Thread by @Grace_Segers

Biden kicks off his first press conference by announcing his administration has set a goal of administering 200 million shots by his 100th day in office
cbsnews.com/live-updates/j…

Biden says 100 million stimulus checks of at least $1400 have gone out.

"Help is here and hope is on the way."

Biden punts on a q about how he can hope to overcome Republican opposition to Democratic priorities, saying they're "long-term problems."

"I think my Republican colleagues are going to have to determine whether they want to work together," or continue to "divide the country."

Biden says it was a "pretty big deal" that the American Rescue Plan passed without Republican votes.

"I've been hired to solve problems, not create division."

Biden on the influx of migrants on the border: "I guess I should be flattered that people are coming because I'm a nice guy."

He says surge is seasonal, and "it happens every single solitary year."

He then rejects claim that migrants are crossing the border because of him: "Does anyone suggest there was a 31% increase under Trump because he was a nice guy?"

"I'd like to think it's because I'm a nice guy, but it's not," he says, also calls on Congress to take on immigration

Biden says that the "overwhelming majority" of migrants "are being sent back."

Biden says Mexico is "refusing to take" some of the families taken into border patrol custody.

"They should all be going back."

Biden has twice sidestepped questions about how he would respond to Republican opposition, and avoided a direct q on the filibuster, saying only "I'm going to deal with all of those problems."

After @Yamiche rightly presses him, Biden says that he wants the filibuster to be like it was "when I came to the Senate 120 years ago." He says it's "being abused in a gigantic way," arguing in favor of reintroducing the talking filibuster.

Biden suggests that he might be open to reforming the filibuster: "I'm a fairly practical guy. I want to get things done."

“If there’s a complete lockdown and chaos as a result of the filibuster we may have to go further," he says.

Biden refused to say whether he believes a filibuster should be defeated with 51 votes or 60 votes, but says he's not an expert on parliamentary rules.

Correct Biden quote on the filibuster: "If we have to, if there's complete lockdown and chaos as a consequence of the filibuster, then we'll have to go beyond what I'm talking about."

(The earlier quote was not exact, I'm typing quickly!)

Biden talks about the situations that would lead to a parent sending an unaccompanied minor across the border: "What a desperate act, to have to take. The circumstances must be horrible."

"There's no easy answer," he says, adding that Harris will be in charge of this issue.

Biden says it will be "hard" to meet the May 1 deadline established by Trump for withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan.

"If we leave, we're going to do so in a safe and orderly way."

"We will leave. The question is when we leave," he says, adding that he "can't picture" troops in Afghanistan next year.

"I will commit to transparency," Biden says about reporter access to facilities where migrant children are being held. "You will have full access to everything once we get this thing moving," he says, but says he doesn't know when that will be.

Biden says he makes "no apologies" about rolling back Trump's executive actions on immigration.

Biden says he is "prepared for some form of diplomacy" with North Korea, as long as their goal is denuclearization. He says he agrees with Obama that this is the top foreign policy issue.

My colleague @nancycordes asks if Biden is concerned that GOP legislation restricting voting rights will result in Dems losing the House/Senate. He replies, "What I'm worried about is how unAmerican this whole initiative is. It's sick."

Biden says: "My plan is to run for re-election. That's my expectation."

More Biden on voting suppression: "This is gigantic, what they're trying to do. And it cannot be sustained."

"I'm not going to lay out a strategy" right now about how he can address it thru exec action, he said.

"I would like elected Republican support," Biden says, but adds that he has support from Republican voters. He rejects the idea that he hasn't been bipartisan enough.

Biden says he agrees that the filibuster is a "relic of a Jim Crow era." However, he says "let's deal with the abuse first."

Biden says he is a "great respecter of fate," so he's not really planning for 2024, although his "expectation" is to run. When asked if he expects to face Trump, he says, "I have no idea if there will be a Republican Party" in four years.

We are 64 days into the Biden presidency and we're already talking about 2024

Biden is dodging a q on China tariffs.

"I've known Xi Jinping for a long time," Biden says. "Doesn't have a democratic with a small d bone in his body, but he's a smart guy."

Biden says that the current conflict globally is autocracy vs. democracy, and that we are in a "fourth industrial revolution."

Biden on potential exec actions on gun control: "It's all about timing."

He says he's considering actions on banning sale of ghost guns and closing background check loopholes.

He's now somehow pivoted to infrastructure and touting the importance of a big infrastructure bill (the question was on gun control).

Biden on immigration issues: "I can't guarantee we're going to solve everything, but I can guarantee we're going to make it better."

Biden on whether he has spoken with any Republicans on immigration: "I know they have to posture for a while. They just have to get it out of their system."

"Folks, I'm going," Biden says, ending his press conference.