Biden Drops Out Because “The Most Important Thing” Is “We Have to Defeat Trump”: CBS News
In him first sit down interview Since canceling his 2024 campaign, President Joe Biden told CBS News reporter Robert Costa that he bow because he feared it would distract from the Democrats’ efforts to defeat the Republican nominee. Donald TrumpTheir discussion, which aired on CBS Sunday Morning, touched on that. scandalous presidential debateBiden’s plans for the rest of the campaign and what a Trump presidency might look like.
“While it is a great honor to be president, I think I have a duty to the country,” Biden said. “The most important thing,” he continued, is “we have to, we have to, we have to defeat Trump.”
The interview took place three weeks after Biden dropped out of school and quickly supported the Vice President Kamala HarrisWhat followed was a fast-paced and energetic campaign for Harris and her newly appointed vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The Democrats have revised their ticket. shaken competitor’s strategy and throw a wrench into what, before Biden’s decisionappears to be a coordinated campaign. Much of Trump and the Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vanceresponse was filled with misogynist And racism the attacks about Harris.
After Biden on debate performance In late June, Democratic lawmakers across the country began calling on the president to reconsider his campaign. Some of Biden’s closest allies, such as former President Barack Obamais receiving significant concern. A major concern is Biden’s weak showing in the polls. may have negative impact The race for voting rights is fiercely contested.
“Look,” Biden said in an interview with CBS, “I had a really, really bad day in that debate because I was sick. But I had no major problems,” adding that he “couldn’t even say how old I was; it was hard for me to say that.”
“What happened,” Biden began, explaining why he ended his campaign, “was that some of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought I was going to hurt them in the race. And I was concerned that if I stayed in the race, that would be the subject.”
“You’re going to interview me about, ‘Why Nancy Pelosi say? ‘Why is this person saying that?’” Biden continued. “I think that would be a real distraction.”
Biden is planning to hit the campaign trail again in the coming months—but this time to cheer on his former running mate. The president said he will work with the Pennsylvania governor and veepstakes election runner-up Josh Shapiro to secure that battleground state’s 19 electoral votes. Biden said he would also visit other states, adding that he wanted to do “whatever Kamala thinks I can do to help the most.”
“I talk to [Harris] regularly, and by the way, I know her running mate is a great guy,” Biden said of Walz. “As we say, if we grew up in the same neighborhood, we’d be friends. He’s the kind of guy I like. He’s down to earth, he’s smart. I’ve known him for decades. I think it’s a great team.”
During his remaining time in office, Biden said he plans to focus on the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to avoid further escalation into a regional war, saying a ceasefire during his presidency is “still possible.” His comments came after an Israeli airstrike on a school where civilians were sheltering. killed At least 100 people and dozens more were injured on Saturday morning, according to Gaza’s civil defense force. Following the attack, the White House announced declare urged Israel to “minimize harm to civilians”.
Biden also mentioned effort to reform the Supreme Court, calling the institution “totally unbalanced.” On July 29, the president release a three-part blueprint for how to ensure “no one—not the President or the Supreme Court—is above the law.”
First, pass “a constitutional amendment making clear that no President is above the law or immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office,” in response to the court’s ruling. recent immunity ruling sided with Trump.” Second, establish 18-year term limits for judges. Third, “Congress should adopt binding, enforceable rules of conduct and ethics” requiring judges to disclose gifts, refrain from overt political activity, and decline to take on cases that present a conflict of interest to their spouse or themselves.
ONE USA Today/Ipsos probe Polls from early August show that a majority of both Democrats and Republicans support reform.
In Biden’s first Oval Office remarks since leaving the race, he said nothing “can stand in the way of saving our democracy.” Even, he added, “personal ambition.” Throughout Biden’s interview with Costa, the president repeatedly reiterated his concerns about the future of American democracy if Trump wins in November. “Mark my words,” Biden warned, “if he wins this election [election]Look what happens, he is a real danger to the security of America.”
Trump has said it will be a “bloodbath” if he is not elected.
When Costa asked the president if he was “confident” there would be a peaceful transfer of power in 2025, Biden was quick to respond.
“If Trump loses, I don’t trust him at all.”
