Biden: 'Good Day for America' as 'Red Wave' Failed to Materialize After US Midterm Election
02:09 GMT 10.11.2022 (Updated: 14:00 GMT 19.12.2022)
© AP Photo / Susan Walsh
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The red wave pundits predicted would happen in the US midterm elections didn't happen, President Joe Biden underscored during a Wednesday address on the incoming results of the highly-anticipated midterm elections.
"While the press and the pundits are predicting a giant red wave, it didn't happen," Biden told reporters, adding that the events marked a "good day" for democracy.
"Good day for democracy and a good day for America," Biden continued. "Our democracy has been tested in recent years. But the American people have spoken and proven democracy is who we are."
As of Wednesday afternoon, NBC News projects the Republicans to win 222 seats in the US House of Representatives while Democrats are expected to win 213 seats in the next term of Congress. However, these numbers are subject to change as some final results are yet to be confirmed.
Undecided Senate races in the states of Georgia, Arizona and Nevada will determine whether Democrats retain control of the US Senate or whether Republicans will obtain a majority. Republicans must win in two of the three states to gain control of the upper chamber of Congress.
No Interference in Voting Process
The mid-Wednesday address saw the commander- in-chief underscore that there was no interference in the US midterm voting process, a concern that had been raised by critics ahead of the race.
"The states across the country saw record voter turnout and the heart and soul of our democracy, the voters, the poll workers, election officials, they did their job ," Biden said.
"And they fulfill their duty, apparently without much interference at all without any interference it looks like and that's a testament I think to the American people."
Remarks regarding the security of the election process came shortly after the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) confirmed that no evidence had emerged to suggest tabulations had been tampered in favor of any particular political party.
CISA Director Jen Easterly commented in a statement that officials found no proof "that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was any way compromised in any race in the country."
Weighing in on the matter, OSCE special coordinator Margareta Cederfelt remarked that international observers had determined that the latest US election cycle was both competitive and professionally managed. Additionally, the official detailed that US nationals living in Washington, DC, and US territories continue to lack full voting rights.
Ready to Work With GOP Regardless of Final Vote Tally
Biden in his remarks on the preliminary results of the midterm elections stated he is also prepared to work with Republican colleagues regardless of the final tally in the vote.
“Regardless of what the final tally of these elections shows, and there's still some counting going on, I am prepared to work with my Republican colleagues,” Biden said on Wednesday.
Biden added that he intends to meet with both political parties upon his return from the G20 summit in Indonesia to discuss with them how they can work together for the remainder of this year and into the next Congress to advance the economic and national security priorities of the United States.
However, the American president noted that he has no intention on supporting proposals to cut the federal medical insurance program Medicare and Social Security, as well as bans on abortions.
"Under no circumstances will I support the proposal put forward by Senator [Ron] Johnson to cut or make fundamental changes to Social Security or Medicare," Biden said on Wednesday. "That's not on the table."
Johnson, a Republican from the state of Wisconsin, suggested in August that Social Security and Medicare be eliminated as federal entitlement programs and instead become programs approved by Congress on an annual basis via discretionary spending.
8 November 2022, 22:03 GMT
Elsewhere, when asked about whether he would be changing his political agenda for the remaining two years of his presidential term, Biden indicated that he would not be changing anything.
His one-worded response of "nothing" came in light of a new polls showing that 75% of Americans believe the United States is headed in the wrong direction. "I think that the problem is the major piece of legislation we've passed and some of the bipartisan takes time to be recognized," the president explained.
Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine
Thinking ahead to the incoming congressional class, Biden noted he was hopeful lawmakers would continue the existing bipartisan approach on Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia.
However, he later added that time would tell as to whether Ukraine would itself be prepared for a compromise amid heightened tensions, stating that "a judgment" was pending on the matter.
1 November 2022, 07:36 GMT
Touching on the US' continued military aid, the president stressed his administration would not be giving into all of Ukraine's demands, pointing out that the US was reluctant to provide Kiev with long-range munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) due to the possibility it could be used to strike Russian soil.
"We’ve not given Ukraine a ‘blank check.’ There’s a lot of things Ukraine wants that we didn’t do," Biden said. "HIMARS have two kinds of rockets you can drop in those: one that goes over 600 miles and one that goes about 160 miles. We didn’t give them any ones that go 600 miles because I’m not looking for them to start bombing Russian territory."
