Joe Biden

====2022 elections====
{{Main|2022 United States elections}}
[[File:Biden rally at Bowie State University (52485660899).jpg|thumb|Biden holding a rally at [[Bowie State University]] in [[Maryland]] for gubernatorial candidate [[Wes Moore]], November 7, 2022|alt=Photo of Biden holding a microphone at a campaign rally, with his jacket off and sleeves rolled up]]

On September 2, 2022, in a nationally broadcast [[Battle for the Soul of the Nation speech|Philadelphia speech]], Biden called for a "battle for the soul of the nation". Off camera, he called Trump supporters "semi-fascists", which Republican commentators denounced.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Keefe |first1=Ed |last2=Cook |first2=Sara |date=September 2, 2022 |title=Biden delivers prime-time speech on the "battle for the soul of the nation" in Philadelphia |agency=[[CBS News]] |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/biden-speech-philadelphia-democracy-watch-live-stream-today-2022-09-01/ |access-date=October 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Weisman |first=Jonathan |date=September 2, 2022 |title=Four takeaways from President Biden's speech in Philadelphia |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-aud-nw-nyt-biden-philadelphia-speech-20220902-zsfckr7n7jf4rbowcu6e2pre2i-story.html |access-date=October 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Naughtie |first=Andrew |date=September 5, 2022 |title=Jan 6 committee members back Biden remarks on Trump 'fascism' after rally guest defends neo-Nazi rioter: Joe Biden's warnings of creeping fascism on the pro-Trump right have fired up ex-president's followers and dissenters alike |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jan-6-trump-fascism-rally-lofgren-raskin-b2159938.html |access-date=October 14, 2022}}</ref> A predicted Republican [[Wave elections in the United States|wave election]] did not materialize and the race for [[U.S. Congress]] control was much closer than expected, with Republicans securing a slim majority of [[2022 United States House of Representatives elections|222 seats in the House of Representatives]],<ref name="Hounshell 2022">{{cite news |last=Hounshell |first=Blake |date=November 9, 2022 |title=Five Takeaways From a Red Wave That Didn't Reach the Shore |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/us/politics/midterm-elections-takeaways.html |access-date=November 9, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Knowles & Scherer 2022">{{cite news |last1=Knowles |first1=Hannah |last2=Scherer |first2=Michael |date=November 9, 2022 |title=Democrats show strength, leaving fight for control of Congress unresolved |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2022/11/08/house-senate-race/ |access-date=November 9, 2022}}</ref><ref name="McGraw 2022">{{cite magazine |last=McGraw |first=Meridith |date=November 9, 2022 |title=Trump's biggest midterm bets don't pay out |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/09/trump-endorsed-candidates-2022-election-results |access-date=November 9, 2022 |magazine=[[Politico]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Breuninger |first=Kevin |date=November 16, 2022 |title=Republicans take control of the House, NBC News projects |agency=[[CNBC]] |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/16/midterm-house-elections-2022-republicans-take-control-of-the-house.html |access-date=November 16, 2022}}</ref> and the Democratic caucus keeping control of the [[2022 United States Senate elections|U.S. Senate]], with 51 seats, a gain of one seat from the last Congress.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 8, 2022 |title=2022 Election: Live Analysis and Results |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/2022-midterm-election/ |access-date=November 9, 2022 |website=FiveThirtyEight}}</ref>{{efn|[[Kyrsten Sinema]], whose seat was not up for election in 2022, left the Democratic Party and became an [[independent politician]] in December 2022, after the election but before the swearing in of the next Congress. As a result, 48 Democrats (rather than 49), plus [[Angus King]] and [[Bernie Sanders]], independents who caucus with Democrats, were in the Senate upon commencement of the [[118th United States Congress]], on January 3, 2023. Sinema has opted to caucus with neither party but to continue to align with the Democrats, bringing the Democratic Senate majority to 51 seats.<ref>{{USCongRec|2023|S22|January 3, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Skelley |first=Geoffrey |date=December 9, 2022 |title=Why Kyrsten Sinema Left The Democratic Party |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-kyrsten-sinema-left-the-democratic-party/ |access-date=December 11, 2022 |website=FiveThirtyEight|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606220147/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-kyrsten-sinema-left-the-democratic-party/ |archive-date=June 6, 2023}}</ref>}}

It was the first midterm election since [[1986 United States gubernatorial elections|1986]] in which the party of the incumbent president achieved a net gain in governorships, and the first since [[1934 United States elections|1934]] in which the president's party lost no state legislative chambers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Enten |first=Harry |date=November 13, 2022 |title=How Joe Biden and the Democratic Party defied midterm history |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/13/politics/democrats-biden-midterm-elections-senate-house/index.html |access-date=November 28, 2022 |agency=CNN}}</ref> Democrats credited Biden for their unexpectedly favorable performance,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Lauren |last=Gambino |date=November 20, 2022 |title='You did it!': Biden basks in midterms afterglow after beating expectations |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/20/joe-biden-midterms-democrats-presidency |access-date=November 28, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> and he celebrated the results as a strong day for democracy.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Baker |first=Peter |date=November 9, 2022 |title=Biden Celebrates Beating the Odds, but He Faces a New Challenge |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/us/politics/biden-midterms-republicans.html |access-date=November 28, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>