At a press conference in Indonesia following his meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping, President Joe Biden celebrated the results of the midterm elections, which saw Democrats retain control of the Senate and blunt Republican gains in the House.
Biden in particular cheered the strength of American democracy and what he described as the rejection of anti-democratic forces.
“What we saw was the strength and resilience of the American democracy, and we saw it in action,” Biden said of last week’s election. “And the American people proved once again that democracy is who we are.”
Biden in particular singled out that “there was a strong rejection of election deniers at every level, from those seeking to lead our states and those seeking to serve in Congress and also those seeking to oversee the elections.”
“There was a strong rejection of political violence and voter intimidation,” Biden added. “There was an emphatic statement that in America, the will of the people prevails.”
Biden, speaking on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, said that the eyes of the world have been on America’s midterm contests.
“What these elections showed is that there is a deep and unwavering commitment in America to preserving and protecting and defending democracy,” Biden said.
The president said that he believes the election “has sent a very strong message around the world that the United States is ready to play.”
“The United States – the Republicans who survived, along with the Democrats, are of the view that we’re going to stay fully engaged in the world and that we, in fact, know what we’re about,” Biden said of the United States’ stature on the world stage.
But while the president projeted optimism throughout his news conference, he did admit that when it comes to codifying abortion rights into law – a central promise of his midterm campaign – Democrats may fall short on having the votes.
When asked what Americans can expect from the new Congress in terms of abortion rights legislation, Biden replied: “I don’t think they can expect much of anything other than we’re going to maintain our positions.”
“I don’t think there’s enough votes to codify, unless something happens unusual in the House,” Biden added. “I think we’re going to get very close in the House … I think it’s going to be very close, but I don’t think we’re going to make it.”
Abortion was one of the top issues among voters in the midterms, and many Democrats made it central to their midterm campaigns. President Biden had previously promised that if two more Democrats were elected to the U.S. Senate, Democrats would codify abortion rights into law.
“If you give me two more senators in the United States Senate, I promise you, I promise you, we’re going to codify Roe and once again make Roe the law of the land,” Biden said in September, adding: “The power to get things done is in the hands of the American people, especially the women out there.”
Democrats secured 50 seats in the U.S. Senate and the majority over the weekend, following Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s reelection win in Nevada.
Despite showing surprising resilience in races nationwide – blunting a so-called “red wave” from Republicans hoping for a much stronger showing – the Democrats may fall just short of retaining the House, with the GOP the favorites to win a narrow majority in the chamber.
