For the first time since withdrawing from the presidential race in favor of his vice president Kamala Harris, U.S. President Joe Biden revealed the reason behind his decision. In an interview set to air today, Sunday, on CBS, he hinted that the reason is the necessity of defeating his fierce Republican opponent, Donald Trump. He stated, "Although it is a great honor for me to be president, I believe I have a commitment to the country to do that," apparently referring to his withdrawal. He added, "We must defeat Trump. We have to beat him." Furthermore, he claimed, "When I first ran, I thought to myself that he could be a transitional president."
Regarding his age, he mentioned, "I can't even say how old I am. It’s very hard for me to say that," according to the New York Post. It is noted that Biden had rejected last month the idea of withdrawing his presidential nomination, asserting that "only God can take me out of the race." However, the pressures he faced later, especially from several Democratic members of the House and Senate who urged him to withdraw, along with warnings from many of his campaign’s major donors about stopping their support, pushed him to make this difficult decision. This comes after weeks of a debate deemed catastrophic between him and former President Donald Trump, who was leading him by a few points according to polls at the time.
Additionally, Biden's decision followed the expressed concerns of many Democrats, particularly the younger segment of the party, about the president’s age and his ability to fulfill the duties of a second term, as Biden is around 82 years old.
