“I don’t believe the polls,” Biden said at the press conference, echoing an infamous refrain from his predecessor. Asked by a reporter how to win over moderates and independents who backed him in 2020, but have wavered in their support in recent polls. Biden’s approval rating has plunged in recent months. A Gallup poll found released today 40% of US. adults approve of the job he is doing. His average approval rating has sat at about 42% in recent months. A Quinnipiac poll released last week found his approval rating was as low as 33%, though the White House dismissed it as an outlier. A defensive Biden today told reporters he’s faced some of the biggest challenges any US president has faced. “I’m not complaining,” he said. At his press conference to mark one year in office, Joe Biden outlined some of the changes he plans to make for his second year. The president said he would leave the White House more to communicate his message to the American people, which has been difficult because of coronavirus-related restrictions. He also said he would consult more with outside experts and be “deeply involved” in the midterm elections, as Democrats seek to defend their narrow majorities in the House and Senate. Sam Levine Making his case in defense of the filibuster, Joe Manchin said the Senate should stay on voting rights and have an extended debate on the topic until it could reach some kind of bipartisan consensus. “We don’t have to change the rules to make the case to the American people about voting rights,” Manchin said in his Senate floor speech moments ago. “We could have kept voting rights as pending business for the Senate. Today, a week, a month from now. This is important. Let’s work it out. Let’s stay here and go at it.” Such a proposal ignores the reality that nearly all of the Republican caucus has expressed no interest in negotiating over the specific policies in the Democratic bills. Manchin reportedly spent weeks trying to find GOP support for the measures and was unable to find any. Just one Republican, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted in support of the proposal to restore a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. Republicans have railed against the voting rights bill in broad terms, saying that it is federal overreach. The US constitution explicitly authorizes Congress to set rules for federal elections. Over at Joe Biden’s press conference, a reporter asked the president whether he is pleased with the performance of Kamala Harris, who is leading the administration’s work on voting rights. The reporter also asked Biden whether he still expects Harris to be his running mate if he seeks reelection in 2024, as he has said he plans to do. “Yes and yes,” Biden replied. “She’s going to be my running mate, number one. And number two, I did put her in charge, and I think she’s doing a good job.” So far, Democrats have failed to pass a voting rights bill, as Senate Republicans have repeatedly used the filibuster to block their proposals. Manchin doubles down on opposition to filibuster reform Sam Levine As Joe Biden took questions from reporters at his press conference, Joe Manchin delivered a Senate floor speech on voting rights and filibuster reform. Manchin dug in on his support for the filibuster, making it clear he would not vote to change the procedure to support voting rights reform. Getting rid of the rule, Manchin said, would be “perilous” for the Senate and the US. “I will not vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster. The filibuster plays an important role in protecting our democracy from the transitory passions of the majority and respecting the input of the minority in the Senate,” Manchin said. “For those who believe bipartisanship is impossible, we have proven them wrong. Ending the filibuster would be the easy way out. I cannot support such a perilous course for this nation when elected leaders are sent to Washington to unite our country by putting politics and party aside.” Manchin’s speech came hours before Democrats were set to vote on sweeping voting rights legislation that is doomed to fail because Republicans are unified in their opposition to the measure, denying it the 60 votes needed to move forward. Manchin and fellow Democrat Kyrsten Sinema have been stalwart in their refusal to make changes to the filibuster, which Democrats say Republicans have weaponized as a tool of obstruction in recent years. A reporter asked Joe Biden about Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s comment today that the midterm elections will be a referendum on Democrats’ performance since taking control of the White House and Congress. “I actually like Mitch McConnell. We like one another. But he has one straightforward objective: make sure that there’s nothing I do that makes me look good, in his mind, with the public at large,” Biden said. “And that’s okay. I’m a big boy. I’ve been here before.” Joe Biden confirmed the Build Back Better Act will likely have to be separated into multiple bills in order to get some of its components passed. “It’s clear to me that we’re going to have to probably break it up,” the president said. Biden noted that Joe Manchin, who announced his opposition to the spending package last month, supports some of the bill’s key provisions, such as establishing universal access to free prekindergarten. “I think we can break the package up, get as much as we can now and come back and fight for the rest later,” Biden said. Joe Biden was asked whether he believes the threatened sanctions against Russia will be enough to prevent Vladimir Putin from approving an invasion of Ukraine, when such economic measures have not proven effective with the Russian president in the past. “He’s never seen sanctions like the ones I’ve promised will be imposed if he moves,” the president replied. Biden noted he has had “frank discussions” with Putin in recent weeks, as fears have intensified over a potential invasion of Ukraine. The US president said that, if Putin moves forward with a full-scale invasion, it will be a “disaster” for the Russian economy. “Russia will be held accountable if it invades,” Biden said. Biden expresses confidence in passing "big chunks" of Build Back Better A reporter asked Joe Biden whether he needed to be more realistic in his legislative goals and and scale down his priorities in order to get something passed. The president said he did not believe he needed to scale down his goals, arguing his agenda is largely popular with the American people. “We just have to make the case of what we’re for and what the other team’s not for,” Biden said, underscoring the need for Democrats to contrast their priorities with those of Republicans. However, in response to a follow-up question, Biden seemed to acknowledge that the Build Back Better Act may need to be broken up into several pieces to get passed. “I’m confident we can get pieces, big chunks of the Build Back Better law signed into law,” Biden said. Joe Manchin announced last month that he would not support the $1.75tn spending package, which represents the centerpiece of Biden’s economic agenda. But the president and Democratic congressional leaders have indicated they are not giving up on the proposal. Biden: "I didn"t overpromise. I have probably outperformed" Joe Biden is now taking questions from reporters, after delivering some prepared remarks about the coronavirus pandemic and the US economy. A journalist asked the president whether he believes he promised too much to voters, considering Democrats’ failure to pass a voting rights bill or the Build Back Better Act since he took office. “I didn’t overpromise. I have probably outperformed what anybody thought would happen,” Biden replied. The president insisted his administration had made “enormous progress” over the past year, but he acknowledged that the year had not seen much bipartisanship. Condemning the obstructionist tactics of the opposing party, Biden said he had not succeeded in convincing “my Republican friends to get in the game”. Joe Biden said coronavirus will not disappear anytime soon, but he expressed confidence that the situation in the US will continue to improve in the months ahead. “I’m not going to give up and accept things as they are now. Some people may call what’s happening now the ‘new normal.’ I call it a job not yet finished,” Biden said. “It will get better. We’re moving toward a time when Covid-19 won’t disrupt our daily lives, where Covid-19 won’t be a crisis but something to protect against and a threat. Look, we’re not there yet, but we will get there.” Biden’s remarks come as the Omicron variant causes a surge in cases of coronavirus in the US, putting more pressure on hospitals and resulting in high demand for tests. While touting the successes of his first year in office, Joe Biden acknowledged that many Americans remain unhappy with the state of the nation. “For all this progress, I know there’s a lot of frustration and fatigue in this country. And we know why: Covid-19,” Biden said. The president said he understood Americans are tired nearly two years into the pandemic, but he emphasized the US now has the tools to save lives and keep the economy open -- vaccines, tests and masks. Nodding to criticism that the White House should have made coronavirus tests more widely available sooner, Biden said, “Should we have done more testing earlier? Yes. But we’re doing more now.”