Joe Biden thinks he could win re-election if he had remained in the race for the White House, he said in an interview published Wednesday — acknowledging that he was unsure whether he would serve another full term. Will find.
The 82-year-old Democrat, who is leaving office on Jan. 20, was asked by USA TODAY whether he believed victory over Republican Donald Trump last November was a realistic possibility, and he pointed to undecided polling And said: “I think yes.”
Biden said, “I really thought I had the best chance to defeat him. But when I was 85, 86 years old, I wasn’t even thinking about being president. And so I decided to pass the baton.” spoke about.”
“But I don’t know. Who knows? So far, so good. But who knows what I’ll be when I’m 86?”
The oldest US president in history, Biden faced persistent questions about his mental fitness before withdrawing from the election after a disastrous televised debate against Trump that saw him unable to claim a second term.
He has given fewer sit-down interviews and press conferences than any president since Ronald Reagan, and USA Today was the only print outlet scheduled for a one-on-one before Biden left office.
Biden was asked about his regrets from the past four years, but he did not mention the presidential debates, or his decision to break his promise to become a one-term president and be a “bridge” to the next generation.
Instead, he complained about misinformation — pointing to lies spread by Trump and others about the two attacks on New Year’s Day in New Orleans and Las Vegas — and about the slow pace of infrastructure projects. In.
“I think if we could have worked harder to get some of these projects off the ground faster, we would have been in a much better position,” he said.
Since Trump’s victory, there has been discussion in Washington over a possible preemptive pardon for those who could be targets if the Republican leader returns to office.
Biden confirmed that he was considering the idea but had not yet reached a decision.
He described how he told Trump during their Oval Office meeting shortly after the election not to go after perceived enemies, warning that “it is counterproductive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores.”
Biden said Trump listened but did not respond.
As for his legacy, the veteran Democrat said he wants to be remembered for his plan to restore the post-pandemic economy and reassert US global leadership.
“That was my hope. I mean, you know, who knows?” Biden said. “And I hope (history) will record that I did it with honesty and integrity, that I said what was on my mind.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
