Joe Biden doubled his goal for coronavirus vaccinations to 200m in his first 100 days in office as he used to his first presidential press conference to claim progress against the pandemic and set the stage for new battles with Republicans on immigration, the economy and voting rights.

After waiting 64 days to meet formally with the White House press corps, the 78-year-old US president dismissed criticism that he was mishandling an increase in migrants crossing the southern border and said he intended to run for re-election in 2024.

In an indication of his determination to fight for the rest of his sweeping agenda, he sent his strongest signal yet that he supported changes to Senate rules that would make it easier for legislation to pass without Republican support.