In a Wednesday press conference, President Biden stated that he would make no changes after Tuesday’s midterm election results failed to produce a Republican red-wave. Nine White House reporters took aim at Biden during the press conference, some laughing about his legacy of Donald Trump, affirmative actions, and getting rid of partisanship.
CBS’s Nancy Cordes was asked a series of questions by CBS. She expressed concern that Republicans wouldn’t allow Biden’s agenda to move forward. “[W]hen Vice President, your legislative agenda basically ran in to a brick wall two-years into the House’s control, and that continued for the remainder of the Obama presidency.” If Republicans win control of the House, is there any way you can prevent that fate?
Cordes was also concerned about the possibility that the GOP would use subpoena power in order to investigate Afghanistan, the border crisis and Hunter Biden.
Republicans have made it clear that they will launch a series of investigations into your handling of Afghanistan and the border if they take control of the House. They want to investigate some of your Cabinet members. They want to investigate your son. They might even want to investigate your child. What is your message to Republicans looking into your family and Hunter’s business dealings, especially?
Biden smiled and said that he wished them good luck, as the American public wants him to “move on and get things done”
CNN is a frequent offender in these proceedings. However, it was disappointing to see senior White House correspondent Phil Mattingly listed on this list. He, unfortunately, used his time to focus on Donald Trump.
Mattingly spoke first about the G-20 summit, and then asked “how” other “world leaders…view the moment both for America as for your presidency” in light of the midterms results and the expected launch by Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Mattingly delved deeper with a softball to find out if Biden believes that “the fever has broke” due to the lack of civility in politics.
[Y]ou mentioned that you felt there was a shift in people’s willingness to be more civil in these moments. You often talk about breaking the fever, or some kind of transition from the moment we have faced over the past several years. Is the election what you feel represents that? Do you feel like the fever is gone?
Mattingly asked Trump a second question about how he will assure his foreign allies that the Make America Great Again Movement won’t return power (click “expand”)
MATTINGLY: The entire G7 conversation was rooted in your predecessor, who is about launch another campaign. How do you assure them, if they are asking, that the former President won’t return or that his political party, which is still very powerful, will not —
BIDEN: Oh, yeah?
MATTINGLY
BIDEN: We just need to show that he won’t take power by — if — if he runs. I will make sure that he does not become the next president again, despite our Constitution’s legitimate efforts.
Fox’s Jacqui Heinrich was not mentioned, but CNN’s political analyst and frequent carnival barker April Ryan received plenty of attention.
Ryan first laments the Supreme Court’s apparent inability to reverse or eliminate affirmative actions to the point where schools could be resegregated. (click “expand”)
RYAN: The Supreme Court is currently examining the issue of college admissions as well as affirmative action. What are you able to do and how can you plan for a rollback? Legal analysts believe that there will be severe consequences, there are many tentacles, and that this could impact Brown v. Board — Brown v. Board.
BIDEN: I’m sorry, but first, I asked the Justice Department to defend the current policy before the Supreme Court. Like many pundits, I am not willing to believe that the Supreme Court will overrule the pre– existing decision. It’s not certain. And that’s not what I believe. Number one — so, number 1, what I did to try and change it was object to it in front of the Supreme Court of the United States — the administration. Number two, there are many things we can and must make it happen — and this is a case that involves an Asian American in terms of getting into school and whether affirmative action makes any sense from the perspective of those who oppose it. We are in a situation where we have a lot of things that we can do to ensure that everyone has access to quality education ….[L]Let’s wait to see what the Supreme Court decides. I am hopeful, and our team and the lawyers who argued in our favor are not as certain as those you quoted as saying it will be overruled.
After a question about fixing inflation for black families, Ryan’s final and most laugh-worthy question was: “Last question regarding humanity.” Sir, you cannot legislate and can’t order out the issue empathy or lack thereof in the midst this rhetoric — this heated political rhetoric. What’s next?”
Dear Leader, tell us how your new empire will bring strength, justice and stability!
This Twitter thread contains all the questions submitted by reporters and some of Biden’s responses.
Click here to see the relevant transcript starting November 9.
