After the congressional elections, one thing is clear even before the final result: the triumph hoped for by the Republicans has not materialized. More than narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress are not possible, and possibly not even that. While Trump is likely to lose support among the Republicans, Biden is signaling a willingness to compromise to the political opponent.
After the general election, US President Joe Biden is making a new attempt to build a bridge to the Republicans, who have long been dominated by his predecessor Donald Trump. The Democrat stressed that he was willing to make compromises on many issues. At the same time, he was convinced that Trump supporters were now in the minority in the Republican Party. The 79-year-old president also announced that he is expected to decide on running for a second term early next year.
It is also possible that they will hold the majority in the House of Representatives and Senate - or at least in one of the two chambers of Congress. However, it could be several days or even weeks before there is clarity. Republicans are given a better chance of winning a majority in the House of Representatives. A single seat in the Senate, which is still up for grabs, could decide who will control the chamber currently narrowly controlled by Democrats. Before the election, victories by the Republicans were expected, but they were only there where they were already foreseeable.
Biden emphasized that the Democrats could still defend the majority in the House of Representatives alongside the Senate. "But it will be very close," he admitted. 218 seats are needed for a majority in the House of Representatives. With the votes for which there are already results or predictions about the winner, the Republicans have so far received 209 votes and the Democrats 189 votes.
In Georgia, Arizona and Nevada it was still unclear on Thursday night whether Democrats or Republicans would get the senator posts to be awarded there. In the particularly close race between incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Georgia, the runoff will take place on December 6th. If the counts in Arizona and Nevada don't bring clarity, this duel will be decisive. At the general election, voters demonstrated that they "don't want to go through a political battle every day," Biden said at a press conference in the White House. Although he has different views than the majority of Republicans, "but they are decent, honorable people," said Biden.
The ex-president and his associates continue to dominate the party after losing to Biden in 2020. Republican politicians who oppose him have often been ostracized within the party. But now critical voices are increasing among Republicans who hold Trump responsible for the fact that various candidates he supports have lost their races.
At the same time, Biden showed the Republicans the limits of his willingness to compromise. He will veto any law that aims to ban abortion nationwide or undermine health care, he said. Biden expressed the hope that after the election they would continue to support Ukraine together. The US is the main supplier of arms to the country, which has been fighting aggressor Russia since late February.
Before the election, the Republicans had signaled that there would be no "blank check" for Ukraine if they won the majority. Biden countered that there were no blank checks from the Democrats either. The 79-year-old reiterated that he basically intends to run again in the 2024 presidential election. Ultimately, however, it is a family decision. "I think everyone wants me to run, but we'll discuss it." He feels no hurry and will not make a decision dependent on what his predecessor is doing.
Former Republican President Donald Trump announced a "very big announcement" on the eve of the November 15 election. It is expected that it will be about the announcement of a new presidential candidacy. However, the performance of the Republicans in the election weakens the position of Trump, who ultimately supported defeated candidates such as TV doctor Mehmet Oz in the race for a Senate seat. It's unclear what that could mean for Trump's plans - but he had already said on Tuesday evening, while the votes were still going on, about the candidates he supports: "I think if they win, I should get all the credit, and if they lose, I shouldn't be blamed at all".
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is considered a possible rival for Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. He was confirmed in office with a clear majority - and thus emerged stronger from the big election day. In any case, Biden was looking forward to a power struggle between the two, as he said in Washington: “It would be fun to watch them attack each other”.
