Biden clashes with reporters in two feisty exchanges over Roe and midterms in one day: ‘Count, kid, count’

‘... Roe v Wade. Read it, man. You’ll get educated ...’

Joe Biden was involved in a series of feisty exchanges with reporters over abortion restrictions and the upcoming midterms as he headed to Pennsylvania to campaign with John Fetterman.

The president gave a direct response to a reporter whom he told to “get educated” after he was asked if there should be any abortion restrictions.

Mr Biden was responding to a question by a reporter for Catholic news network EWTN as he walked towards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House.

“Should there be any restrictions on abortion at all?” the president was asked by reporter Owen Jensen on Thursday.

“Yes. There should be,” replied Mr Biden, before he was asked, “what should they be?”

“It’s Roe v Wade. Read it, man. You’ll get educated,” the president answered feistily.

Mr Biden, himself a practising Catholic, made the comments as he travelled to Pennsylvania to campaign with US Senate candidate John Fetterman.

As he left the White House, Mr Biden was asked by a reporter why “there haven’t been that many candidates campaigning with you?”

The president was seemingly unimpressed with the question and replied, “That’s not true. There have been 15. Count, kid, count.”

Mr Biden has vowed that if voters give Democrats more senators and the party keeps the House in the November midterms he will push to codify Roe v Wade.

And Mr Biden has said that if a bit to codify abortion protections is passed he will sign it in January, the 50th anniversary of Roe.

The Supreme Court reversed the landmark abortion decision earlier this year, leading to a string of Republican-controlled states enacting laws restricting abortions.