US President Joe Biden reportedly expressed private regret over his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential campaign, believing he could have defeated Donald Trump. According to the Washington Post, Biden acknowledged leadership mistakes, including political decisions and communication problems, such as his poor performance in a June TV debate that raised concerns about his age and cognitive abilities.
The article, published on December 28, quotes sources from the White House saying that Biden believes he could have stayed in the race despite the challenges that led to his withdrawal. These feelings emerged in recent private conversations, the newspaper reported.
Biden’s decision to step back in July followed a TV debate with Trump, which drew criticism and amplified concerns about his age and cognitive abilities. He publicly admitted to having an underwhelming performance during the event and said he had “made a mistake” because he struggled to articulate his policies clearly.
This decision paved the way for Vice President Kamala Harris, who went on to lose to Trump in the November elections.
In addition to his regret over the withdrawal, Biden privately expressed his discontent with his choice of Merrick Garland as Attorney General. He reportedly expressed frustration over the perceived delays in the Justice Department’s prosecution of Trump, citing the alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election and the mishandling of classified documents.
Sources said Biden believes that if the Justice Department had acted faster on the allegations against Trump, it could have led to a politically damaging process for Trump before the election.
Biden also criticized the Justice Department under Garland for the “aggressiveness” in the investigations against his son, Hunter Biden, according to media reports.
Hunter Biden was convicted in June of lying about his long-term drug addiction during the purchase of a firearm and pleaded guilty in September to multiple tax delinquencies, with a scheduled sentencing for that month. On December 1, Joe Biden pardoned his son, despite having previously promised not to intervene. The President argued that Hunter was “selectively and unfairly” targeted due to their family ties.
These revelations come amid Biden’s broader reflections on his presidency.
Earlier this month, he admitted to making some mistakes, including his decision not to put his name on COVID-19 relief checks, which he believed led to his administration being unrecognized for its economic efforts.
In a recently released podcast, the President also discussed the challenges arising from the changing media landscape. He noted that the dissemination of information sources has made it difficult to effectively convey the achievements of his administration in an environment where the public often chooses news that aligns with their own perspective.