Biden Admits He Might Be Too Old To Have Served Another Term
Key Facts
Biden told USA Today, “who the hell knows? So far so good, but who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old,” when asked if he would have been healthy enough to serve another four years had he stayed in the race and beat President-elect Donald Trump.
The president insisted, however, that he could have beat Trump, citing polling he reviewed (though it’s unclear what polls he was referring to as most major national surveys consistently showed Trump leading in the wake of Biden’s disastrous June debate performance).
Last year, Biden repeatedly rejected concerns about his age, telling ABC News in a post-debate interview, “I believe so,” when asked if he had the mental and physical capacity to serve another term, adding, “I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think I did.”
Biden said during the USA Today interview that he had doubts about running in 2020 and “wasn’t looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old,” and talked to Democratic leaders about “passing the baton,” but ultimately decided he had the best chance at beating Trump.
When asked about his biggest regrets, running for re-election was not one of them—he told the paper he wished he had done more to combat misinformation, particularly related to Trump’s criticism of the effects of immigration, and worked more quickly to complete infrastructure projects.
Surprising Fact
Trump was “very complimentary about some of the economic things” Biden did when the two met at the White House shortly after the November election, according to Biden. “He thought I was leaving with a good record,” Biden said.
What To Watch For
Biden also said during the interview that he was considering preemptive pardons for Anthony Fauci and Liz Cheney to protect them against potential retribution from Trump and his allies. Biden said he told Trump at the November meeting “there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores.” Trump, Biden said, didn’t agree or dispute him, but “just basically listened.”
Key Background
Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, less than a month after the June 27 debate with Trump in which his frail appearance seemed to exacerbate concerns about his age. Biden, 82, bowed out of the race and immediately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor amid growing public calls from within his own party to step aside and lagging polling numbers. Harris had a brief boost in polling following her entrance into the race, and surveys showed a virtual tie headed into Election Day, but Trump decisively won the contest, sweeping all seven swing states and becoming the first Republican to win the popular vote in two decades.
Tangent
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., insisted on Sunday that party leaders did not mislead Americans in defending Biden’s mental acuity, calling the criticism of Biden’s health “right-wing propaganda” in an interview with NBC. “His mental acuity is great . . . it’s as good as it’s been over the years,” Schumer said.
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