Biden still believes he could have beaten Trump but shockingly admits hes not sure hed have survived another term
President Biden has insisted he could have beaten his rival Donald Trump in the 2024 election — while acknowledging he may not have survived another four years in the Oval Office.In an interview with USA Today published Wednesday, Biden, 82, said that while it was perhaps too boastful of him to say so, he was convinced he could have triumphed in a rematch against the Republican nominee.“It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think yes, based on the polling that…” the oldest-ever president began to answer, before being interrupted by USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page during a rapid-fire round of questions.According to the Wall Street Journal, Biden never spoke with his veteran pollster John Anzalone during the entirety of the 2024 campaign, with the survey junkie passing on his notes only in memos to aides.Page noted in her write-up of the interview the president kept index cards on his desk full of “talking points and statistics,” but said “he glanced at them only once.”“Do you think you would’ve had the vigor to serve another four years in office?” she also asked.“I don’t know.That’s why I thought when I first announced, talking to Barack [Obama] about it, I said I thought I was the person,” Biden answered.
“I had no intention of running after [son] Beau died — for real, not a joke,” he went on.“And then when Trump was running again for re-election, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him.“But I also wasn’t looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old.
And so I did talk about passing the baton.But I don’t know.
Who the hell knows? So far, so good.But who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?” Biden added.Biden has held the fewest press conferences of any commander-in-chief since at least President Ronald Reagan — but spilled plenty of fresh details in his USA Today sit-down about his scrapped re-election effort, plans for the final days of his lame-duck t...