(NEW YORK) — President Joe Biden, during an appearance on “The View” on Wednesday, said he is “at peace” with his decision to exit the 2024 race but says he is still confident he would have defeated Donald Trump in November.
Biden sat down for roughly a half hour with the show’s five co-hosts in what was his first interview since the Democratic National Convention and the Sept. 10 ABC News presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump.
The president was first asked to reflect on stepping aside and ending his bid for reelection amid growing concerns from Democrats about his age and ability to carry out a grueling campaign and possible second term.
“I am at peace with my decision,” Biden said. “Look, when I ran for this last term, I said I saw myself as a transition president … But what happened was we were having so much success in getting things done that people felt we couldn’t get done, I found myself having used more time than I would’ve ordinarily to, you know, pass that torch.”
Biden then turned to praising Harris, who he called “tough” and “honorable.”
“And the thing I like about her, and one thing we share in common, is that we have an optimistic view of the future,” he said.
Still, Biden inisisted he would have defeated Trump had he stayed in the race.
Biden said he “never fully believed” claims that there was “overwhelming reluctance” to his continuing his campaign, despite, at the time of his announcement, there being 40 Democrats publicly calling for him to withdraw and behind-the-scenes pressure from leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He asserted such statements from Democrats wasn’t the reason he stepped down.
“I was confident I would beat Trump. He’s a loser,” Biden told “The View” hosts.
Biden’s advice for Harris on how to win was for her to “be herself.” He then briefly ran through her record as a prosecutor, U.S. senator and in his administration.
“As vice president, there wasn’t a single thing that I did that she couldn’t do,” he said. “So, I was able to delegate her responsibility on everything from foreign policy to domestic policy.”
“I just think she is — she has the energy, she has the intelligence, she has the grit, she has the stamina, and she has the guts to do the right thing,” he added.
Biden’s appearance on “The View” touched on his long career in government, with hosts paying homage to his work on the Violence Against Women Act and his administration’s diverse Cabinet and nomination of the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
But they also discussed hot-button issues such as Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and the Israel-Gaza war.
Asked about Trump blaming Biden and Democrats for the heated environment, Biden called Trump “the most unusual president” and said he was inspired to run in 2020 to restore the “soul of the nation.”
“Trump is — there’s not a social redeeming value there,” Biden said. The president asserted Trump “does not believe in democracy” and “failed to understand” the value of global alliances.
On Israel-Gaza, Biden said while he supported Israel he did not agree with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position and that there needs to be a cease-fire as well as a two-state solution.
Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, with fighting between Israel and Lebanon increasing, Biden said the region is at an inflection point.
“An all our war is possible,” he warned. “But I think there’s also the opportunity still in play to have a settlement that can fundamentally the change the whole region.”
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