaign in 2020, promising to work toward banning semi-automatic guns and assault-style weapons. He spoke on his history regarding gun legislation throughout his campaign, pledging to accomplish similar gun control policies as president.

“No one needs an AR-15,” Biden said in February 2020. “I promise you, I will get these weapons of war off the street again and out of our communities.”

Immigration

During his campaign, Biden cited former President Donald Trump’s promise to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico. He said the wall was ineffective and that he would not continue his predecessor’s approach to immigration.

“There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration,” Biden said in August 2020 during an interview with NPR.

He also said he would “end Trump’s detrimental asylum policies” on his 2020 campaign website, publicly criticizing Trump for measures that he said would “drastically restrict access to asylum in the U.S.”

“We’re going to restore our moral standing in the world and our historic role as a safe haven for refugees and asylum-seekers and those fleeing violence and persecution,” Biden said at a National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference in August 2020.

Healthcare

Biden made several promises regarding healthcare while on the campaign trail, including expanding Obamacare.

“I’ll not only restore Obamacare — I’ll build on it,” Biden said during a November 2020 speech. “I’m going to increase subsidies to lower your premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses, out-of-pocket spending, surprise billing. I’m going to lower prescription drugs by 60%, and that’s the truth.”

Biden also said he would “pass Obamacare with a public option — become Bidencare,” a month earlier at a 2020 debate.

He also campaigned on lowering prices for some medications under Medicare.

“The Biden plan will repeal the existing law explicitly barring Medicare from negotiating lower prices with drug corporations,” Biden said on his 2020 campaign website.

Protecting women’s right to abortion was a pillar of Biden’s 2020 campaign, as well. He made indications that he would be in favor of codifying Roe v. Wade, which was overturned by the Supreme Court last summer.

“It should be the law, and there’s no reason why, if the Supreme Court makes the judgment that everybody’s worried about with these appeals going to the Supreme Court, that in exchange, I would codify Roe v. Wade and Casey,” Biden said during a Planned Parenthood candidates forum in June 2019.

Child care access and education

The president offered a vast plan to expand the “care economy” during his 2020 campaign, calling his plan “straightforward.”

“Every 3- and 4-year-old child will get access to free high-quality preschool like students have here,” Biden said in July 2020. “And low- and middle-income families won’t spend more than 7% of their income on child care for children under the age of 5.”

Biden also pledged to eliminate the education gap between disproportionately affected populations.

The then-candidate promised to “invest in our schools to eliminate the funding gap between white and nonwhite districts, and rich and poor districts,” per his campaign website.

He also promised to make significant progress in making college more affordable for low-income families, part-time students, and people who came to the U.S. as children, called “Dreamers.” He pledged to make colleges and universities “tuition-free” for all families with incomes below $125,000.

“As president, Biden will build on this progress by enacting legislation to ensure that every hard-working individual, including those attending school part-time and Dreamers … can go to community college for up to two years without having to pay tuition,” Biden’s campaign website said.

Climate change and green energy

One of the staples of Biden’s campaign and his administration has been his green energy policies. He pledged to work with U.S. leaders, such as governors and mayors, to install hundreds of thousands of public charging outlets as well as grow the number of electric vehicles available for drivers.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“My timetable for results is my first four years as president, the jobs that we’ll create, the investments we’ll make, and the irreversible steps we’ll take to mitigate and adapt to the climate change and put our nation on the road to net zero emissions no later than 2050,” Biden said in July 2020.

He also promised that his administration would prohibit drilling on federal lands, “period,” at a February 2020 town hall in New Hampshire.