President Joe Biden has privately expressed regret over his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, reportedly stating he could have defeated President-elect Donald Trump if not for pressure from within his own party.
Believes He Could Have Secured a Second Term
According to sources cited by The Washington Post, Biden and some of his aides have recently confided to allies that the president should have stayed in the race, arguing he had a strong chance of winning a second term. “The president has been careful not to place blame on Harris or her campaign,” an insider shared, emphasizing Biden’s reluctance to direct criticism at Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced him as the Democratic candidate.
Biden: The Decision to Step Down
Biden, 82, faced mounting pressure from Democratic Party leaders to exit the race in July following declining poll numbers and a poorly received debate performance in June. During the June 27 debate, Biden struggled with coherence, leading some within the party to question his viability as a candidate.
Vice President Harris subsequently took over the top spot on the Democratic ticket but was decisively defeated by Trump. The former president is set to return to the White House on January 20.
In a CBS News interview in August, Biden implied that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi played a pivotal role in convincing him to withdraw, citing concerns among Democratic lawmakers about the potential impact on their own re-election campaigns.
Post-Election Reflections by Biden
In September, during an appearance on The View, Biden reiterated his belief that he could have beaten Trump. Despite this, many Democrats have attributed Harris’s loss to Biden’s decision to delay stepping aside, arguing it disrupted the party’s transition strategy.
“Biden ran on the promise that he was going to be a transitional president and, in effect, serve one term before handing it off to another generation,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut). “His decision to run again broke that conceptual underpinning and undermined the effort to defeat Trumpism.”
Criticism of Biden’s Governing Style
Some of Biden’s closest advisers acknowledged that his approach, shaped by decades of experience in traditional governance, often conflicted with the demands of modern political campaigns. Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, remarked, “The president has been operating on a time horizon measured in decades, while the political cycle is measured in four years.”
Acknowledging Missteps
In recent weeks, Biden has conceded to making several missteps during his tenure, including his debate performance, which he described as a “screw-up.” He also expressed regret for not branding pandemic relief checks with his name, a strategy employed by Trump during his presidency to gain political credit.
The administration has admitted shortcomings in uplifting Americans during the pandemic, with Biden and his aides acknowledging that more could have been done to boost public morale during challenging times.
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