(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Outgoing President Joe Biden has made it known that he thinks he could have defeated Donald Trump in the 2024 election had his own party not ousted him in July.
In an interview with USA Today this month, Biden said that “based on the polling,” he had a better chance than Vice President Kamala Harris. He also said this month that he “could have beaten Trump, would have beaten Trump.”
Those remarks have brought Harris “deep sadness,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
“Harris has told close allies and family members she is disappointed in President Biden’s recent contention,” the Journal reported Wednesday, citing “people familiar with the conversations.”
“Harris has expressed deep sadness to people close to her over losing the election and Biden’s comments.”
A Harris spokesperson reportedly said that Biden and Harris have “developed a close working relationship as governing partners, but they have also built a strong friendship that continues today.” That friendship extended to their spouses, the spokesperson reportedly added.
Biden withdrew from the 2024 race amid what many have described as a “coup d’état,” with powerful Democratic politicians demanding he step aside, citing concerns over his age. At 81, Biden is the oldest president in U.S. history.
The argument was that a much younger and more popular Democrat would have a greater chance of beating Trump in 2024. These predictions backfired spectacularly.
Shortly after announcing his departure, Biden endorsed Harris as his successor, effectively blocking other Democrats from seeking the nomination. Harris’s campaign failed to gain traction, leading to Trump’s landslide victory.
Despite his frustration, Biden has “been careful not to place blame on Harris or her campaign.”
Many Democrats, however, blame Trump’s victory on Biden’s decision not to exit the race earlier in the year.
“Biden ran on the promise that he was going to be a transitional president, and in effect, have one term before handing it off to another generation,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in an interview with The Post.
“I think his running again broke that concept — the conceptual underpinning of the theory that he would end the Trump appeal, he would defeat Trumpism and enable a new era,” Blumenthal added.
The pressure to oust Biden came from some of the most powerful figures in the Democratic Party, including former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Adding to this pressure were celebrities like George Clooney, who launched a media campaign demanding Biden step aside. These demands began after Biden’s disastrous performance in the first presidential debate with Trump.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
