President Joe Biden had a rare moment with the press on Friday evening, opening up about his thoughts on the upcoming election, his time in office, and even some of the more surprising issues that have been buzzing in the political world.
Biden, 82, confidently shared that he believes both he and Vice President Kamala Harris could have beaten former President Donald Trump. Reflecting on his decision to step back from running for re-election, Biden said, “I think I would have beaten Trump. I think Kamala could have beaten Trump too.” He added that he thought it was crucial to unite the Democratic Party, and stepping aside was part of that effort. “I didn’t want to cause a divided party to lose the election,” he explained.
Despite his belief in Harris’s strength as a candidate, Biden didn’t directly address why she didn’t secure a win in key swing states when they ran together. His words, though, carried the message of party unity being more important than any one individual’s chance at the top spot.
As for Harris running again, Biden didn’t push too hard, leaving the decision to her: “I think she’s competent to run again in four years. That’s a decision for her to make.”
Things got a little awkward when a reporter asked Biden if he would ever consider pardoning himself. His response was a bit of a head-scratcher: “What would I pardon myself for? No, I have no contemplation of pardoning myself for anything. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Biden’s comments about pardons didn’t stop there. He did speak about his decision to pardon his son, Hunter, for certain tax and gun-related issues, but he made it clear he wasn’t about to use his power to pardon preemptively—especially in relation to Trump.
Biden didn’t hold back when discussing social media giants either. He criticized Mark Zuckerberg and Meta for moving away from fact-checking, calling it “completely contrary to everything America is about.” And as for Elon Musk, Biden didn’t mince words, saying, “A billionaire can buy something and say, from this point on, we’re not going to fact-check anything.”
On a lighter note, Biden chuckled when asked if he planned to follow in George W. Bush’s footsteps by staying “out of sight, out of mind.” His response? “I’m not going to be out of sight, out of mind.”
Before wrapping up, Biden spoke proudly about his administration’s economic accomplishments, pointing out that they’ve rewritten the playbook for America’s economy, focusing on growing from the middle out and the bottom up.
As the political stage heats up and the next election draws nearer, Biden made one thing clear: he’s not backing down anytime soon.
