Biden says 'for years too little has been done' on fentanyl problem—he's been president since 2021

Speaking to world leaders in New York on Tuesday, President Biden declared that "too little has been done" over the past several years to take action against the fentanyl crisis in the United States. This despite the fact that Biden has been president since 2021, during which time more than 250,000 Americans have died as a result of consuming the synthetic opioids primarily distributed by China.

Biden, 81, painted himself as a leader on the issue while speaking at a symposium at the InterContinental Barclay hotel. He told world leaders in town for the United Nations General Assembly that there has been a modest drop in overdose deaths this year, but failed to mention that overdose death rates nearly doubled under his administration compared to his predecessor former President Donald Trump, as reported by the New York Post.

"For years, too little has been done to beat this threat here at home and around the world. In fact, before I came to office, overdose deaths in our country were increasing by more than 30 percent year-over-year,"  Biden said. "I'm proud to announce for the first time in five years, overdose deaths are actually coming down across America. The latest data shows a 10 percent drop."

Adding, "There are too many that are still dying. There's so much more that needs to be done."

CDC data shows that more than 223,000 American residents died of fentanyl and related compounds during the first three years of the Biden administration. The current trajectory shows that fentanyl-related overdose deaths will have increased by 84 percent at the end of Biden's four-year term, compared to the Trump administration. Under the Trump administration, over 159,000 Americans died from the drug.

Furthermore, President Biden falsely credited his administration for the availability of naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, to be sold over the counter without a prescription. Before he took the White House, 35 states had already offered it over the counter.

"When I became president, I made beating opioids a central part of the unity agenda, something that our entire nation could rally around, and has," Biden said. "Over the last four years, we've turned that agenda into action. My administration made...naloxone, a life-saving overdose reversal medication available over the counter."

"You could purchase it over the counter for the first time," Biden claimed, who added that fentanyl is a "national security threat."

The record-breaking illegal immigration under Biden, according to both US-Mexico border officials and Republican lawmakers, has facilitated drug-running between legal points of entry. However, fentynal's compact size also enables it to be smuggled through international mail and shipping systems and within vehicles at legal border checkpoints. 

Biden has never publicly challenged Chinese President Xi Jinping on the matter, despite the substantial impact on American society. Nevertheless, Republican nominee Donald Trump has pledged to hold the CCP accountable if he is elected in Nov.