Joe Biden reveals the main reason for his withdrawal from the elections
US President Joe Biden said in his first television interview since dropped off from the election race that he made his decision after pressure from members of his Democratic Party and out of his determination to defeat Donald Trump.
Explaining his sudden dropping off, Biden explained that figures in the Democratic Party feared that his continued presence in the presidential race would affect their chances of retaining their seats in Congress in the elections, as the spotlight was on his age and mental abilities.
Biden, (81), has been out of the spotlight since announcing his withdrawal from the election on July 21, after his performance described as disastrous during his debate with Trump sparked what looked like an uprising against him among Democrats.
In a brief television interview recorded at the White House last week and aired Sunday, the president appeared frail but convincing and acknowledged that his debate performance was modest but that he had no serious health problem.
“A number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought I would hurt them in the races… I was worried that staying in power would become the subject I would be interviewed about,” he said.
He pointed in particular to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an influential figure in the party whose refusal to explicitly support his campaign was seen by many as pivotal.
“You were going to interview me to ask me why Nancy Pelosi said something,” Biden said, adding “I think that would have been very distracting”.
“It’s a very important issue for me… to preserve this democracy,” he stressed, adding, “It’s my duty to my country to do the most important thing we can do, which is that we have to, we have to defeat Donald Trump”.
Regarding his Vice president Kamala Harris, Biden stressed that he is proud of what he has achieved in the issues of jobs, investment, and recovery from the repercussions of the Covid pandemic, and pledged to wage a strong campaign to support his vice president, Kamala Harris, who got the nomination of the Democratic Party for the presidential elections on November 5.
“I’ll do whatever Kamala thinks I can do to help her,” Biden said.
After his advanced age dominated the electoral debate, Biden’s withdrawal in favor of Harris (59), gave great momentum to the Democratic campaign, which was reflected in an increase in financial donations and additional points in opinion polls.
It seems that the Trump campaign, which is about twenty years older than Harris, is still facing difficulty in adjusting its strategy in the face of the new Democratic candidate.
Biden said he expected to stay in the White House for only four years after winning the 2020 election, but was persuaded to seek a second term.
“I thought I would be a transitional president between two generations… I can’t even say how old I am… It’s hard for me to say, but things went very quickly, and that didn’t happen,” he continued.
On the Republican side, Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, was the star attraction on Sunday morning American political television shows.
During appearances on CNN, ABC and CBS, Vance answered a variety of questions including child care, asylum seekers and abortion.
Vance complained during an interview on CBS that reporter Margaret Brennan asked him six questions about abortion.
“I’m still trying to get a clear answer,” Brennan replied.
Vance accused Harris of being the one who calls the shots in the Biden administration.
“If she’s not calling the shots, who is?” he told CNN’s Dana Bash.
Biden warned in his interview with CBS that Trump poses a real threat to US security.
“Mark my words, if he wins this election, watch what happens,” he said.
“It’s a real threat to American security… We’re at a turning point in world history… We really are, and democracy is the key,” he added.
Finally regarding peaceful transition of power, Biden expressed his doubts, that he is not confident at all that there would be a peaceful transfer of power if Trump lost again.
