5 key takeaways from Biden's interview with Howard Stern: From Presidential debates to abortion rights
5 crucial takeaways from Joe Biden and Howard Stern's live radio broadcast
In an unexpected live interview on the 'Howard Stern Show' on Friday, April 26, President Joe Biden discussed prospective debates with Donald Trump, changes in the Republican Party, and personal resilience. In addition, he spoke about his plans for the remainder of his tenure in office and his prospective second term should he defeat Trump in the fall. Let us look at the 5 key takeaways from the Howard Stern interview.
1. Potential Joe Biden-Donald Trump debate
Though he had seemed hesitant to commit to debates before the November election, Biden told Stern that he is eager to engage in a debate with Donald Trump. He said, "I don’t know when, but I am happy to debate him." However, Biden's campaign has not said whether he would participate in any debate. Trump has voiced his intention to take on Biden in a debate for weeks now. He has even called to forward the debate date and chastised the President for not committing sooner.
2. Discussion about the Supreme Court and abortion rights
Stern questioned Biden on Republicans in Congress obstructing former President Barack Obama's 2016 nomination to the Supreme Court. The president also touched on the Supreme Court throughout the interview. Biden said, "I got to be careful what I say about the court. It’s a really extremely conservative court and the most conservative court in modern history." Even after the court's 2022 ruling to overturn Roe v Wade, Biden stated that if he is elected to a second term, he thinks more states would enact laws safeguarding abortion. He said, "They ain’t seen nothing yet. We’re going to be able to make Roe v Wade the law of the land again."
3. Joe Biden slams Donald Trump as leader of Republican party
Biden attacked Trump as the head of the Republican Party throughout the interview. Biden referred to Trump's inactivity, when a violent crowd of Trump's followers rioted in the US capitol on January 6, 2021, as 'almost criminal'. He denounced Trump for referring to the rioters as 'patriots' and promising to forgive them if reelected. Biden said, "This is not your father’s Republican Party. I have had seven sitting Republican senators – two are gone now – seven sitting Republican senators call me and tell me ‘Joe, I agree with you, but I can’t [say] it. He’ll get me'."
4. Joe Biden's support towards Ukraine and NATO
During the interview, Biden also stressed his backing for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. He claimed to have worked 'hours and hours' to win over Congress members to include American assistance to Ukraine in the $95 billion foreign aid package he approved last week. He said, "Had we not gotten this done, I think we would have seen a beginning of the disintegration of NATO."
5. Joe Biden remembers his family during the interview
Much of Biden's talk with Stern revolved around his family; they talked about his memories of his parents, how his loved ones pushed him to seek politics, and the demise of his first wife and two of his children. He disclosed that following the death of his first wife and daughter in a car accident in 1972, he momentarily considered taking his own life. However, the encouragement of his extended family saw him through the difficult period. Biden said, "There’s a lot of heroes out there that dealt with what I’ve dealt with and more without the family I had. There are thousands of heroes who get up every day and put one foot in front of the other and they got nobody."
