President Biden offered a candid explanation this week for why he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
“It’s a great honor to be president, but I think I have an obligation to the country to do the most important thing I can do, and that’s to defeat Trump,” Biden said in the interview. CBS Sunday Morningis scheduled to air on Sunday.
“When I first ran, I thought I would be a presidential replacement,” Biden added, “I can’t even tell you how old I am. It’s hard to put into words.”
Biden’s withdrawal from the race came weeks after a disastrous debate between the incumbent president and former President Trump and prompted growing calls among Democrats for him to step down.
Biden initially refused, saying only “God Almighty” could throw him out of the race. After Democratic representatives and senators began calling for him to withdraw and major donors threatened to withhold future contributions, he agreed to drop out of the race.
After Biden ultimately announced his withdrawal, he endorsed Vice President Harris, who quickly solidified support among the party’s elders.
In the same interview, Biden also said he was concerned the election results could lead to violence.
“All this talk about how if you lose, there’s going to be a bloodbath, this is a stolen election, but think about what they’re trying to do right now in the local precincts that are going to count the votes. They’re trying to put people in states that are going to count the votes,” Biden said. “You can only love your country if you win.”
