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A video of President Joe Biden apparently laughing at former President Donald Trump's political future has gone viral following midterm elections that produced a surprisingly good result for Democrats.
Biden was asked about Trump during a press conference on Wednesday about the elections, which have been a disappointment for Republicans as a much anticipated red wave did not materialize.
A reporter asked Biden about Trump potentially announcing another presidential campaign and said the former president's "political movement is still very strong."
"Oh yeah?" Biden responded, laughing. He then smiled before saying: "Well, we just have to demonstrate that he will not take power."
A video of the exchange shared to Twitter by journalist Aaron Rupar had been viewed more than 139,000 times as of early Thursday morning.
Biden previously said that Tuesday was a "good day" for democracy.
The outcome of the midterm elections has raised questions about Trump's future role in politics after Republicans underperformed in several areas and high-profile candidates backed by Trump were defeated.
Perhaps most notably, Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz was defeated by Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman in a closely watched race that could determine control of the Senate.
Trump had endorsed Oz and campaigned on his behalf in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Doug Mastriano, the Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate in Pennsylvania, lost his race to Democrat Josh Shapiro.
In Georgia, Trump-backed Republican Herschel Walker is heading for a Senate runoff against Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock after neither candidate won 50 percent of the vote.
However, Warnock was slightly ahead of Walker with around 95 percent of votes counted, garnering 49.42 percent to the Republican's 48.52 percent.
Several conservative media outlets have taken aim at Trump following Tuesday's elections and urged the Republican Party to drop him, with Charles Cooke of National Review calling the former president a "loser" in a Wednesday op-ed.
By contrast, the midterms have boosted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who won re-election with ease and was already considered a possible future Republican presidential candidate.
Biden addressed the potential clash between DeSantis and Trump at his press conference on Wednesday.
"It'll be fun watching them take on each other," the president said.
Trump has repeatedly teased another presidential run and said he would be making a "very big announcement" on November 15 during a rally in Ohio on Monday.
Many believe that announcement will be that he is seeking another term in the White House but it remains to be seen if midterm results will deter the former president from announcing so early. The formal process for selecting presidential candidates will not begin until early 2024.
Newsweek has asked Trump's office for comment.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more