Joe Biden Posted About Looking Ahead To A Brighter 2021 After A Rough 2020

Let's face it: No one knew what 2020 had in store, and many Americans aren't exactly thrilled to ring in the new year amid a lethal global pandemic and a crippling economic crisis. Even with these setbacks, some people are still finding ways to celebrate at the end of an exhausting year. After a rough 2020, President-elect Joe Biden's 2021 New Year's tweet brings a much-needed message of hope for a brighter future to the American people, who have been through a lot within the last several months.

"The challenges we face as a nation will not disappear overnight," Biden stated in his Dec. 31 New Year's Eve tweet. "But as we look forward to the start of a new year, I’m filled with fresh hope about the possibilities of better days to come," he added. Just hours before midnight, he tweeted out a video with a sincere message that thanked Americans for coming together during a difficult time: "In 2021, we will build a brighter future," the video read. "Happy New Year."

Biden, along with future FLOTUS Jill, also shared this positive outlook on 2021 via a live remote interview for ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. When Seacrest asked about what the future holds, Biden responded brightly, stating "I’m more optimistic about America’s chances than I’ve ever been . . . I am absolutely positive, confident, that we’re going to come back — and come back stronger than we were before."

Biden's message of hope comes in the midst of a particularly tumultuous time in Washington. As the Senate vote on increasing relief checks from $600 to $2,000 remains uncertain, millions of people across the country are still struggling to quite literally survive in the middle of a life-threatening pandemic. According to a Sept. 24 study from Pew Research Center, "one-in-four adults have had trouble paying their bills since the coronavirus outbreak started, a third have dipped into savings or retirement accounts to make ends meet, and about one-in-six have borrowed money from friends or family or gotten food from a food bank." And these experiences aren't evenly distributed across America's populations: Since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, low-income communities of color have continually faced the brunt of its fatal fallout.

Although it's largely unclear what 2021 has in store for the U.S., one thing is certain: If Biden wants to accomplish much of anything during his presidency, America's blessing simply isn't enough — he's going to need the combined support of the House and the Senate to pass legislation that would rebuild the country in the pandemic's aftermath.