US President Joe Biden, in an exclusive interview with USA Today published on Wednesday, the 8th of January, said he thought he could have beaten Donald Trump and won the election in November, but added that he was not sure he had the stamina for another four-year term, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
“So far, so good,” said the 82-year-old president. “But who knows what I’m going to be like when I’m 86?”
Biden, who first came to the Capitol in 1972 as a US senator, drew criticism from his own party for his apparent reluctance to withdraw from the presidential race amid concerns about his age and mental acuity.
In an interview, Biden said that “based on the polls” he believed he would have won but conceded that his age might have influenced him in the office.
“When Trump again ran for re-election, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him. But I also wasn’t looking to be president at 85, 86 years old,” Biden said. “But I don’t know. Who the hell knows?”
After Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to Trump, senior members of the Democratic Party, such as former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, have suggested that the Democrats could have done better in the election if Biden had dropped out earlier.
In the interview, Biden also said that he was considering pardoning Trump opponents such as Liz Cheney and Dr Anthony Fauci. After the election, he told Trump that there was “no need” to settle scores. Biden’s decision will depend on Trump’s cabinet choices.
Joe Biden says he could have beaten Donald Trump in election
