Biden Thanks Sen. Mitch McConnell During Congressional Address

During his Wednesday address to a joint session of Congress, President Joe Biden offered his gratitude to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), and said he “welcomes” the “ideas” of Republican lawmakers.

Referencing a cancer research bill passed when Biden was still vice president, the president reminisced that McConnell suggested the bill be named after Biden’s late son Beau Biden, who died from a brain tumor in 2015. “You’ll excuse the point of personal privilege. I’ll never forget you standing, Mitch, and saying, ‘name it after’ my deceased son,” Biden said.

Then, looking to the Republicans in attendance, Biden said, “We need more Senate Republicans to join with the overwhelming majority of their Democratic colleagues, and close loopholes and require background checks to purchase a gun.”

“If you actually want to solve the problem — I have sent you a bill, now pass it,” Biden said on immigration reform. Further appealing across the aisle, Biden said, “I applaud a group of Republican senators who just put forward their proposal. We welcome ideas.”

Biden’s remarks seemingly fell on deaf ears, as Republicans near-uniformly denounced the address with McConnell himself saying in a statement, “Behind President Biden’s familiar face, it’s like the most radical Washington Democrats have been handed the keys, and they are trying to speed as far left as they can possibly go before American voters ask for the car back. But it’s not too late. This White House can shake off its daydreams of a sweeping socialist legacy that will never happen in the United States.”