After the surprisingly strong performance of the Democrats in the U.S. congressional elections, there was reason to rejoice in the White House. At the same time, the Republicans' expected partial victory also means a mortgage for President Biden. The offered cooperation.
U.S. President Joe Biden has given his party a good election result. "Democrats had a strong night," Biden said during his first post-midterms speech at the White House. Media and opinion makers would have predicted a "huge red wave," as a supposed landslide victory by Republicans would have been called, given the party color of conservatives. "And that didn't happen," the U.S. president clarified.
He called Tuesday's congressional midterm elections a "good day for democracy" and "good day for America".
Biden: Understand the frustration
But Biden also acknowledged that some voters disagree with the direction the country is moving in. "The voters have also made it clear that they are still frustrated. I understand that," he said. However, he sees no reason to fundamentally change something in his governance.
At the same time, he reaffirmed his willingness to cooperate with the opposition Republicans, who are likely to form the majority in the House of Representatives in the future. He is willing to compromise on many issues, the 79-year-old Democrat said. "America's future is too promising to be caught up in endless political warfare."
However, he would use his veto to block any Republican bill aimed at banning abortions nationwide or undermining health care, he warned. Also, Biden said he hopes they will continue to work together to support Ukraine after the election.
Close race for Senate majority
U.S. President Biden's Democrats had done better than expected in the congressional midterm elections, preventing a triumphant march by opposition Republicans. But a clear decision on the future balance of power in the two chambers remains a long time coming. So far, Democrats have a slim majority in both the House and Senate.
In the House of Representatives, there are increasing signs of a narrow majority for Republicans, though well below their expectations. A winner was not proclaimed so far. In the hard-fought Senate, there may not be clarity for several weeks as to which party controls the congressional chamber. Because in Georgia, after a neck-and-neck race between the Democratic candidate and that of the Republicans, a runoff election will be held on 6. December needed.
Besides Georgia, the only results missing at 49-48 for Republicans were Nevada and Arizona, where absentee ballots were still to be counted. Currently, both camps have 50 seats in the Senate; in the event of a tie, Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the deciding vote in favor of Democrats.
Mortgage for remainder of Biden's term
Even without an initially clear final result, the elections put a severe damper on Biden's predecessor in office, Donald Trump. Republicans had been banking on what they called a "red wave" landslide victory in light of high inflation and poor poll numbers for Biden. This one would have given Trump a boost ahead of his soon-expected announcement of another presidential run.
Leading Republicans already acknowledged on election night that such a "red wave" failed to materialize in the congressional elections. Among other things, in the state of Pennsylvania, Trump-backed Senate candidate Mehmet Oz lost an extremely important race to Democrat John Fetterman.
The looming loss of the House majority, however, is a heavy mortgage for President Biden's second term in office. Republicans could thus largely block Democratic legislative initiatives.
Trump is said to have raged
Former President Trump officially called it a "super" election night for his Republicans. The majority of the candidates he supported would have won in the so-called midterms, Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform he co-founded. "Who has ever done better?", he asked.
In fact, in close races, prominent Trump proteges lost or were behind. Candidates supported by him have been successful especially where the approval rating for the Republicans is high anyway. According to a report by the news channel CNN, the right-wing populist is said to have reacted angrily to the outcome of the midterms and "yelled" at employees.
Trump also watched his intra-party rival Ron DeSantis triumph in the Florida state gubernatorial election: the hardline right-winger was re-elected with around 60 percent of the vote, cementing his status as a rising star among Republicans. DeSantis could challenge Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
Biden to comment on re-election early next year
Asked about running again in the 2024 election, Trump's successor in the White House, Biden, said he plans to decide early next year whether to seek a second term. "My intention is to run again," Biden said at the White House. However, this is "ultimately a family decision".
He was "in no hurry" to make a decision, the 79-year-old continued. He said he expects to make a commitment after talking with his wife, Jill, early next year.