US President Joe Biden stated that he withdrew from his re-election bid because he was concerned that an intraparty battle over his candidacy would be a significant distraction for Democrats. His top priority, he emphasized, was to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming November election.
In his first interview since stepping down from the race, Biden, 81, mentioned that he had “no serious problem” with his health, attributing his poor debate performance to illness rather than age-related issues.
He dismissed concerns about his age and expressed his commitment to supporting Kamala Harris, stating he would do whatever his vice-president believes would be most helpful.
“We must, we must, we must defeat Trump,” he told US broadcaster CBS News.
Mr Biden said if he had continued his campaign, the presidential contest would have gone “down to the wire”.
“A number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the races,” he said.
“And I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic. You’d be interviewing me about, Why did Nancy Pelosi say, why did so — and I thought it’d be a real distraction.”
The president said he intended to be a bridge to the next generation when he ran for the White House in 2020.
“When I ran the first time, I thought of myself as being a transition president. I can’t even say how old I am. It’s hard for me to get it out of my mouth.”
Politicians and analysts have long debated whether President Biden would have the stamina for another four years in office, concerns that were heightened by his disjointed performance during a debate on June 27.
In a pre-recorded interview aired on Sunday, Biden made several verbal missteps but generally appeared more coherent than he did during the live debate. He attributed his poor debate performance to illness, as well as factors like jet lag and lack of rest.
As mounting pressure grew, he announced his withdrawal from the race on July 21.
The anticipated competition to replace him on the Democratic ticket did not materialize, and support quickly coalesced around Vice-President Harris, who has consistently performed better in opinion polls than Biden.
In the CBS interview, Biden reflected on his decision to challenge Trump, citing the deadly far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 as a pivotal moment. He accused Trump of empowering racists and the far-right.
“Every other time the Ku Klux Klan has been involved they wore hoods so they’re not identified,” he said. “Under his presidency, they came out of those woods with no hoods, knowing they had an ally.”
He also repeated his concerns about what might happen after November’s election, saying he was “not confident at all” that there will be a peaceful transfer of power if Ms Harris defeats Trump.
He went on to say that he was concerned that there would be violence if Trump loses the election.
“He means what he says,” Mr Biden said. “We don’t take him seriously. He means it. All the stuff about, ‘If we lose, it’ll be a bloodbath’.”
“He’s a genuine danger to American security,” Mr Biden said.
At a rally in March, Trump remarked that it would be a “bloodbath for the country” if he were to lose, though his campaign has claimed he was referring to economic and auto industry issues, asserting that Democrats have taken his statement out of context.
Simultaneously, the former president has persistently, though without evidence, claimed that he was unfairly deprived of victory in 2020 and has warned of potential attempts to “rig” the vote this year. He has also vowed to pardon some or all individuals convicted for their roles in the January 2021 Capitol riot.
Biden mentioned that he would campaign in support of Harris and had discussed a potential tour of Pennsylvania with Governor Josh Shapiro. Biden, who was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is about 120 miles (190 km) northwest of New York City.
“I’m going to be campaigning in other states as well. And I’m going to do whatever Kamala thinks I can do to help most,” he said.