Joe Biden says he could have defeated Donald Trump in election – BBC.com
US President Joe Biden has said he thinks he would have defeated Donald Trump and won re-election in November.Speaking to USA Today in an exclusive interview, Biden did, however, add that he was unsure if he would have had the stamina for another four-year term. “So far, so good,” the 82-year-old said. “But who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?”In the wide-ranging interview with Susan Page, Biden also said he was still considering pre-emptive pardons for foes of Donald Trump, including former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney and former senior health official Dr Anthony Fauci.In the interview published on Wednesday, Biden said he had been “very straightforward with Trump” about the potential pardons during their Oval Office meeting shortly after the November election. “I tried to make it clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores,” Biden said, adding Trump did not push back, but “just basically listened”. Biden said his ultimate decision will depend on who Trump selects for his cabinet. At that same meeting, Biden said Trump was “complimentary” about his economic record. “He [Trump] thought I was leaving with a good record,” the Democrat said. The interview with USA Today is the only exit interview Biden has so far given to a print publication.Media access to Biden has been strictly controlled by the White House – and the president has not held a news conference since he dropped out of the race on 21 July. In the interview, the outgoing president also defended the full and unconditional pardon he issued to his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases – tax evasion and illegally buying a gun – despite repeatedly insisting he would not do so.Biden, who first came to Capitol Hill in 1972 as a US senator, drew criticism from his own party over his apparent reluctance to drop out of the presidential race amid concerns over his age and mental acuity. Speaking to USA Today, Biden said “based on polling” he believed he would have won, but conceded his age may have affected him in office. “When Trump was running again for re-election, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him. But I also wasn’t looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old,” Biden said. “But I don’t know. Who the hell knows?”Following Vice-President Kamala Harris’ loss to Trump, high-ranking members of the Democratic party, such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have said the Democrats might have fared better in the election had Biden exited the race sooner.Harris, who Trump defeated in the 2024 election, presided over the event as required by the US Constitution.Among the allies the president-elect has chosen to join his administration are contentious figures, including among fellow Republicans.The president-elect has nominated RFK to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.The suspect used an “improvised incendiary device” to start the fire in Portland, Oregon, ahead of the US election.A week after losing the election, Kamala Harris’s team are still appealing for funds.Republicans have won control of both chambers of Congress, yielding Trump limited congressional oversight for at least 2 years.
The president and president-elect shook hands as part of a long-standing tradition signifying the transfer of power.Given all the things they’ve said about each other, Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s meeting could be really awkward.’I think Putin believes that he knows how to play Trump’, says Trump’s former adviser John Bolton.The Russian president says he was impressed by Trump’s reaction to the first assassination attempt against him.The president addressed Americans from the White House for the first time since Donald Trump’s election victory.After Donald Trump’s decisive victory, we asked Americans what they think made the difference for each campaign.The BBC’s Samira Hussain was on the ground for Harris’s concession speech at Howard University.The vice-president addressed supporters at Howard University in Washington DC, following her election defeat to Donald Trump.BBC NI asks people in Belfast how they feel about Donald Trump’s victory in the US election.
Donald Trump took the stage at his campaign watch party in West Palm Beach, Florida, and was met with loud cheers.Voters across the US have their say on the re-election of Donald Trump.Sir Keir Stamer and Kemi Badenoch react to Donald Trump’s US Election victory at PMQs.The first minister had backed Democrat Kamala Harris, which Trump’s Scottish business had branded “an insult”.Catch up on the key moments from election night.All five living presidents appeared together at the funeral service of former US President Jimmy Carter.The Republican will begin his second presidential term in January 2025.The outgoing vice-president is weighing her options, which could include another White House run, or a bid to be California’s governor.The Republicans’ slim House majority faced an early test with the re-election of Speaker Mike Johnson.The junior senator from Ohio shot to fame writing about his hard upbringing and morphed from a ‘never-Trumper’ into a Maga champion.Copyright 2025 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
