President Joe Biden wasn’t trying to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2022 midterm elections, White House press secretary Jen Psaki clarified on Thursday.
The president made many headlines during a nearly two-hour press conference on Wednesday, including when he said the midterm elections “could easily be illegitimate” and that “the increase in the prospect of being illegitimate is in proportion to not being able to get these reforms passed.”
BIDEN SAYS 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS ‘COULD EASILY BE ILLEGITIMATE’
This was seen as an argument that the midterm elections would be less legitimate if the Democrats’ voting bills are not passed, but Psaki said that was not Biden’s intention.
“He was also explaining that the results would be illegitimate if states do what the former president asked them to do in more than half a dozen states in 2020, after the 2020 election, [which is to] toss out ballots and overturn results after the fact,” she said.
The president faced criticism that he sounded a lot like his predecessor in undermining faith in elections, saying “I’m not going to say it’s going to be legit” unless Democratic-led efforts to overhaul federal elections are passed.
After saying that Biden was “not intending to cast doubt” on the legitimacy of the election, Psaki continued promoting the bills, even as she said the 2022 election results will in fact be credible.
“His view is that one of the most important roles we can play now is informing and educating the public on what these laws are, on efforts to suppress their vote, and even beyond the laws, efforts in states across the country to make it more difficult for them,” she said.
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Democrats say the election protocol changes passed in 19 states would hinder voter access, particularly among minorities. Republicans dispute that by citing record voter turnout and arguing that state-level alterations are geared toward voter integrity.
Biden himself tamped down concerns about disenfranchisement, saying during the press conference, “No matter how hard they make it for minorities to vote, I think you’ll find them willing to stand in line and defy the attempt to keep them from being able to vote.”
