Struggling Biden Turns to Tom Hanks for National Campaign to Mark One Year in Office
President Joe Biden’s inauguration last year was a star-studded event hosted by Tom Hanks, who had endorsed the Democrat and raised funds for his campaign.
Now, Biden has enlisted Hanks’ help once again, this time to narrate and appear in a video that puts the president’s stormy first year in office in the best possible light.
Much like the inauguration itself, which focused on the idea of “unity, with tributes paid to the frontline workers who have borne the brunt of the Covid pandemic,” as the BBC reported, this video promotes the notion of a recovering, resilient America.
Along with Hanks’ cameo, the video also features a UPS driver, a Teamster from Michigan, a bed-and-breakfast owner in Wisconsin and a New York nurse.
The funding for the video came from Biden’s Presidential Inaugural Committee, which had leftover money to spend, according to Axios.
“In recognition of the President’s first year in office, the Biden-Harris Presidential Inaugural Committee believed it was important to celebrate the strength and perseverance of the American people in the face of extraordinary adversity, just as we did a year ago today,” the committee told the outlet.
The upbeat video comes at a time when Biden’s approval ratings have bottomed out.
The FiveThirtyEight daily polling aggregate Thursday showed that 53.4 percent of Americans disapprove of Biden, while just 41.7 percent approve.
By its calculations, all other post-World War II presidents aside from Donald Trump have had higher approval ratings at this point in their presidencies.
However, according to Politico/Morning Consult, even Trump topped Biden, earning a 44 percent approval rating after one year compared with 40 percent for his successor.
The video to celebrate Biden’s first year appeared to be an effort to turn that around.
In his narration, Hanks said the nation has been through “two of the most difficult years many of us can remember,” but Americans have been “brave enough to pull ourselves up again and again.”
“America is the home of the brave. It’s why we keep getting up no matter how many times we get knocked down,” he said in the video.
Without specifically mentioning skyrocketing inflation or the supply chain crisis, the actor acknowledged the U.S. is struggling economically.
“Like with our economy. It isn’t all the way back, but it’s getting stronger,” Hanks said.
2021 brought serious economic problems for the U.S., including an inflation rate of 7 percent — the largest 12-month gain since June 1982, according to Bloomberg News.
In addition, job creation continued to lag behind expectations, with only 199,000 created in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Simpsons did it first! https://t.co/mYzpzq3FyS
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 20, 2022
The video sought to paint a brighter picture, however, with “ordinary Americans” sharing their upbeat views.
“Through the voices of those Americans — including some who participated in last year’s celebration — the video also highlights the progress that’s been made over the last year,” Axios reported.
The video also promoted the COVID-19 vaccines, with comments from Sandra Lindsay, a New York nurse who was the first person to get vaccinated.
“That’s what keeps me going. That I can feel the change,” Lindsay said.
Biden’s message at the end of the video remained hopeful as well.
“I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future,” the president said. “There’s nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.”
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