President Joe Biden has privately expressed regret about withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race, reportedly insisting he could have secured victory over President-elect Donald Trump had he not been pressured by his own party. According to a report by The Washington Post citing multiple anonymous sources, Biden and his aides have recently confided that the president felt he should have remained in the race, believing he could have won a second term. Biden, 82, ended his campaign in July after mounting pressure from Democratic leaders, driven by poor polling numbers and a widely criticized debate performance on June 27, where Biden appeared incoherent and stumbled over his words. Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in as the Democratic nominee but was decisively defeated by Trump, who will be inaugurated for a second term on January 20. While Biden has refrained from publicly criticizing Harris or her campaign, he acknowledged during an August interview with CBS News that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi played a key role in persuading him to step aside, citing concerns among congressional Democrats that his candidacy could jeopardize their chances in down-ballot races. In a subsequent appearance on The View in September, Biden reiterated his belief that he could have beaten Trump. However, some Democrats have attributed Harris’ loss to Biden’s delayed decision to withdraw from the race. “Biden ran on the promise that he was going to be a transitional president,” Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) told The Washington Post. “His decision to run again disrupted that narrative — the idea that he would defeat Trump and pass the torch to a new generation.” In recent weeks, Biden has openly admitted to several missteps during his presidency, including his widely criticized debate performance, describing it as a “screw-up.” He also said he regrets not placing his name on pandemic relief checks, as Trump had done in 2020, calling the oversight “stupid.” Additionally, Biden and his team have conceded that more could have been done to uplift the nation’s morale during the pandemic. Reflecting on his administration’s decisions, Biden reportedly lamented appointing Merrick Garland as Attorney General, according to claims made in Bob Woodward’s book War. Biden has confided that Garland’s prosecution of his son Hunter was overly aggressive, while Garland’s handling of cases related to Trump, including the January 6 investigation, was perceived by Biden as too slow — ultimately contributing to charges against Trump being dismissed. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)