Biden Says He Could Have Defeated Trump in 2024 Election

Facts

• US Pres. Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would have defeated Donald Trump in the November election if he'd carried on as the Democratic candidate. However, the 82-year-old also said that, given his age, he wasn't sure how he would have fared in a prospective second term.^[1][2]
• Citing polling data he claimed to have seen, Biden said of his chances of winning: "it's presumptuous to say [...] but I think [I would have won]." He added that Trump was "very complimentary about some of the economic things" Biden had done.^[3][4]
• Biden quit the race in July 2024, at a point when Kamala Harris was outperforming him against Trump. Reflecting on his long political career, the president responded to a query about him being able to handle four more years saying, "who the hell knows."^[5][6]
• He said "the only advantage of being an old guy is that I’ve known every major world leader for a long time." In the exit interview with USA Today, Biden said he's undecided on whether to issue pre-emptive pardons before leaving office.^[7][8]
• Biden also said he wanted to be remembered for having a plan to steer the US economy post-Covid-19-pandemic and re-establishing US global leadership. Claiming that he'd not intended to run for president in 2020, Biden said he did it anyway to defeat Trump.^[5][9]
• Pres. Biden added that he had told Trump during a meeting at the White House not to try and settle scores against his critics. Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20 as the 47th US president, becoming only the second to serve two non-consecutive terms.^[7][10]

Sources: ^[1]Daily Mail, ^[2]The New York Times, ^[3]ABC News, ^[4]Daily Wire, ^[5]The Hill, ^[6]Rolling Stone, ^[7]USA Today, ^[8]NBC, ^[9]The Straits Times and ^[10]Newsweek.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Newsweek and The Guardian. Joe Biden's instincts about his own electability are absolutely justified. He maintained stronger support among the crucial demographics that ultimately swung the election, particularly union voters and men. The Teamsters' data showed Biden significantly outperforming Harris against Trump, and his established political identity and authenticity resonated with voters in ways Harris couldn't match in her brief 107-day campaign.
• Right narrative, as provided by New York Post and DW. The evidence strongly contradicts Pres. Biden's belief that he could have defeated Trump in 2024. YouGov polling just before the election showed Biden trailing Trump by seven points while Harris led by three, with Biden underperforming across every demographic group, including men, women, Hispanics, and independents. His unfavorable ratings remained consistently lower than Harris's and there's no doubt he would have performed worse had he continued in the election.