I Would Have Defeated Trump In November – Biden
US President Joe Biden has said he would have defeated Donald Trump and won re-election last November.
Speaking to USA Today, Biden did, however, add that he was unsure if he would have had the stamina for another four-year term.
Biden said “based on polling” he believed he would have won, but conceded his age may have affected him in office.
“When Trump was running again for re-election, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him. But I also wasn’t looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old,” Biden said. “But I don’t know. Who the hell knows?”
In the wide-ranging interview with Susan Page, Biden also said he was still considering pre-emptive pardons for foes of Donald Trump, including former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney and former senior health official Dr Anthony Fauci.
In the interview published on Wednesday, Biden also said he had been “very straightforward with Trump” about the potential pardons during their Oval Office meeting shortly after the November election.
Biden said his ultimate decision will depend on who Trump selects for his cabinet.
At that same meeting, Biden said Trump was “complimentary” about his economic record.
The interview with USA Today is the only exit interview Biden has so far given to a print publication.
Media access to Biden has been strictly controlled by the White House – and the president has not held a news conference since he dropped out of the race on 21 July.
