President Joe Biden refused to take any ownership in his party getting blown out in Virginia’s elections on Tuesday night when asked about the matter during a press conference on Wednesday, and he suggested that it was going to be harder to win moving forward because Donald Trump is not on the ballot.
Biden did not dispute the outcome of the elections, saying that “we all have an obligation to accept the legitimacy of these elections.”
“I was talking to Terry to congratulate him today,” Biden said, referring to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, who lost to Republican Glenn Youngkin. “He got 600,000 more votes than any Democrat ever has gotten. We brought out every Democrat [inaudible] there was. More votes than ever has been cast for a Democratic incumbent — I mean, not incumbent — a Democrat running for governor. And no governor in Virginia has ever won when he is of the same — where he or she is the same party as the sitting president.”
Biden admitted that the American people were “upset” about a lot of the things that are happening under his watch, including things like rising gas prices.
When a reporter noted that Biden had won the state by 10 points just last year, Biden responded, “I was running against Donald Trump.”
WATCH:
TRANSCRIPT:
REPORTER: As leader of the Democratic Party, how much responsibility do you take for the dismal results in Virginia and beyond last night?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT: Well, look, yesterday reminded me of — that one of the scared rights we have is to be able to go out and cast our votes. And remember that we all have an obligation to accept the legitimacy of these elections.
I was talking to Terry to congratulate him today. He got 600,000 more votes than any Democrat ever has gotten. We brought out every Democrat [inaudible] there was. More votes than ever has been cast for a Democratic incumbent — I mean, not incumbent — a Democrat running for governor. And no governor in Virginia has ever won when he is of the same — where he or she is the same party as the sitting president.
What I do know is — I do know that people want us to get things done. They want us to get things done. And that’s why I’m continuing to push very hard for the Democratic Party to move along and pass my infrastructure bill and my Build Back Better bill.
I think if we — look, think about what we — what we’re talking about here. People are upset and uncertain about a lot of things — from COVID, to school, to jobs, to a whole range of things, and the cost of a gallon of gasoline.
And so, if I’m able to pass — sign into law my Build Back Better initiative, I’m in a position where you’re going to see a lot of those things ameliorated quickly and swiftly. And so that has to be done.
REPORTER: Mr. President — Mr. President, given what you’ve said, do you take some responsibility? And do you think that Terry McAuliffe would have won if your agenda had passed before Election Day?
BIDEN: Well, I think we should have — it should have passed before Election Day. But I’m not sure that I would be able to have changed the number of very conservative folks who turned out in the red districts who were Trump voters. But maybe. Maybe.
REPORTER: You won the state by 10 points, Mr. President.
BIDEN: No, I — I know we did. But I — we also — I was running against Donald Trump.