During his almost two-hour long news conference marking the end of his first year in the Oval Office, President Biden addressed fighting coronavirus, inflation, foreign policy, and Congressional legislation. Some of his remarks have raised eyebrows at home and abroad.
Senate Republicans killed the voting rights legislation Wednesday night.
“Speaking of voting rights legislation, if this isn’t passed, do you still believe the upcoming election will be fairly conducted and its results will be legitimate,” NewsNation’s Allison Harris asked Biden.
“Well, it all depends on whether or not we’re able to make the case to the American people that some of this is being set up to try to alter the outcome of the election,” Biden responded.
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) caught that and pushed back.
Sasse compares Biden to Trump: “If you’re the President … you affirm public trust in our elections. Sadly, both the current president and the former president repeatedly, pathetically equivocate. These politically narcissistic, insecure men do real damage to public trust.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 20, 2022
Biden also addressed Build Back Better, his social safety net spending bill. Biden alluded to the bill possibly reviving itself, although not at its original cost.
“It’s clear to me that we’re going to have to probably break it up,” Biden said. “I think it’s clear that we would be able to get the $500-plus billion for energy and the environment issues that are there.”
When it comes to foreign policy, one word can have big impacts.
“Russia will be held accountable if it invades,” Biden said. “And it depends on what it does. It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do.”
His use of ‘incursion’ led to major fall out with Ukrainian officials, as noted on CNN.
“One Ukrainian official who I’ve been in close contact with, while this marathon press conference is underway, said that he was, I’m quoting here, ‘shocked that President Biden would give a green light to Vladimir Putin,’” reporter Ben Chance said.
The White House attempted to clear up the confusion, issuing a statement.
“If any Russian military forces move across the Ukrainian border, that’s a renewed invasion, and it will be met with a swift, severe, and united response from the United States and our Allies,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki wrote.
