Biden Says He Might Not Be Running If Trump Weren’t In The Race

President Joe Biden advised donors in Boston on Tuesday that he won’t be operating for reelection had Donald Trump not entered the race.

“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” Biden stated, based on reporters current on the occasion. “But we cannot let him win.”

Biden didn’t instantly elaborate on that thought course of, however the admission shouldn’t come as a lot of a shock.

Going again to 2020, Biden’s marketing campaign pitched him to voters because the celebration’s finest probability at stopping Trump from securing one other time period in workplace, arguing that an institution Democrat would do higher in swing states than his progressive rivals for the nomination.

When he succeeded in nabbing the nomination and profitable the overall election, Trump appeared unlikely to be a formidable opponent in 2024. He’d misplaced the common vote by a large margin, squandered help within the Republican Party over his position within the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol and declared that the American election system had been rigged towards him within the 2020 election.

But inside two years, Trump had introduced his candidacy. He’s at present polling because the front-runner for the GOP nomination by large margins.

Then there’s the elephant within the room: At 81 years outdated, Biden is the oldest sitting president in U.S. historical past, and greater than half of Democrats in a current ballot stated they’re involved about his psychological acuity and bodily well being.

However, Biden touted his age as an asset final month. “The only thing that comes with age is a little bit of wisdom. I’ve been doing this longer than anybody, and guess what? I’m going to continue to do it with your help,” he stated in a Labor Day speech in Philadelphia.

At 77, Trump can also be one of many oldest presidents to ever occupy the White House. If he had been to win one other four-year time period in 2024, he’d be 82 at its finish.

Top Democrats advised Reuters final week that Biden dropping out of the race for well being points or different considerations can be disastrous for the celebration.

“There is no Plan B. If he were … suddenly not to run, everyone you know would run. The VP scares no one,” a senior Democrat stated, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Polling final month, a 12 months earlier than the election, confirmed Trump forward of Biden in 5 key swing states: Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania.