‘It Depends’: Biden Refuses to Say Midterms Will be Free and Fair if Voting Rights Legislation Fails

President Joe Biden declined to give a definitive answer on Wednesday after he was asked if the midterm elections will be free and fair if his voting rights agenda stalls.

Biden addressed the country and took questions from reporters as part of what was billed as a “reset” with the American people following a year that saw his poll numbers slide into negative territory.

The president addressed topics ranging from Russian aggression, the Covid-19 pandemic, inflation, and his voting rights legislation as he addressed reporters.

At one point, Biden called on NewsNation’s Allison Harris, who asked him about his presumably doomed legislation on voting rights, which Republicans contend is nothing more than a federal takeover of elections, but Biden says will offer voters more access to ballots.

Harris asked: “Thank you, Mr. President, speaking of voting rights legislation, if this isn’t passed, do you still believe the upcoming election will be fairly conducted and its results will be legitimate?”

Biden, who has criticized Republicans for questioning the legitimacy of election results, refused to offer a definitive answer. Biden said:

Well, it all depends on whether or not we’re able to make the case to the American people that some of this is being set up to try to alter the outcome of the election… Look, maybe I’m just being too much of an optimist, but remember how we thought not that many people were going to show up to vote in the middle of a pandemic? We had the highest voter turnout in the United States of America. Well, I think if, in fact, no matter how hard they make it for minorities to vote, I think you are going see them willing to stand in line and defy the attempt to keep them from being able to vote.

I think you are going to see the people who they are attempting to keep from being able to show up, showing up and making the sacrifice that needs to be made in order to change the law back to what it should be. But it is going to be difficult. I make no bones about that.

Biden concluded, “But we are not there yet, We have not run out of options yet, and We will see how this moves.”

Watch above, via MSNBC.