President Biden speaks the nation about Covid-19 pandemic during a primetime address from the East Room of the White House on March 11. | Andrew Harnik/AP

Biden marked a grim anniversary but has hope for the future in his first primetime address.

President Joe Biden said he sees life in America returning to some semblance of a post-pandemic normal by July 4, predicting that Americans will be able to safely gather in small groups to celebrate Independence Day.

“After this long, hard year, that will make this Independence Day something truly special,” he said during his first major primetime public address as president on Thursday night. “Where we not only mark our independence as a nation but we begin to mark our independence from this virus.”

The president’s speech marked the anniversary of a grim year: Nearly 30 million Americans have