US President Joe Biden stated that he withdrew from his re-election campaign to prevent internal party conflict from becoming a “real distraction” for the Democrats, emphasizing that his top priority was ensuring Donald Trump’s defeat in the upcoming November election.
In his first interview following his withdrawal from the race, Biden, aged 81, dismissed concerns about his health, asserting that he had “no serious problem”. He attributed his subpar debate performance to illness at the time and downplayed worries regarding his age and mental sharpness.
The President affirmed his commitment to campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris, expressing his willingness to support her in any way she deems helpful. “We must, we must, we must defeat Trump,” he stressed in his conversation with CBS News.
Biden explained that had he continued his campaign, the presidential race would have been exceptionally close. “A number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the races,” he admitted. “And I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic. You’d be interviewing me about, Why did Nancy Pelosi say, why did so — and I thought it’d be a real distraction.”
It was widely reported that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spearheaded the movement to replace Biden – an assertion she hasn’t explicitly denied – following his perceived weak debate showing against Trump on June 27th.
During the pre-recorded interview aired on Sunday, Biden made a few verbal stumbles but generally appeared more lucid than he did during the live televised debate. He attributed his poor debate performance to being unwell – previously, he had also cited jet lag and fatigue as contributing factors.
As the pressure intensified, Biden announced his withdrawal from the race on July 21st. A potential scramble to find his replacement at the head of the Democratic ticket never materialized, as party support quickly consolidated around Vice President Harris, who has, to date, polled better than Biden.
The president had previously indicated his intention to serve as a bridge to the next generation when he initially ran for the White House in 2020. “When I ran the first time, I thought of myself as being a transition president. I can’t even say how old I am. It’s hard for me to get it out of my mouth.”
President Biden takes a bike ride through Gordons Pond State Park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, highlighting his active lifestyle amidst discussions about his age and health.
Other Key Developments in the US Election Landscape:
- Republican vice-presidential nominee, Ohio Senator JD Vance, defended a comprehensive deportation strategy for undocumented immigrants should he and Donald Trump win the election.
- Vance stated to ABC News that a Trump administration’s second term would commence with the deportation of 1 million individuals residing in the US illegally. Government statistics estimate approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country, a number that has remained relatively stable since 2005.
- The Ohio senator clarified that his earlier remarks about parents receiving extra votes were a “thought experiment” in response to Democratic proposals to lower the voting age.
- He emphasized that his 2021 comments were not a policy proposal and that he does not advocate for additional votes for parents. “I want us to be more pro-family,” he stated.
- On the Democratic side, Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking in Las Vegas, expressed her support for eliminating taxes on tips, a proposal also endorsed by Trump. Nevada, a crucial swing state, has a significant number of voters employed in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
- Following inaccurate claims earlier in the week regarding the size of his rally crowds, Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform on Sunday to accuse the Harris campaign of fabricating a “fake photo” of a rally crowd. However, photos and videos from the Detroit event in question show large crowds attending to see the Democratic candidates.
In his CBS interview, Biden revisited the pivotal moment that motivated him to run against Trump – the deadly gathering of far-right activists in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. He accused Trump of empowering racists and the far-right.
“Every other time the Ku Klux Klan has been involved they wore hoods so they’re not identified,” he noted. “Under his presidency, they came out of those woods with no hoods, knowing they had an ally.”
He reiterated his concerns about the potential aftermath of the November election, expressing “not confident at all” that there would be a peaceful transfer of power if Harris were to defeat Trump.
He further voiced his apprehension about potential violence if Trump loses the election. “He means what he says,” Biden stated. “We don’t take him seriously. He means it. All the stuff about, ‘If we lose, it’ll be a bloodbath’.”
“He’s a genuine danger to American security,” Biden asserted, underscoring the gravity of the situation as he perceived it.
Trump had commented at a rally in March that it would “be a bloodbath for the country” if he loses, but his campaign has consistently maintained that he was referring to the economy and the auto industry, accusing Democrats of misrepresenting his statement.
Concurrently, the former president has repeatedly and without evidence claimed that he was cheated out of victory in 2020 and has warned of potential attempts to “rig” the upcoming vote. He has pledged to pardon some or all of those convicted for the Capitol riot in January 2021.
Biden stated that he would be actively campaigning for Harris and had discussed with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro about touring the state. Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a working-class city approximately 120 miles northwest of New York City.
“I’m going to be campaigning in other states as well. And I’m going to do whatever Kamala thinks I can do to help most,” he reiterated, emphasizing his commitment to party unity and supporting Harris’s campaign.
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Further Insights on the US Election:
