President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris spoke Tuesday in a message intended for the U.S. Supreme Court as it considers the arguments it heard earlier in the day on the Affordable Care Act. He also answered questions on the increasingly belligerent stance of the Trump administration and Republican Senate on his election, blockading the transition, and refusals to accept reality. Biden took a measured, presidential tone in all of it.
"Healthcare was very much on the ballot," in this election, Harris said. "Each and every vote for Joe Biden was a statement that healthcare in American should be a right and not a privilege."
Biden reiterated and expanded on that. "The American people want to keep the Affordable Care Act in place by an overwhelming margin," he said. "This doesn’t need to be a partisan issue; it's a human issue. It affects every single American family."
But the news came after his prepared remarks on the ACA (which judging by the questions from the majority of justices Tuesday, will be upheld). What reporters wanted to know is about the transition and Trump's refusal to accept the results of the election. Asked what he would say to Americans concerned about Trump's refusal to concede and what it might mean for the country, Biden was . . . diplomatic might be the right word. "Well, I just think it’s an embarrassment, quite frankly. The only thing that—how can I say this tactfully—I think it will not help the president's legacy."
He added "I know from my discussions with foreign leaders thus far that they are hopeful that the United States democratic institutions are viewed once again as being strong and enduring." In other words, the entire world sees this election and is watching Trump now. So, he said, "at the end of the day, it's all going to come to fruition on January 20th, and between now and then, my hope and expectation is that the American people do know and do understand that there has been a transition."
He wasn't excessively gracious, giving a little stab to Trump in saying "I think that the majority of the people who voted for the president—a lot voted for him, a significantly smaller number—but a lot voted for him. I think they understand that we have to come together." As Harris mentioned in her introduction to Biden, he received more votes than any other candidate for president in history, so rubbing that in a little bit was certainly justified.
As far as the Republican Senate goes, Biden said he hasn't "had a chance" to speak with McConnell yet. And here comes the understatement again. "I think that the whole Republican Party has been put in a position with a few notable exceptions of being mildly intimidated by the sitting president." Yes, "mildly." Asked in a follow up about whether the obstruction by the administration on his transition is hampering him, he downplayed it. "We can get through without the funding," he said. "We're in a position that we feel very good about, there's nothing that slows up our efforts to put things together. We don't see anything that's slowing us down, quite frankly."
Then he had this fun moment, taking the opportunity to laugh at Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Biden reacts to Trump’s inability to accept reality:
And the same with the “mildly intimidated” Republican Senate:
