President Biden told Democratic donors in California late Wednesday that he served with real racists during his decades in the US Senate but Republicans in the 118th Congress are worse.

Ive been a senator since 72. Ive served with real racists. Ive served with Strom Thurmond, Biden said at an event in San Francisco, referring to the late segregationist senator from South Carolina.

Ive served with all these guys that have set terrible records on race. But guess what? These guys [serving Republicans] are worse. These guys do not believe in basic democratic principles.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) responded to Bidens criticisms hours later on X: Outrageous. The least popular President to seek re-election is now so desperate and so underwater in the polls hes playing the race card from the bottom of the deck.

The Bay Area fundraiser was held at the home of Gordon Getty, a billionaire oil scion, with real estate mogul George Marcus and House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in attendance.

Biden is gearing up for his March 7 State of the Union address while negotiating with Congress to pass a supplemental military aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. 4 President Biden said at a California campaign fundraiser on Wednesday that he served with real racists during his years in the US Senate but Republicans in the 118th Congers are worse. REUTERS

Johnson has stalled those efforts in the House over the bills exclusion of border enforcement provisions, declining to bring the $95 billion package passed in the Senate up for a floor vote.

Moderate Republicans and Democrats introduced a slimmed-down $66 billion measure before the lower chamber went into its Presidents Day recess, which included foreign military assistance and immigration policy changes.

Biden is also weighing an executive order to address the record-setting number of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border into the US, according to Axios. 4 House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) responded to Bidens criticisms hours later on X: Outrageous. The least popular President to seek re-election is now so desperate and so underwater in the polls hes playing the race card from the bottom of the deck. Getty Images

Public polling shows immigration and the economy are top concerns for voters heading into the 2024 election, and Biden, who is registering record-low approval ratings, will likely go head to head with his rival in the last presidential race, former president Donald Trump.

The 81-year-old president, whose time in the Senate overlapped with Thurmond, went on to talk about delivering the eulogy at the Democrat-turned-Republican senators funeral.

I told the truth. By the time Strom left — he did terrible things — but by the time he left, he had more African American[s] in his staff than any other member in Congress. He voted to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, Biden said. 4 The 81-year-old president, whose time in the Senate overlapped with South Carolina GOP Sen. Strom Thurmond, went on to talk about delivering the eulogy at the Democrat-turned-Republican senators funeral. Getty Images

Im not making him more than he was. But my point is, at least you could work with some of these guys, he added. Time and again Republicans show they are the party of chaos and division.

Biden has mentioned his relationships with segregationists like Thurmond and former Mississippi Democratic senator James Eastland before to contrast the old days in Congress with his current fights against the GOP.

In a May 2022 speech at an Ohio manufacturing plant, the president said, We always used to fight like hell. But at least wed end up eating lunch together. Things have changed. We gotta bring it back. 4 Biden has mentioned his relationships with segregationists like Thurmond and former Mississippi Democratic senator James Eastland before to contrast the old days in Congress with his current fights against the GOP. AFP via Getty Images

Thurmond voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but ended up voting to renew the latter legislation in 1991 along with Biden.

The president got the laws mixed up at a White House reception last August, saying he literally convinced Thurmond to vote for the Civil Rights Act.