Biden Pushes Back on Jimmy Kimmel’s Call for Executive Order on Guns: ‘Don’t Want to Emulate Trump’s Abuse of the Constitution’

President Joe Biden resisted Jimmy Kimmel’s suggestion of using executive orders to deal with America’s gun violence, for fear of what it would mean for the Constitution.

A great deal of Biden’s Wednesday interview with Kimmel gravitated around the question of how will the country respond to the mass shootings it has seen in Uvalde, Buffalo, and elsewhere. As Kimmel grilled Biden for saying he has a “straight relationship” with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, they focused on Republican lawmakers who refuse to consider gun reforms in the aftermath of these shootings.

As Biden spoke about meeting with the Uvalde families who lost their loved ones, Kimmel asked “shouldn’t we demand that every senator in the United States sit with those families?” Biden responded by saying gun reform must be a core issue to determine how people will vote in future elections.

“Can’t you issue an executive order?” Kimmel eventually suggested. “[Donald] Trump passed those out like Halloween candy.”

“I have issued executive orders within the power of the presidency to be able to deal with these, everything having to do with guns and gun ownership,” Biden responded “All the things that are within my power… What I don’t want to do — and I’m not being facetious — I don’t want to emulate Trump’s abuse of the Constitution and the constitutional authority. I often get asked: Look, the Republicans don’t play it square. Why do you play it square? Yeah, well, guess what? If we do the same thing they do, our democracy will literally be in jeopardy.”

Kimmel acknowledged Biden’s point, but he countered “It’s like you’re playing Monopoly with somebody who won’t pass Go or won’t follow any of the rules. And how do you ever make any progress if they’re not following the rules?”

“You’ve gotta send them to jail,” Biden said.

Watch above, via ABC.