Editor's note: Anthony Moretti is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Joe Biden will soon celebrate his one-year anniversary as the president of the United States. There is no reason to believe the second year will be better than the first year.

Biden took the oath of office on a bitterly cold Washington day, but the optimism felt by his supporters and millions of other Americans who were simply exhausted from the four years of the Donald Trump circus brought a feeling of warmth across the country. 

The experienced Biden – with decades in the Senate and eight years as Barack Obama's vice president – seemed a guarantee in an otherwise chaotic political landscape. Sure, he lacked Obama's charisma, but he possessed none of the hate that consumed Trump. He would be a steady hand, and at a time the country needed it. 

Unfortunately, there has not been much since that January day to keep people smiling. And that supposedly steady hand has been shaky far too many times.

Four issues crippled the first year of Biden's presidency. There is insufficient evidence to believe the White House has a plan to turn mistakes into successes next year.

Firstly, Biden has been unable to get coronavirus under control. The number of deaths in the U.S. over the past 12 months is higher than the number during Trump's presidency, and we must remember that Trump did nothing to assist Americans in understanding the complexities and dangers of the pandemic. Biden's message that can be defined as "do the right thing" has largely been ignored. 

Roughly half of America remains convinced coronavirus is either nothing more than the flu or a hoax, and the other half wants to desperately return to normal life especially because they have been fully vaccinated. More illnesses and more deaths are highly possible to happen this year. Fairly or not, the death toll will be placed at Biden's feet, and he has no compelling message when it comes to addressing the pandemic.

Secondly, Biden has had one major failure after another on the international stage. Inexplicably, his Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his initial meetings with his Chinese counterparts with an angry rebuke about China's government and its willingness to play by the so-called "rules-based international order." In addition, the Biden administration refused to get rid of the ridiculous sanctions imposed by Trump on China. The decision continues to undermine America's business community and the public. 

Besides, there is no way that Americans could look at the pullout of American forces from Afghanistan and speak only one word: Embarrassing. On top of that, the White House has scorned all efforts to reopen talks with Iran about its nuclear program. To the international community, America looks as unreliable as it did under Trump.

Thirdly, Biden's vice president at best remains a political novice, unable to understand how to navigate Washington politics. At worst, Kamala Harris is clueless, someone adding to the train wreck that has been the initial year of the Biden-Harris administration. 

Just days ago, the Washington Post reported that Harris' team "is engaged in a series of course changes that aides and supporters hope will boost her public image and reset her political prospects." She appears incapable of providing advice and leadership, no matter the issue on the table, and she enjoys zero gravitas with Congress. While it is unlikely Biden will abandon Harris in favor of another vice president, the bitter reality is she has done zero to prop up the administration. 

Finally, Biden has not swayed public opinion to his side. Granted, he was never going to enjoy hugely popular poll numbers. Remember, the divided electorate guaranteed that roughly 50 percent of voters would not approve of anything he did. Nevertheless, his rhetoric and his actions suggest he is a man who lacks the sustained energy and the vigor necessary to rally Americans and to make them see why they should believe his policies are best for the country. Biden seems boring, a man who either does not recognize or does not want to accept that a majority of voters have tuned him out. 

The combined effect of these disasters at home and abroad has led one political pundit after another to draw one conclusion: Biden's Democrats are going to get mauled during the midterm elections this November. They are likely to lose control of at least the Senate, possibly the House as well. 

If that were to happen, Biden would struggle to have any meaningful domestic legislative accomplishments in 2023 and 2024, which would further opinions at home and abroad that he lacks a vision for the country and a commitment to roll up his sleeves and work hard to get things done. 

Meanwhile, Trump is sitting on the sidelines and at the ready to pounce. Biden-Trump II in 2024 could happen, and at the moment Trump leads such a hypothetical matchup. Yes, public perception of Biden right now is so bad that American voters are strongly considering returning to the White House the man who has to be considered the worst to ever occupy that office. 

What does that say about Biden's image right now?

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