President Joe Biden is facing heat after he said during a rare press conference Wednesday that the 2022 midterm elections could be “illegitimate.”
After more than a year of combating claims by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen due to rampant fraud and irregularities, Biden stirred up fresh controversy with his rambling response to a reporter asking him to clarify his characterization that red states making reforms to their election protocols poses a threat to democracy.
“Oh, yeah, I think it could easily be illegitimate,” Biden said, stumbling through his response.
The president then went on a tangent speculating what would have happened after the 2020 election if then-Vice President Mike Pence submitted to pressure by Trump and his allies to try and block electoral votes on the day of the Capitol riot.
When the reporter, RealClearPoltics’s Philip Wegmann, formerly of the Washington Examiner, told Biden he meant solely the 2022 election, the president did not back down from his assertion that there could be problems with the midterm elections. Biden turned his focus to the bid by Democrats in the Senate to pass a pair of partisan election overhaul measures that faces long odds with opposition to changing filibuster rules.
This second attempt from Biden on whether the election will be legit is even worse.
“Oh, yeah, I think it could easily be illegitimate … The increase in the prospect of being illegitimate is in proportion to not being able to get these reforms passed.” pic.twitter.com/nCyuAWSMXm
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) January 19, 2022
“The prospect of being an illegitimate is in direct proportion to us being able to get these reforms passed, but I don’t think … you’re going to see the Democratic Party give up on coming back,” Biden said.
Political foes slammed Biden for his comments suggesting there could be problems with the midterm elections without voting rights legislation being passed by the federal government.
INSIDE BIDEN’S LONG AND WINDING PRESS CONFERENCE
“Joe Biden dangerously claiming results of 2022 elections will be illegitimate unless Congress passes his election power grab” tweeted Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri who objected to some of the electoral votes in the 2020 election.
“Is he just confused or is he saying elections aren’t legitimate? Asking for a friend,” tweeted Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina. “Furthermore, how do you say the next election might not be ‘legitimate’ after spending an entire year tearing down anyone (not me) who said the last one might not be?” she added before ending a second tweet with an upside-down smiley face emoji.
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Democrats say the election protocol changes, passed in 19 states, would hinder voter access, particularly among minorities. Republicans dispute that by citing record voter turnout and argue that state-level alterations are geared toward voter integrity.
Biden himself tamped down concerns about disenfranchisement, saying during the press conference, “No matter how hard they make it for minorities to vote, I think you’ll find them willing to stand in line and defy the attempt to keep them from being able to vote.”
