Joe Biden regrets having pulled out of this year’s presidential race and believes he would have defeated Donald Trump in last month’s election – despite negative poll indications, White House sources have said.

The US president has reportedly also said he made a mistake in choosing Merrick Garland as attorney general – reflecting that Garland, a former US appeals court judge, was slow to prosecute Donald Trump for his role in the 6 January 2021 insurrection while presiding over a justice department that aggressively prosecuted Biden’s son Hunter.

With just more than three weeks of his single-term presidency remaining, Biden’s reported rueful reflections are revealed in a Washington Post profile that contains the clearest signs yet that he thinks he erred in withdrawing his candidacy in July after a woeful debate performance against his rival for the White House, Trump, the previous month.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    12
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    He likely would not have won. It surprises me how discrepancies in this election haven’t been questioned, but at this point it may not matter. As for his choice of Merrick Garland. Yeah, that and not really doing much about unseating DeJoy was a mistake.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    33
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    He could have defeated medicare too.

    Seems like this is his way of arrogantly throwing Harris under the bus for his own historically low ratings, starting back in 2022 after Roe was lost. Theres no way he could have done better than Harris. With him running it would have been an even bigger blowout. He seems to think he could run a genocide against his parties wishes and then go on to win an election. Its idiotic.

  • Steal Wool
    link
    fedilink
    English
    76 months ago

    I guess when you’re president t of the US you get access to the really cood crack

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    206 months ago

    Anyone who figured out messaging beyond “Look how bad Trump is, even Bush republicans won’t vote for him” probably wins that election. No one had a broad vision to latch for sale, and no one did anything inspiring.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    17
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    Hell, he might be right (I doubt it but you never know). BUT better than either of those options would have been if he’d announced by 2023 that he would not be running for reelection (like he campaigned on!) so the Dems could have had a full field and competitive primaries. That would have given them the best chance to win (but would they have? kinda doubt that too).

    I DO agree with his understatement that his Garland decision was a mistake. Not just a mistake, a disaster!

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      46 months ago

      He could have stepped down in 2022, given Kamala his last two years, and she would still be eligible for two more terms after that. She would have had incumbency, experience, and a younger face than the oldest guy who ever ran for president.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    76 months ago

    He probably had a better chance than Harris. Might not have won either way, but sadly I suspect the odds were better with him.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        86 months ago

        Yeah there was a huge stink on him. It wasn’t just the debate. His every appearance and utterance just made him look geriatric. The debate just made it so obvious he was indefensible.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        46 months ago

        He also wasnt campaigning very much at all. It was all naptimes, no speeches after 6pm, and using surrogates.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      36 months ago

      It’s possible. I thought hardcore misogyny was on a downward trend but fuck was I wrong

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        46 months ago

        Anything to avoid admitting that Harris lost because the only way she differentiated herself from Biden was moving to his right.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        66 months ago

        I honestly don’t think people care that much about a woman running. Because at that level, their gender is not ‘man’ or ‘woman’ but ‘politician’.

        People didn’t vote for Hillary Clinton because she was quite unlikeable and the campaign centred around it being ‘her turn’. People didn’t vote for Harris because she was generally invisible and had to run a very truncated campaign. The fact that both were women was the least of their worries.

        Other countries have elected women leaders with no issues. Heck, you see women presidents all the time in movies and TV shows. Nobody bats an eye.

  • circuitfarmer
    link
    fedilink
    1196 months ago

    Not a chance in hell.

    It does highlight how out of touch those in the gerontocracy are, however.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    576 months ago

    His own staff had data that showed he would have lost even more electoral votes, giving Trump 400 instead of the 312. Biden is not aware of this data though. Kind of makes you think his staff is still heavily censoring what he sees.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    326 months ago

    Fuck’s sake. As deluded as he was when he stayed in despite internal polling showing him losing in a landslide. Fuckwad very well may have handed American democracy over to its execution.

    • Avid Amoeba
      link
      fedilink
      11
      edit-2
      6 months ago

      There was some discussion I saw that alleged those polls never reached him. Instead ended at the inner staffers.

      Not excusing his current opinion.