In that time, he blamed a gallery of villains for the woes plaguing contemporary American society. They included: the virus (but - and this is important  - not the Communist-controlled one-party state that unleashed it), meat processors (for driving up prices on meat), Vladimir Putin and, of course, his predecessor, President Trump (but not Dr. Fauci, who helped finance the gain-of-function research that may have helped Chinese scientists create SARS-CoV-2).

First of all, Biden admitted that he suspects Russia will attempt to invade Ukraine. But if they do, Biden promised that the economic costs will be extremely "heavy". He has "never seen sanctions like the ones I've promised will be imposed" Biden said, referring to his rival, President Vladimir Putin.

On the geopolitical front, Biden also said that the US isn't yet ready to remove President Trump's tariffs on China. Does he have a timeline for possible removal? "The answer is uncertain," Biden said. His top trade official is working on it.

And as oil prices continue their climb, Biden said he is doing everything he can to increase available supplies (everything except another release from the US SPR).

Later, he said that it's not too late for talks with Iran to yield another deal. "There is some progress being made," but "it remains to be seen" if Tehran will make a deal, Biden said in a news conference Wednesday marking his first year in office.

He also confirmed that VP Kamala Harris will be his running mate in 2024.

Early in his opening statement, Biden said he wouldn't simply accept the status quo as a "new normal".

"I'm not going to give up and accept things as they are now...some people call it a new normal. I call it a job not yet finished," Biden said.