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US President Joe Biden last month announced his exit from the 2024 presidential race amid growing concerns over his health and a disastrous debate performance against rival Donald Trump.
After initially insisting he would stay in the race, the 81-year-old on July 21 announced his decision to step aside in a social media post while recovering from COVID-19 at his Delaware beach house.
Now, in an interview, Biden has shared his reasons for not seeking re-election.
“When I ran the first time, I thought of myself as being a transition president,” he said in an interview with CBS. “I can’t even say how old I am – it’s hard for me to get it out of my mouth.”
He also stated the importance of defeating Trump, the Republican nominee.
“Although it’s a great honour to be a president, I think I have an obligation to the country to do what I — most important thing you can do. And that is — we must, we must, we must defeat Trump,” he said.
This interview follows his exit announcement, in which he endorsed his deputy Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Harris is set to become the official Democratic nominee at the party’s national convention in Chicago later this month.
When asked about his confidence in a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025, Biden stated, “If Trump loses, I’m not confident at all. He means what he says. We don’t take him seriously.”
He referenced Trump’s previous comments, including warnings of a “bloodbath” and claims of a “stolen election”.
“You can’t love your country only when you win,” Biden said.