Biden Breaks Silence: Why He Left the White House Race
US President Joe Biden stated that he withdrew from his re-election campaign due to concerns that the internal party conflict over his candidacy would become a major distraction for Democrats, emphasizing that his top priority was defeating Donald Trump in the November election.
In his first interview following his departure from the race, the 81-year-old Biden reported that he had “no serious problem” with his health and attributed his poor debate performance to illness, dismissing worries about his age.
Biden committed to supporting Kamala Harris’s campaign, stating he would do whatever his vice president believed would be most helpful. He emphasized the importance of defeating Trump, as he told CBS News, “We must, we must, we must defeat Trump.”
He mentioned that if he had continued his campaign, the presidential race would have been “down to the wire.” Biden also noted that many of his Democratic colleagues in Congress feared his campaign could negatively impact their races.
Biden expressed concerns that staying in the race would shift the focus to him, rather than the issues at hand, leading to distractions about comments from figures like Nancy Pelosi.
Reflecting on his 2020 presidential run, Biden saw himself as a transitional leader. “When I ran the first time, I thought of myself as a transition president. I can’t even say how old I am. It’s hard for me to get it out of my mouth,” he said.
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Critics and analysts have questioned whether Biden would have the stamina for another four years, particularly following his uneven performance during a debate on June 27. In a pre-recorded interview aired Sunday, Biden made several verbal missteps but appeared more coherent than during the live debate. He attributed his earlier performance issues to illness, along with jet lag and insufficient rest.
Biden announced his exit from the race on July 21, and no significant competition emerged to replace him at the top of the Democratic ticket, with support quickly consolidating around Vice President Harris, who has surpassed Biden in opinion polls.
During the CBS interview, Biden recalled his decision to run against Trump, which was influenced by the violent far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. He accused Trump of emboldening racists and far-right extremists.
Biden reiterated his concerns about the potential aftermath of the November election, expressing doubts about a peaceful transfer of power if Harris were to defeat Trump. He also voiced fears of possible violence if Trump were to lose.
“He means what he says,” Biden remarked. “We don’t take him seriously. He means it. All the stuff about, ‘If we lose, it’ll be a bloodbath.’” Biden labeled Trump as a genuine threat to American security.
Trump had commented at a March rally that losing the election would result in a “bloodbath,” though his campaign has claimed he was referring to economic and industry concerns, and that Democrats misrepresented his statement. Meanwhile, Trump has continued to claim, without evidence, that the 2020 election was rigged and has promised to pardon individuals convicted in the January 2021 Capitol riot.
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Biden mentioned that he would be campaigning for Harris and had discussed touring Pennsylvania with Governor Josh Shapiro. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden said he would campaign in other states as well and follow Kamala Harris’s guidance on how best to assist her campaign.
Biden Breaks Silence: Why He Left the White House Race
