As Biden administration set to complete 100 days, a look at key challenges

US President Joe Biden is set to mark 100 days in office and it is a big deal in American politics.

This is because the first 100 days are the honeymoon period and you are still carrying the momentum from the campaign trail.

It is the best time to get things done.

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Biden marked the day with an address to Congress.

The usual pomp and theatre were missing, as normally around 1,600 people would have packed into the hall, but this time there were only 200 people.

Biden's address shattered a centuries-old glass ceiling in the US, as flanking the presidentwere Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi, two of the most powerful women in America and second and third in the line of succession.

It was a first in the US Congress and Biden noted it right at the start.

"Thank you all. Madam speaker, madam vice president. No president has ever said those words from this podium. No president has ever said those words, and it's about time," Biden said.

But, beyond the symbolism, what was the substance of Biden's speech?

It can be best described as ambitious.

He said America was on the move again, ready for take off.

But most of Biden's proposals lack Republican support, including a new one he unveiled during the speech which is called the American Families Plan.

It is a two trillion dollar project to expand America's social safety nets.

He spent most of this speech talking about it.

But Republicans are not game, in fact, a few of them didn't even try to hide their lack of interest.

Senator Ted Cruz dozed off right in the middle of Biden's speech.

Couple of hours later he wrote social media: "Boring, but radical".

Biden's speech was mostly along expected lines.

He talked up his vaccination drive, pitched higher taxes for the rich and also sent a message to America's rivals: China and Russia.

"In my discussions with President Xi [Jinping], I told him, we welcome the competition. We're not looking for conflict. But I made absolutely clear that we will defend America's interests across the board," he said.

"I also told president Xi that we'll maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific just as we do for NATO in Rurope. Not to start a conflict, but to prevent one."

On Russia, he said: "I know it concerned, some of you, but I made very clear to [Vladimir] Putin that we're not going to seek....Excuse me, escalation. But their actions will have consequences if they turn out to be true and they turned out to be true."

Biggest challenge

But Biden's biggest challenge is at home: systemic racism and gun violence.

The latest case is from California where 26-year-old Mario Gonzales was pinned to the ground by cops for 5 minutes.

He eventually became unresponsive and died in a hospital later that day.

His crime was that he appeared to be disoriented or drunk.

White supremacy continues to dominate American thinking and we see it when cops shoot black Americans, or when Asian-Americans are targeted.

Some prosecutors want the International Criminal Court to step in, saying the police killings are crimes against humanity.

The US president is backing a police reform bill named after George Floyd to address the issue.

It has already cleared the House, but the Senate battle promises to be tough.

So, Biden used his address to pitch bipartisanship and unity.

"My fellow Americans, we have to come together to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the people they serve. To root out systemic racism in our criminal justice system and to enact police reform in George Gloyd's name that passed the House already. I know the Republicans have their own ideas and are engaged in productive discussions with Democrats in Senate. We need to work together to find a consensus but let's get it done next month, by the first anniversary of George Floyd's death," Biden said.

The other issue is guns, and Biden has called America's record on gun violence an "embarrassment".

But is he willing to stake his political capital to implement reforms?

Gun sales are soaring in America and in March alone, 4.7 million Americans initiated background checks to buy guns.

While campaigning, Biden made three promises on gun control, background checks, ban on assault weapons and ending online sale of guns.

None of these have been achieved and it's time for the US president to look inward.

The pandemic is under control in the US, but the epidemic of racism and gun violence is festering.

Unfortunately, there are no vaccine targets to meet here.

Biden will need all his political experience to navigate this crisis.

It's not something that can be done in a presidential term or even two.

Beating racism in America will be a generational battle and the way things are going, there is no guarantee of success.