Biden on affirmative action decision: ‘This is not a normal court’

President Biden on Thursday weighed in on the Supreme Court following its decision to upend affirmative action in college admissions, calling it “not normal.”

“This is not a normal court,” the president said at the White House when asked whether thought the institution had gone “rogue.”

The president later explained what he meant, saying in an interview with MSNBC that the Court “has done more to unravel basic rights and basic decisions than any Court in recent history.”

“Take a look at how its ruled on a number of issues that have been precedent for 50, 60 years sometimes. And that’s what I meant by not normal,” the president added. “Across the board the vast majority of the American people don’t agree with majority of decisions the court is making.”

The president opted not to respond to a question about whether there should be term limits for Supreme Court justices, an idea floated earlier in the week by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the former longtime House Speaker. Biden strongly disagreed with the court’s decision to strike affirmative action, which limited the use of race as a factor in college admissions.

He later told MSNBC that there may be “too much harm” if they start the process of expanding the court, arguing that it could “politicize” it in a way “that is not healthy.”

Earlier on Thursday, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) said the court’s legitimacy is now in question, calling the decision “radical.”

In the opinion that broke along ideological lines, conservative justices invalidated admissions practices at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, ruling they did not comply with the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.

More on the Supreme Court’s ruling from The Hill

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas read his concurring opinion from the bench, a rare occurrence for him, and advocated for a colorblind view of the Constitution. Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, meanwhile, read a blistering dissent from the bench.

The president, meanwhile, urged colleges and universities in the U.S. to maintain a commitment to ensuring diverse student bodies

“We’re not going to let this break us,” Biden said on Thursday, vowing to discuss the decision and next steps further.

Updated at 4:15 pm.