President Biden mentioned early Wednesday that he thinks he would have overwhelmed President-elect Trump if he caught along with his reelection bid in an interview with USA Right now.
“It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think yes,” the president mentioned when reporter Susan Web page requested if he may have received.
Biden added that he based mostly that view on polling he reviewed however didn’t elaborate on the place the information got here from. When the president dropped out of the 2024 race in late July, he was behind Trump in nationwide and battleground polls and Vice President Harris was in a position to carry out higher towards the president-elect simply after taking up the ticket.
Biden withdrew his reelection bid amid strain from Democrats to take action, following a dismal debate efficiency towards Trump that raised questions over his age and health.
The president mentioned within the interview that he wasn’t positive he would have the stamina to serve for one more 4 years, telling Web page, “I don’t know,” when she requested about if he had the vigor.
“So far, so good… but who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?” Biden mentioned within the interview.
When he stepped apart, he endorsed Harris, who then misplaced decisively to Trump in November.
Biden recalled within the interview that he didn’t intend to run for president in 2020 however when Trump was working for reelection on the time, he thought he “had the best chance of beating him.”
“I also wasn’t looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old,” he said. “And so I did talk about passing the baton” to the subsequent era of Democratic leaders.
Whereas Biden mentioned he would have been a “bridge candidate” when working in 2020, the president then introduced his reelection bid in April 2023 that didn’t fulfill that promise.
He’s set to depart workplace later this month, when Trump is sworn in, and his legacy will embody that he deserted that vow. The transfer led to Harris launching a simply over 100-day marketing campaign and in the end shedding to Trump.
In the meantime, the Democratic get together is working to rebuild after Republicans swept in November.