President Joe Biden on Wednesday decided to begin delegitimizing the 2022 midterm elections, as it looks like Democrats are headed toward big losses. But this isn’t a surprise: Democrats, including Biden, have been doing this for years.

Biden said that the 2022 midterm elections “could easily be illegitimate” and that “the prospect of being illegitimate is in direct proportion to us being able to get these reforms passed,” referring to the partisan Democratic voting bills that would result in a federal takeover of elections. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer brought the bills to a vote even though he knew the Senate didn’t have the support to pass them, helping set up a convenient excuse for if Democrats lose in 2022.