United States: Democrats retain control of the Senate

U.S. President Joe Biden said he was "strengthened" by the midterm elections as his Democratic Party won the seat it needed to retain control of the U.S. Senate on Saturday.

 

Four days after the midterm elections, the U.S. media declared Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto the winner in the key state of Nevada. This result confirms the party's unexpected success in the mid-term elections, which traditionally result in a rejection of the party in power. "I know I'm coming in stronger," Joe Biden said in Phnom Penh, where he is meeting with leaders at an East Asia summit. "I feel good and look forward to the next two years," he said after the Democratic victory in Nevada. It also puts the Democrat in an effectively strengthened position to tackle crucial talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for Bali on Monday on the sidelines of the G20. "I know Xi Jinping, he knows me," he added, saying they have always had "frank discussions." The two men have a relationship that dates back more than a decade to when Joe Biden was vice president, but Monday will be the first time they have met face to face in their current roles. "We have very little misunderstanding. We just have to figure out what the red lines are," the U.S. president argued.