In answer to a reporter that he admitted he should not have given, the gaffer-in-chief said that despite the Dems holding onto the Senate, any legislation to codify Roe v. Wade into law will likely be dead on arrival.
This all happened after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, when Biden held a press conference in which he took questions from a pre-determined list of reporters. “I’m told there are going to be four questioners,” Biden said.
One reporter, NBC News’s Peter Alexander, was apparently not on that list — but that didn’t stop him from shouting a question.
“Mr. President, what should Americans expect from Congress as it relates to abortion rights after the midterms?” Alexander asked.
Biden’s answer was revealing. For all of his rhetoric about the importance of codifying abortion rights into federal law after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Biden said Americans can expect basically nothing.
“I don’t think they can expect much of anything other than we’re going to maintain our positions,” Biden said.
But once tasting his foot, Biden immediately regrated what he had said to Alexander.
“I’m not going to get into more questions. I shouldn’t even have answered your question,” Biden said
Despite the admission, Biden elaborated on why he believes nothing will change for abortion rights supporters.
“I don’t think there’s enough votes to codify, unless something happens unusual in the House,” Biden said. “I think we’re going to get very close in the House. I think it’s going to be very close, but I don’t think we’re going to make it.”
It looks like he is right; as of the writing of this piece, the GOP gained the one victory it needed to get to the 218 seats required to take control of the House.