It's worth noting US Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a favorite to lead House Republicans with their tentative majority in the lower chamber of Congress after the midterm elections, said Republicans would be unwilling to provide Ukraine a "blank check" for military and other aid.
US Knew of Russia's Plans to Withdraw Forces From Kherson
Momentarily redirecting the conference's focus to news that Russian forces were being withdrawn from parts of the Kherson region, Biden told reporters US forces had been aware of such plans but that officials found it "interesting" it hadn't unfolded until after the US midterms.
"First of all, I found it interesting they waited until after the election to make that judgment, which we knew for some time that they were going to be doing," Biden remarked.
The move to reposition forces came at the suggestion of Sergei Surovikin, the Russian Army general appointed commander of all Russian forces in Ukraine. The general relayed to the top Russian brass on Wednesday that withdrawing troops would be most beneficial in the event that the Kiev regime goes ahead with plans to destroy the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric plant and dam.
9 November 2022, 18:09 GMT
"There will be an additional threat to the civilian population and a complete isolation of the group of our troops on the right bank of the Dnepr," Surovikin explained, noting that Ukrainian forces have been carrying out repeated missile strikes on the dam.
Moving forces away from the Kherson region has been previously considered by officials as the city's location on the western bank of the Dnepr river makes it vulnerable to potential attacks. The waterways eastern bank has been known to be far more defensible.
Biden Hopeful Putin Will Be Open to Discussing Prisoner Exchange Post-Election
Biden is hopeful that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more open to discussing prisoner exchanges, he said in his Wednesday remarks.
"My hope is that now that the election is over [Putin] will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange. That is my intention," said the president. "I'm hopeful that now that our election is over, there's a willingness to negotiate."
It was reported earlier on Wednesday that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being moved to a Russian penal colony more than eight months after being detained for possessing hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow.
American basketball player Brittney Griner in the Khimki court of the Moscow region
© Sputnik / Mikhail Voskresensky
/ "I am determined to get [Griner] home safely," said Biden, who also mentioned that he's been in close contact with Griner's wife about the issue.
Griner pleaded guilty to the charges, and was sentenced to nine years in prison in a penal colony on Aug. 4.
Eyes on 2024 Presidential Cycle
Biden further told reporters that he still intends to run for reelection in 2024 regardless of the midterm election results, and that he would most likely make a decision early next year.
"Our intention [with first lady Jill Biden] is to run again. That's been our intention, regardless of what the outcome of this election was," Biden said. "I'm a great respecter of fate. And this is ultimately a family decision. I think everybody wants me to run but we're going to have discussions about it, and I don't feel any hurry one way or another."
The American president went on to relay that he would be using all legal means to prevent former US President Donald Trump from regaining the top White House post if his predecessor runs in 2024.
"If he does run, I am making sure he, under legitimate efforts of our Constitution, does not become the next president again," Biden noted.
Taking a shot at Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Biden commented that a face-off between the Republican duo for the GOP nomination would be "fun" to watch.
Neither Biden nor Trump have officially thrown their names into the 2024 presidential ring, with both contenders dancing around the possibility of actually filing for the race. Earlier indications hinted that Trump would officially announce at a Monday rally in Ohio; however, the former president instead told supporters to stay tuned to a Mar-a-Lago event he is holding on November 15.
Biden has previously stated that he would look forward to a potential rematch against his predecessor.
Biden Wants Upcoming Talks With China's Xi to Lay Out 2 States' Red Lines
Biden said that he wants his upcoming meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to lay out each of the two countries' red lines on various critical bilateral issues.
"What I want to do with him when we talk is lay out what kind of, what each of our red lines are, understand what he believes to be in the critical national interests of China, what I know to be the critical interests of the United States, and to determine whether or not they conflict with one another," Biden said during a press conference on Wednesday. "And if they do, how to resolve and how to work it out."
Biden and Xi are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali later this month.
20 September 2022, 15:14 GMT
Tensions between China and the US have remained heightened, effectively being kicked up a notch after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose to make a trip in August to Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing sees as a wayward province.
More recently, reports indicated that the US military was considering the possibility of deploying multiple B-52 bombers to Australia in order to establish a long-term hub in the region, a move that Beijing blasted as yet another bid to disrupt stability in the area.
