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President Biden delivers remarks astir the results of the midterm elections successful the State Dining Room astatine the White House connected Wednesday. Samuel Corum/Getty Images hide caption
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Samuel Corum/Getty Images
President Biden delivers remarks astir the results of the midterm elections successful the State Dining Room astatine the White House connected Wednesday.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
President Biden cheered Democrats for their better-than-expected show successful the midterm elections and avoiding a "red wave," but with Republicans poised to assertion a constrictive bulk successful the House helium said helium stands acceptable to enactment crossed the aisle.
Speaking to reporters from the State Dining Room connected Wednesday, Biden said helium volition invitation legislature leaders from some parties to the White House aft traveling to the Middle East and Asia aboriginal this week.
"I'm prepared to enactment with my Republican colleagues," helium said. "The American radical person made clear, I think, that my Republican colleagues beryllium prepared to enactment with maine arsenic well."
The president besides reiterated his volition to question reelection, saying helium volition apt marque the last determination aboriginal adjacent year.
"Our volition is to tally again ... careless of what the result of this predetermination was," Biden told reporters. He said helium hoped to "sneak distant for a week around" the holidays with the archetypal lady, Jill Biden, and marque an announcement aft that.
Biden's remarks came connected the heels of a Democratic midterms show that has truthful acold defied history. Since World War II, the enactment retired of powerfulness has typically gained an mean of 28 House seats and 2 Senate seats successful a president's archetypal midterms. Democrats look connected way to defy that precedent.
Though Democrats are expected to suffer power of the House of Representatives, power of the Senate is inactive up successful the air. Several cardinal Senate races, including those successful Nevada and Arizona, stay excessively adjacent to call.
When asked whether the Democrats could support the House, Biden said determination was "a possibility," but acknowledged it would beryllium close.
"Here's what we bash know: While the property and the pundits predict[ed] a elephantine reddish wave, it didn't happen," helium said.
Biden said he'll enactment with Republicans, but compromise whitethorn beryllium challenging
The president said helium is "ready to compromise with Republicans" connected issues wherever it makes sense, but didn't supply immoderate specifics. He said helium doesn't person "much occasion" to speech with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy — who connected Wednesday announced his candidacy to beryllium the adjacent Speaker of the House — but that helium plans to talk with him "later today."
Finding areas of compromise could beryllium difficult. If Republicans instrumentality the House, they are expected to motorboat investigations into home convulsive extremism; allegations against President Biden's son, Hunter Biden; and the FBI raid connected erstwhile President Donald Trump's location wherever agents seized classified documents, which person go the taxable of an ongoing ineligible battle.
In effect to a question astir House Republicans' plans to behaviour investigations into some his medication and his family, Biden said: "Lots of luck successful your elder year, arsenic my manager utilized to say."
"I deliberation the American radical privation america to determination connected and bash the things for them," Biden added.
The president signaled determination are respective areas wherever helium would not compromise. "Under nary circumstances," helium said, would helium enactment projected cuts to Medicare and Social Security oregon immoderate effort to walk a national termination ban.
Biden added that helium would "ban battle weapons oregon effort similar the devil," but helium is improbable to person capable legislature enactment to bash that.
The system volition stay beforehand and center
On the economy, Biden rejected the thought that the system was adjacent to a recession.
"We're not anyplace adjacent a recession close now," helium said. "I deliberation we tin person what astir economists telephone a brushed landing."
But, helium added, "I can't warrant that we're going to beryllium capable to get escaped of inflation."
When asked what helium would bash otherwise aft the midterms erstwhile an estimated three-quarters of Americans said the state was moving successful the incorrect direction, Biden replied: "Nothing."
He said Americans were lone conscionable opening to larn and spot the results of his policies truthful far.
Biden called the midterms a triumph for democracy
The president began his remarks beryllium celebrating the midterms arsenic a "good time ... for democracy."
"Our ideology has been tested successful caller years but with their votes, the American radical person spoken and proven erstwhile again, that ideology is who we are," helium said.
Biden said voters "spoke intelligibly astir their concerns" astir rising costs.
"There's inactive a batch of radical hurting. They're precise acrophobic — and it's astir transgression and nationalist safety," helium said. "And they sent a wide and unmistakable connection that they privation to sphere our ideology and support the close to take successful this country."
Biden noted determination was important turnout among young radical successful the election, and said that helium called Florida Democrat Maxwell Frost connected Tuesday nighttime to congratulate him connected his historical win. Frost volition beryllium the archetypal subordinate of Generation Z elected to service successful Congress.
Biden said helium was optimistic for what's to travel successful the adjacent twelvemonth of his administration, and spoke astir Democrats' achievements frankincense far, including the transition of the Inflation Reduction Act and the trillion dollar bipartisan infrastructure legislation.
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