Joe Biden pushes for bipartisanship at governor’s meeting, ‘we can get big things done’
Ryan King
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President Joe Biden issued a call for bipartisanship during a meeting with governors from across the country at the White House Saturday.
Appealing to Republican and Democratic governors, Biden touted the bipartisan strides his administration has made and urged them to dial down partisan fighting during remarks at the black-tie dinner for the National Governors Association’s winter meeting.
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“I’d like to make a toast to remembering who in God’s name we are. We’re the United States of America,” Biden said at the dinner, per a White House transcript. “We can get big things done if we do it together.”
Some 31 governors and Vice President Kamala Harris attended the meeting. Several governors were absent, most notably Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) who is speculated to become a potential 2024 rival for Biden. During his remarks, Biden lauded the bipartisan infrastructure and semiconductor bills that cleared Congress.
“I hope we’re going to get a little bit — I’m going to try — a little bit less partisan and work on things that we can really get done to change people’s lives,” Biden added.
Last week, Biden delivered his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress in which he interlaced calls for bipartisan cooperation with divisive rhetoric that juxtaposed his policy efforts with Republicans, drawing sporadic boos and jeers from conservatives in attendance.
A handful of his cabinet members, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack previously worked as governors. Biden noted that governors often must act quickly and that he strives to be a president for “everybody.”
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“I don’t want to ruin anybody’s reputation here, but the partnership has been thoughtful,” Biden said. “I said I wanted to be President for everybody, not just blue states or red states, but for everybody. And — and I think, to the best we can, we’ve tried like hell to step up.”
Country music singer Brad Paisley performed American Saturday Night with his guitar following the dinner. Several governors such as Govs. Spencer Cox (R-UT) and Phil Murphy (D-NJ) voiced optimism about the prospects of increased bipartisanship going forward.