President Joe Biden has repeatedly claimed that, had he remained in the race, he would have triumphed over President-elect Donald Trump in the November election.
Despite surveys indicating that most Americans believe his presidency will be negatively regarded in the future, and despite being pressured by Democratic leaders to step down from the national ticket following a disappointing debate performance in July, Biden expressed to USA Today that he could have done what Vice President Kamala Harris was unable to achieve — beat Trump.
“It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think yes,” the 82-year-old Biden said.
However, when questioned about whether he had the energy to serve another term, Biden’s response was uncertain: “I don’t know.”
“So far, so good… but who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?” Biden told the outlet.
In late December, The Washington Post reported that Biden had expressed regret about not staying in the presidential race, despite both his lackluster debate performance and disappointing approval ratings. According to the Post, Biden and some of his advisors have recently conveyed that they believe he could have defeated Trump.
In his exit interview with USA Today, Biden reflected on his time in the White House, his potential actions in his final weeks in office, and what he shared with Trump when they met after the election.
The president stated that he was contemplating granting preemptive pardons to anti-Trump figures like former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and former senior health official Dr. Anthony Fauci. Biden noted that his decision would be influenced “a little bit” by the individuals Trump appoints to key positions.
Trump has nominated Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for Attorney General and former federal prosecutor Kash Patel for FBI Director.
Biden mentioned that he had advised Trump against pursuing retaliatory actions against his adversaries.
“I tried to make clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores,” Biden said.
Asked about Trump’s reaction, Biden explained, “He didn’t say, ‘No, I’m going to …’ You know. He didn’t reinforce it. He just basically listened.”
Biden has given relatively few press conferences or one-on-one media interviews during his presidency, but now seems to be engaging in select interviews to shape his legacy.
{Matzav.com}