Americans want to preserve democracy and protect right to choose: Joe Biden after US midterms

"The American people have spoken and proven once again that democracy is who they are," said US President Joe Biden as his Democratic Party outperformed expectations and stopped the opposition's red wave in midterm elections.

Republicans and Democrats had 48 seats in the 100-member US Senate, while the GOP (Republican Party) had 207 seats to the Democratic Party's 183 in the House of Representatives.

The GOP is expected to cross the halfway mark of 218 seats; however, this is far short of the expectations of sweeping the midterm elections and winning at least 250 seats.According to post-election polls, the current president has performed better than any president in decades.

At a White House news conference, Biden appeared confident and asserted that he would continue with his policies, which he said had worked so far.

We don't know the results, and neither do I, according to Biden. While the press and pundits predicted a massive red wave, it did not occur. And I know my unwavering optimism miffed you, but I felt good throughout the process. I believed we would succeed."

According to the President, any seat loss is heartbreaking; some good Democrats did not win, despite Democrats having a strong night. And we lost fewer House seats than any Democratic president's first midterm election in the last 40 years, and we had the best midterm election for governor since 1986. Another thing we know is that voters clearly expressed their concerns about rising costs and the need to reduce inflation.

During an hour-long press conference in the White House's historic Dining Room, Biden said that the American people sent a clear and unmistakable message that they want to preserve democracy and the right to choose.

Biden continued, "And, I especially want to thank the young people of this country who, I'm told, turned out to vote in record numbers once again, just as they did two years ago." He said they voted to continue addressing gun violence, individual liberties, the climate crisis, and student debt relief.

Biden expressed his impression of the election results, saying voters were still frustrated. "I realise that the past few years have been challenging for many people," he continued.

"The economy was in shambles, and the pandemic was raging when I took office. We acted quickly and boldly to vaccinate the country and create stable and sustained economic growth, long-term investment to rebuild America itself, our roads, bridges, ports, airports, clean water systems, and high-speed internet," Biden told reporters.

"We've just begun. The interesting thing is that all of this will become clearer to people in the coming months. It's just getting started. So I'm optimistic about how the public can embrace what we've done even more," he said. According to him, the country is dealing with global inflation due to the pandemic and Putin's conflict in Ukraine.

"We're handling it better than most developed nations. We are lowering petrol prices. We're going up against powerful interests to reduce prescription drug costs, health insurance premiums, and energy bills."

The pandemic is no longer in control of our lives after 20 months of hard work. It remains a concern, but it no longer governs our lives. Since I took office, our economic policies have resulted in the creation of 10 million new jobs. He claimed that the unemployment rate had dropped from 6.4 per cent when he was sworn into 3.7 per cent, which is near a 50-year low. Biden said that his administration made the correct decisions for the country and the American people.

He continued, "Polls show that most Americans support my economic agenda's components, which include repairing roads and bridges, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, making historic investments to address the climate crisis, and ensuring that big businesses start paying their fair share of taxes."

"We should abide by these rules as I'm positive they work and will help us move in the right direction. All of these initiatives are taking hold, from lead pipes being removed from schools and homes to new factories being built and communities experiencing a resurgence of American manufacturing, which has already created 700,000 new manufacturing jobs," said Biden.

(With inputs from PTI)

Also read: 'Russia is an unreliable source': US after India's oil trade comments in Moscow

Also read: Who is Aruna Miller, first Indian-American to hold office of LG in Maryland

Also read: Answered: Why has US been unable to convince India to stay away from Russia?

For more reliable and latest news subscribe to Asianet Newsable WhatsApp channel by clicking here.For more reliable and latest news subscribe to Asianet Newsable Telegram channel by clicking here.

• Joe Biden
• US midterm polls