Biden Stands By Decision To Delay Ending Campaign, Says It Wouldn’t Have ‘Mattered’ If He’d Dropped Out Sooner

Former U.S. President Joe Biden continues to defend his decision to drop out of the presidential election when he did, claiming in an interview with the BBC that he didn’t “think it would’ve mattered” if he had exited sooner.

Biden, who withdrew from the presidential race only 106 days before election day, has been criticized extensively for leaving former Vice President Kamala Harris such a short time to campaign.

Biden commented that his presidency was “so successful” that “it was hard to say, now I’m going to stop.”

Following a disastrous performance in a June debate against Trump, Biden was bombarded by pleas to step out of the race due to concerns surrounding his age and health. These requests came from the public and other Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House.

Biden eventually decided to step down after repeatedly stating he would not leave the race. He called it a “hard decision” but the “right” one.

Others in the Democratic party disagreed not with Biden’s decision to stop running but with its timing.

“I thought back in May of 2023, he should get out,” according to James Carville, the Democratic political consultant, told the New York Times.

“The stuff [Harris] had to deal with in the general she would have dealt with in the primary,” Carville said. “She would have answered that question — how will you be different from Biden — 100 times, at 100 debates, at 100 town halls, and 100 barbecues.”

With such a short campaign, she was unable to build a significant lead against her opponent, now President Donald Trump. Harris lost all seven battleground states and the popular vote.