Biden Defends 2024 Exit Timing, Criticizes Trump

In his first interviews since leaving office, former President Joe Biden firmly defended the timing of his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, stating he has no regrets and does not believe an earlier exit would have changed the election result. Biden explained he stepped aside when Vice President Kamala Harris was fully prepared and funded to take over but admitted the decision was difficult due to pride in his administration’s achievements and his original intent to lead as a transitional president. Despite criticism from within the Democratic Party that his late withdrawal left little time for Harris’s campaign and contributed to her loss to Donald Trump, Biden maintained that the rapid pace of events made stepping down challenging. He reiterated his focus on preparing the party for new leadership but said his accomplishments made it hard to leave sooner. Biden also criticized Trump’s foreign policy, highlighting threats to NATO and risks of appeasing authoritarian leaders. Ultimately, Biden concluded that his decision was the right one, attributing the timing to circumstance rather than miscalculation.