Biden still believes he could have beaten Trump and says successor ‘very complimentary’ in private
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President insists polling suggests he could have bested Republican rival and secured second term as he ponders legacy ahead of White House exit. Joe Biden has said that he still believes he could have beaten Republican rival Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election had he not been persuaded to stand down to make way for Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket, only for her to lose the vote.
![[Trump and Biden are all smiles as they meet at the White House to pledge a peaceful transfer of power after the former’s November election win]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/11/29/20/11718941.jpg)
“It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think yes, based on the polling,” Biden answered, without citing which poll he was referring to and despite his having lagged behind Trump throughout the campaign in both national and battleground state surveys.
Questioned on whether he would have been in robust enough health to serve as commander-in-chief for a further four years if he had won, Biden said: “I don’t know. 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?”. The president was also remarkably candid in the same interview on his private meeting with Trump at the White House on November 13, revealing that he had cautioned his successor not to give in to the temptation to “settle scores” with old enemies once he takes office.
