Thursday 10 November 2022 02:02 AM Biden vows to veto any abortion ban and 'try like the devil' to ban assault ... trends now
President Joe Biden vowed to veto any attempt at a federal abortion ban and 'try like the devil' to ban assault weapons after Democrats had a better night than expected in the midterm election.
Although the president said he was willing to compromise on many issues with Republicans, who are expected to have a majority in the House while several Senate races remain tight, Biden noted that deals on abortion, gun control and climate change were off the table.
'I will veto any attempt to pass the national ban on abortion,' Biden said on Wednesday, 'but I'm ready to compromise with Republicans where it makes sense on many other issues.
He added: 'I'm gonna ban assault weapons, or try like the devil.'
The comments came as Biden doubled down on the direction he was going as president, despite a majority of voters believing the US is on the wrong track, and reiterated his intention to run in 2024.
Joe Biden vowed to veto any attempts at a national ban on abortion during his speech after Democrats did better than expected against a 'red wave'
In August, the president promised to ban assault-style rifles, harkening back to the 1994 ban that expired in 2004.
Biden appeared determined to ban the weapons following an earlier victory this year when one of his gun reform bills passed.
The legislation, which received bipartisan support in the House and Senate, will toughen background checks for younger gun buyers, beef up penalties for gun traffickers, close the so-called 'boyfriend loophole' and put $750 million up for grabs for states that enact red flag laws.
On Wednesday Biden also noted that he would not support any proposed cuts to Medicare and Social Security, nor would he turn back on policies to tackle climate change.
'I want to be very clear, under no circumstances will I support the proposal put forward by Sen. [Ron] Johnson and a senator down in Florida to cut or make fundamental changes to Social Security and Medicare,' Biden said.
'That's not on the table. I will not do that.
Biden told reporters he would speak with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday after the congressman announced his plan to run for Speaker of the House.
The president was in a jovial mood after his party kept a red wave from crashing over the country in House, Senate and gubernatorial races.
He mocked the media for its predictions going into election night - which had him and his Democrats doing badly - and made jokes when asked about Republicans intentions to investigate his family and about his potential 2024 competition.
'It'll be fun watching them take on each other,' he said of a possible battle between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump for the GOP nomination.
He also confirmed he intends to run for a second term.
But Biden mainly used the occasion to double down on his presidency, even as, in exit poll, 73 percent of voters
