Joe Biden has appeared on a late-night talk show for the first time since taking office. The conversation with Jimmy Kimmel was about gun ownership, abortion – and his predecessor Donald Trump.
US President Joe Biden lashed out at his predecessor Donald Trump on his first appearance on a late-night talk show since taking office a year and a half ago.
When moderator Jimmy Kimmel asked why he was no longer issuing executive orders on crackdown on gun violence, Biden replied on Wednesday evening (local time): “I don’t want to emulate Trump’s abuse of the Constitution and constitutional powers.”
A series of fatal firearm incidents in the United States has reignited debate about tightening gun laws. At the end of May, an 18-year-old killed 19 children and two teachers with an assault rifle at an elementary school in the small Texas town of Uvalde. Democrat Biden said he’s often asked why he’s playing by the rules when Republicans aren’t. His answer: “If we do the same as they do, our democracy would literally be in danger.”
Biden: Stricter abortion laws “just ridiculous”
On the talk show, Biden described the threat of tightening of abortion laws in the United States as “simply ridiculous”. “I don’t think the country will accept that. We have to make sure we pass a law that makes it law.” He is also considering executive orders. There is no federal law in the United States that allows or prohibits abortion.
At the beginning of May, a draft of the Supreme Court’s verdict was leaked, according to which the liberal abortion law is to be overturned. The Supreme Court confirmed the authenticity, but stressed that it was not the final decision. Since Trump’s tenure, six of the nine judges have been considered conservative. The verdict is expected in the coming weeks. The Democrats are threatened with losing their narrow majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives in November’s election.
