The former president came up when Jimmy Kimmel asked Biden why he doesn't just issue an executive order to address the ongoing gun violence crisis.
Despite the tough situations America is still facing, and those that loom in the near future, President Joe Biden expressed optimism during his first in-studio appearance during his presidency, appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Wednesday night.
The sitting president evoked the name of the former president when Kimmel asked him about executive order during a discussion of the mass shooting crisis problem in America.
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The duo also talked about the potential overturning of the landmark “Roe v Wade” abortion ruling by the conservative-leaning Supreme Court, with Biden suggesting that here, he could actually consider executive order.
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So why not for sensitive gun control, which polls have shown the vast majority of Americans support, even if their Republican representatives do not?
“What I don’t want to do, and I’m not being facetious, is emulate Trump’s abuse of the Constitution and constitutional authority,” Biden told Kimmel.
Later, he dropped another jab when Kimmel jokingly asked him which toilet he uses to flush important documents. “I call Trump,” Biden replied.
But back to guns, POTUS explained that he’s already issued orders related to guns within the scope of his power as president. And it is within this area that he and his team are preparing for the possible end of “Roe v Wade.”
A part of that, he argued, is that “we have to make sure we pass legislation making it a law that the federal government says this is how it works.”
Unfortunately, support for anti-abortion laws runs along the same party lines as support for no gun control laws, which means getting that kind of law passed — or even taken up on the Senate floor — will be just as much of an uphill battle.
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Nevertheless, Biden feels that there will be a reaction to the overturning, should it happen, and it would come from the people. “It’s just ridiculous, in my view, and I don’t think the country will stand for it,” he said.
“If, in fact, the decision comes down the way it does and these states impose the limitations they’re talking about, it’s going to cause a mini revolution and they’re going to vote a lot of these folks out of office.”
He also encouraged everyone to make the gun issue a “voting issue” for them, making decisions on who to support at the polls based on their own beliefs and values about whether or not America needs to revise its gun laws — that way their chose representatives can actually represent them.
Stoke the flames of division between Republicans and Democrats, who remain gridlocked on almost every meaningful piece of legislation with a seemingly deepening divide between the parties, Biden said he’s often asked why Democrats “play it square” when Republicans don’t.
“If we do the same thing they do, our democracy would literally be in jeopardy,” he argued. “It’s not a joke.”
“I understand that argument,” Kimmel said, “But also, it’s like you’re playing Monopoly with somebody who won’t pass “Go,” won’t follow any of the rules, and how do you ever make any progress if they’re not following the rules.
“Well, you’ve gotta send them to jail, directly to jail,” Biden quipped.
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He also took a potshot at the media — well, one outlet in particular — after laying out some of what he wants to accomplish in regards to the tax code and health care. Kimmel said it all makes sense, but “the fact that this makes sense is why it doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe it’s just that Americans aren’t as knowledgeable as they should be,” Kimmel argued. “Or maybe there’s a Death Star pumping false information into our society.”
Pointing directly at Kimmel, Biden said, “Fox, right?”
The president did have positive things to say about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying he appreciates that the Republican is “a guy, when he says something he means it. I disagree with a lot of what he says, but he means it.”
Nevertheless, even facing all of these challenges, Biden is optimistic about the future of the United States, even if it may take some time for that optimism to bear fruit. That’s because his positivity lies in the younger generations who’ve yet to grow into their power.
“Look at the kids, look at the young people,” Biden said. “Best educated, least prejudiced, most giving generation in history.”
“This generation is going to change everything,” he continued. “We’ve just got to make sure we don’t give up.”
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