Biden Defends Timing of 2024 Withdrawal, Claims It Didn’t Affect Election Outcome

Former President Joe Biden has defended the timing of his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race in favor of his Vice President, Kamala Harris, suggesting it did not ultimately impact the election’s outcome. In a recent interview with BBC News, Biden addressed concerns that he may have left the race too late, arguing that his exit did not change the ultimate result.

"I don’t think it would have mattered," Biden stated in his first interview since leaving the White House. "We left at a time when we had a good candidate," he added, referring to Kamala Harris, who became the de facto Democratic nominee after Biden’s withdrawal. He further emphasized that Harris was "fully funded" and had the full support of the Democratic Party.

The decision to step aside was not easy, Biden acknowledged. "It was a hard decision," he said. "I think it was the right decision. It was just a difficult decision."

Despite Harris’s succession, she ultimately lost the election to President Donald Trump, prompting many Democrats to question whether Biden’s timing put her at a disadvantage. Some critics argued that a delayed withdrawal prevented a true primary process, hindering the party’s ability to select a stronger replacement candidate.

However, Biden rejected these assertions, stating, "I don’t think so." When pressed again by the BBC on whether he left too late, he replied, "I don’t know how that would have made much difference."

Biden explained that his administration’s accomplishments made it difficult to cede leadership to a new generation sooner, despite his initial intentions. "What we had set out to do, no one thought we could do," he said. "I’d become so successful in our agenda, it was hard to say, ‘I’m going to stop now.’" He reiterated that he had always intended to transition the government to the next generation, but the rapid pace of events made it challenging to step away. "Things moved so quickly that it made it difficult to walk away," he said.

The circumstances surrounding Biden’s withdrawal were heavily influenced by a perceived decline in his performance, particularly after a widely criticized debate against Donald Trump. Following that event, Biden faced mounting pressure from journalists, pundits, and even senior members of his own party to withdraw from the presidential race.

During his BBC interview, Biden’s raspy voice and apparent frailty echoed concerns raised during the debate. He later attributed his performance to a cold, but the event fueled existing questions about his mental and physical fitness. The debate performance sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party, contributing to his decision to withdraw less than a month later.

Notably, the debate was the culmination of years of liberal defenses of Biden’s mental acuity and dismissals of any reporting suggesting a decline. Following his withdrawal, some reporters have acknowledged that they may have failed to adequately cover the concerns surrounding Biden’s health and fitness for office.

At the recent White House Correspondents Dinner, Axios reporter Alex Thompson admitted that the press had fallen short in its coverage of Biden’s decline. "Being truth tellers also means telling the truth about ourselves. We, myself included, missed a lot of this story," Thompson said. He characterized the situation as a "cover-up by the people around him" and noted that "every White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception."

The episode has sparked a broader conversation about the media’s responsibility to thoroughly and accurately report on the health and fitness of political leaders, regardless of partisan considerations. It also highlights the challenges of balancing respect for individual privacy with the public’s right to know about the capabilities of those holding positions of power.

Biden’s recent interview sheds light on his perspective on the events leading up to his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, offering insights into his thinking and motivations. While he maintains that his decision did not alter the outcome of the election, the debate surrounding the timing of his exit and the media’s coverage of his health continues to resonate within political and media circles. The questions raised during this period have sparked important discussions about transparency, accountability, and the role of the press in holding leaders to account.