Biden says he could've beaten Trump and reveals president-elect's unlikely compliment

In a revealing interview published today, President Joe Biden confidently claimed he could have trumped Donald Trump in the 2024 election if he hadn't stepped aside.

As his presidency is drawing to a close, Biden got candid with USA Today about various topics including his son, Hunter Biden, and what might have been in the presidential race. Confident yet contemplative, Biden asserted, "It's presumptuous to say that, but I think yes."

Still, he expressed uncertainty about committing to another full term, contemplating, "So far, so good. But who knows what I'm going to be when I'm 86 years old?" The president's support was waning when he unexpectedly withdrew from the race on July 21st, 2024.

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In a statement at the time, he announced: "While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term." Amid increasing scrutiny from members within the Democratic party over his cognitive capabilities and general health, coupled with debates about his advanced age, President Joe Biden decided to withdraw.

He had previously remarked to USA Today: "the only advantage of being an old guy is that I've known every major world leader for a long time. I had a perspective on each of them and their interests," adding, "And so I think it helped me navigate some of the fundamental changes taking place, whether it's in Europe, in Latin America, in the Middle East, in the Far East."

Following his exit from the electoral race, Biden immediately threw his support behind Kamala Harris, who subsequently went head-to-head with Trump in the polls, reports the Irish Star. Despite a close race, Harris was defeated by Trump in all swing states. The victory sets the stage for Trump's inauguration on January 20 in Washington DC.

Reflecting on private discussions with Donald Trump, who has been vocally critical of Biden's leadership, Biden shared an unexpected insight: "He was very complimentary about some of the economic things I had done. And he talked about − he thought I was leaving with a good record."

However, he also confessed that his greatest disappointment during his presidency was his failure to effectively combat false information - much of which originated from Trump. He went on to refute two assertions made by Trump regarding the danger posed by immigrants, specifically referring to two recent attacks involving trucks by Army veterans, one in New Orleans and the other in Las Vegas.

"Because of the way, nature, the nature of the way information is shared now," Biden stated, "there are no editors out there to say 'That's simply not true."