In an interview that aired Friday (October 21), President Joe Biden revealed his expectations that next month’s midterms will have record turnout, similar to 2020, when more people voted than at any time in American history.
Speaking to MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart, Biden touched on several topics.
He stated that the upcoming elections aren’t so much a referendum as it is a choice about the “kind of country” voters want.
Biden then stated that Republican lawmakers had made their position clear when many of them opposed the infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act — a major health care, climate, and tax bill passed in August.
The President criticized the GOP, stating, “They don’t have a platform other than tear down what I’ve been able to do, we’ve been able to do, and I don’t know what they’re for.”
Biden also encouraged voters to be wary of the threat to democracy, explaining that the country was at a historical “inflection point” where “MAGA Republicans” think it was appropriate to threaten violence.
However, the President expressed optimism that the country would overcome such beliefs, pointing out that the U.S. has been in such a situation before.
He added that the principles of “fairness, decency, honesty” were “baked into” most people” and that “as long as we take seriously the threat, I don’t think the threat will come to fruition.”
When asked about polls showing voters were more inclined to trust Republicans with the economy, Biden’s response was that many of the measures Democrats had passed, like lowering the cost of prescription drugs or investing in the building of new roads and bridges, hadn’t “kicked in” and wouldn’t until next year.
