US midterm elections: Joe Biden stated at a White House press conference that “I think it was a good day for democracy. And I believe that it was a positive day for America.
Washington: Following an unexpectedly strong showing in the midterm elections, in which Republicans are edging closer to a narrow majority in only one chamber of Congress, US President Joe Biden Wednesday was praised as a “wonderful day for democracy.”
After the election on Tuesday, in which Republican politicians attacked him over persistently rampant inflation and some voters questioned the validity of his election two years ago, Biden acknowledged the frustration of the electorate but claimed that the “overwhelming majority” of Americans supported his economic agenda.
At a White House press conference, Biden declared, “I think it was a wonderful day for democracy. And I believe that it was a positive day for America. There wasn’t a massive red wave as predicted by the media and analysts.
A strong Republican showing was expected to support Donald Trump’s bid for the White House, so it was a disappointing night for him as well.
Regarding the candidates he personally supported, Trump said, “While in some ways yesterday’s election was somewhat disappointing, from my personal position it was a very huge win — 219 WINS and 16 Losses.”
On his Truth Social platform, the 76-year-old former president questioned, “Who has ever done better than that?”
Several of Trump’s well-known candidates were defeated, but his main adversary for the Republican presidential candidacy in 2024, Ron DeSantis, also triumphed handily to keep his position as governor of Florida.
For the first time since 2018, Republicans seem to be on course to retake the 435-member House, but only by a small margin.
Top Republican Kevin McCarthy, who aspires to become the next speaker of the house but put on a brave face after coming far short of picking up the 60 seats he originally anticipated, said: “It is apparent that we are going to take the House back.”
“Clear and unambiguous message”
If Biden had lost, there would have been doubts about whether he should seek for office again in 2024, but instead, he fared better than any of his two Democratic predecessors, Barack Obama or Bill Clinton, who both lost badly in their first midterm elections.
When questioned about his plans during the press conference on Wednesday, Biden stated that he still had “intention to run again,” but that he would make up his mind “early next year.”
Biden, who will turn 80 this month, praised the “record numbers” of young people who participated in the election and emphasized support for the right to an abortion, which was overturned in June by a Supreme Court that was altered by Trump nominees.
Voters made apparent their concerns in the polls, according to Biden. “Many people are still suffering.”
They sent a loud and unambiguous statement that they wanted to keep our nation’s democracy and freedom of religion.
The Senate was still up for grabs after the vote on Tuesday, but it was leaning Democratic. Control of the Senate may depend on a runoff election in the southern state of Georgia in December.
More than 100 Republicans who supported Trump’s “Big Lie” that Biden stole the 2020 election won that night, while a few of the former president’s hand-picked supporters were unsuccessful. According to Jon Rogowski, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, “several of the candidates he sponsored underperformed and cost his party a chance to take up seats that should have been winnable.”
Rogowski stated, using abortion as an example, “Voters not only rejected many of Trump’s candidates, but they also rejected his views.”
Voters in five states approved abortion rights in ballot measures, rejecting the conservative-dominated Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the procedure’s constitutional right in June.
Joe Biden Salutes Democrats’ Performance in Important US Polls: “Good Day for Democracy”
