- Joe Biden called the midterm elections “a good day, I think, for democracy”.
- He dismissed pundits’ predictions of a “giant red wave,” saying it didn’t materialize.
- Biden’s optimism comes as his presidency is likely to enter a new phase of divided government.
President Joe Biden criticized those who questioned his “incessant optimism” about Democrats’ ability to fend off overwhelming Republican victories in the midterm elections in his first speech after polls closed across the nation on Tuesday night.
This is despite the fact that his presidency is now likely to enter a new phase of divided government.
The results, he claimed during a press conference on Wednesday at the White House, are proof that American democracy is still intact despite being threatened in recent years.
“We had an election yesterday,” Biden said. “And it was a good day, I think, for democracy.”
The outcomes were neither the “thumping” that George W. Bush spoke of during the 2006 midterm elections nor the “shellacking” that Barack Obama claimed Democrats suffered in 2010.
Biden instead came across as confident following the alleged “red wave’s” failure to materialize on Tuesday night, reflecting the sentiment of Democrats, including those in the White House, who are feeling elated and vindicated after an election season in which the president’s political acumen was questioned. Media was unable to predict the future majorities of the House or Senate at the time of Biden’s statements.
The president did concede that the results are not a ringing endorsement of his approach. Voters, he said, “were also clear that they are still frustrated. I get it. I understand it’s been a really tough few years this country for so many people.”
“While any seat lost is painful … Democrats had a strong night. And we lost fewer seats in the House of Representatives than any Democratic president’s first midterm election in the last 40 years. We had the best midterm for governors since 1986,” Biden remarked.
The president, who turns 80 later this month, also said he is not in “any hurry” to announce a bid for reelection in 2024, reiterating that his timeline remains “early next year.”
“Our intention is to run again. That’s been our intention, regardless of what the outcome of this election was,” he told reporters. Still, Biden added, he’s “a great respecter of fate,” calling another run “a family decision.
“I think everybody wants me to run, but we’re gonna have discussions about it,” he said.
And Biden has this advice for those who were against him running for president again: “Watch me.”
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