Biden predicts ‘a really difficult two years’ if Democrats lose the midterms

President Biden on Monday acknowledged “a really difficult two years” if Democrats lose control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

Biden said at a Democratic National Committee fundraising event in Boston that he would spend a lot more time “in the veto” because he would have difficulty getting “anything done” legislatively if Republicans take over.

“We need to control the House and the Senate to win the race up and down the ticket,“ Biden said, according to a pool report. “If we lose the House or lose the Senate, it’s going to be a really difficult two years. I’ll be spending more time in the veto, being able to get anything done.”

Biden, however, also said that he was “optimistic” about the country and noted that he believes young people aged 18 to 30 are “the single most engaged generation.”

“I genuinely am more optimistic about the prospects for America, not because I’m president, because of the nature of where we are as a country,” he said.

He noted the midterm elections being less than two months away, again marking the urgency of issues that are on the line such as the right to privacy, school safety for kids and the climate.

“It’s about democracy itself,” he said.

He also warned that if Democrats lose the election, they will also lose a chance to codify Roe v Wade, which the Supreme Court overturned in June. Biden reiterated his support for codifying the right to an abortion and said if Republicans take over, they likely will seek ways to instead codify the Supreme Court decision making it illegal.

“And mark my words, you’re gonna see a move on other privacy issues from contraception to marriage, a whole range of things,” he said.