Former President Joe Biden said Thursday he takes some responsibility for President Trump’s election victory last year, but broadly defended his record and his late departure from the campaign.
In an interview with “The View,” the former president was asked if he takes any responsibility for “not hearing” voters’ concerns on immigration or inflation, or for Mr. Trump’s 2024 win over former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Yes, I do,” Biden said. “Because look, I was in charge and he won, so I take responsibility.”
Biden went on to defend his record in office, blaming Mr. Trump for tanking a bipartisan border security bill last year. The former president conceded he should have done more to “advertise” his agenda, including accomplishments that he said could bear results years after he left office.
Biden says he could’ve defeated Trump — and wasn’t surprised by Harris’ loss
The former president said he thinks he could have beaten Mr. Trump if he had remained in the race — comments he’s made in prior interviews.
But Biden said he wasn’t surprised that Harris lost.
“Not because I didn’t think the vice president was the most qualified person to be president,” but because her opponents “went … the sexist route,” he said. Biden also blamed the “phenomenal negative impact” of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former president said he remains in touch with Harris and that “she’s got a difficult decision to make about what she’s going to do,” likely referring to another possible run for office. Biden said he hopes Harris “stays engaged,” but “we have a lot of really good candidates as well.”
Biden defends his record
Throughout the interview on Thursday, Biden pushed back on criticism over his handling of the 2024 election, including his late exit from the race after a rocky debate with Mr. Trump amplified concerns about Biden’s age.
Biden said the “only reason I got out of the race was because I didn’t want to have a divided Democratic party.”
He denied allegations that his cognitive abilities had faded in office, saying, “there’s nothing to sustain that” and arguing he accomplished a lot in the final months of his term. Biden conceded that he had a “bad, bad night” during his debate with Mr. Trump, but argued polls still only showed him trailing Mr. Trump by single digits.
He also pushed back on reporting that after dropping out of the race, he privately urged Harris not to break with him. The former president said he “did not advise her” to say in an October appearance on “The View” she couldn’t think of any differences between her and Biden, and claimed the line — which was heavily used in Trump campaign ads — was misinterpreted.
Biden lashes out against Trump
Biden was also critical of Mr. Trump, saying “he’s had the worst 100 days any president’s ever had” and blasted Mr. Trump’s foreign policy views — echoing some of Biden’s criticism in an interview with the BBC that aired Wednesday. When asked why Mr. Trump remains “fixated” on him, Biden said, “I beat him,” referring to Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Biden brushed off Mr. Trump’s claim that the pardons issued by Biden — including to his family members — are “void” and “vacant” because they were allegedly signed with an autopen.
“Oh, he’s vacant,” Biden replied.
