Former President Joe Biden dismissed concerns that his delayed withdrawal from the 2024 race cost Democrats the presidency, claiming in a recent interview that it had no real impact on the outcome of the election.
Speaking with BBC reporter Nick Robinson, Biden pushed back on the narrative that his late exit gave then- former President Donald Trump a strategic advantage. “I don’t think it would have mattered,” Biden said. When asked again whether leaving earlier could have changed the result, Biden doubled down: “I don’t think so… I don’t know how that would have made much difference.”
Biden, who dropped out after a widely criticized debate performance against President Trump, emphasized that Vice President Kamala Harris, who stepped in as the Democratic nominee, had the full backing of the party. “We left at a time when we had a good candidate,” he said, noting that Harris was “fully funded” and supported. “It was a hard decision. I think it was the right decision. It was just a difficult decision.”
Democratic strategists and party members have questioned whether Biden’s hesitation deprived the party of time for a competitive primary. Harris ultimately lost to Trump in the general election, fueling criticism that Biden stayed in too long.
Biden defended his tenure, calling it successful to the point that stepping aside wasn’t easy. “What we had set out to do, no one thought we could do… I’d become so successful in our agenda, it was hard to say, ‘I’m going to stop now.’” He maintained that he always intended to hand over leadership but said circumstances made it difficult to walk away.
