First he stonewalled, then US President Joe Biden withdrew from the election campaign. Now he explains: He did not want to distract from the Democrats’ most important mission, defeating Trump.
In an interview, incumbent Joe Biden spoke about the reasons for his withdrawal as the Democratic candidate for the presidential election. He said it was about doing his best to protect democracy in the United States and prevent the re-election of Republican Donald Trump, Biden said in an interview with the US broadcaster CBS News. “We must, must, must beat Trump,” the 81-year-old stressed.
Joe Biden announces his withdrawal
Polls had predicted a neck-and-neck race between him and Trump, Biden said. But senators and representatives from his party had expressed fears that his persistence in the presidential candidacy could also cloud their own chances of success. He was subsequently worried that the question of whether he would remain a candidate would overshadow the election campaign. “I thought that would be a real distraction,” he said. In addition, he had already seen himself as a president of transition to a younger generation during the 2020 election campaign, Biden explained.
Biden announced his withdrawal as a candidate just over three weeks ago and spoke out in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden had come under heavy criticism for a largely unsuccessful performance in a TV debate with Trump at the end of June.
Disastrous TV duel
Even party colleagues suddenly began to more or less openly question whether he was still physically and mentally fit enough for another term in office. At first, however, Biden didn’t want to hear any of it and kept quiet. Less than a month after the TV debate, he finally announced his withdrawal.
For the Democrats, the unusual castling seems to have paid off just three months before the election in early November. Recent polls suggest that Harris and her newly chosen running mate, Governor Tim Walz, have a slightly better chance of defeating Trump. But even with the fresh wind in the Democrats’ ranks and the new enthusiasm among the party’s supporters, one thing is clear: According to the polls, it will continue to be a very close race.
