President Joe Biden discussed his reasons for dropping out of the presidential race in his first interview since making that announcement on July 21.
Biden said he worried about being a “distraction” for down-ballot Democrats, while partaking in a pre-recorded interview that aired on “CBS Sunday Morning” on Aug. 11 with host Robert Costa.
“What happened was a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was gonna hurt them in the races. And I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic you’d be interviewing me about,” Biden said.
Biden faced calls from both present and past Democrat lawmakers to exit the race after his underwhelming debate performance with former President Donald Trump on June 27. The president quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after announcing his departure on July 21.
“When I ran the first time, I thought of myself as being a transition president,” Biden said. After facing calls to suspend his campaign, Biden held a press conference on July 11 and asked voters to let him finish the work he started in his first term.
“I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m here to complete the job I started,” he said at the time.
On Sunday, Biden said “things got moving so quickly” after he was elected in 2020 that his original aim to be a transitionary leader was overshadowed by the work he wanted his administration to accomplish and the feeling of his “obligation to the country.”
He said Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is “my kind of guy,” and suggested the two would have been friends if they grew up in the same neighborhood. The president said he also plans to tour his original home state of Pennsylvania with Gov. Josh Shapiro, whom he called a friend.
“He and I are putting together a campaign tour in Pennsylvania. I’m going to be campaigning in other states as well. I’m going to do whatever Kamala thinks I can do to help the most.”
The president is also expected to make a speech at the Democratic National Convention next week, where Harris and Walz will be formally nominated to the party’s 2024 presidential ticket.
Biden also discussed how he would like to be remembered as the 46th U.S. president.
“We’re the most powerful economy in the world, and more to do,” and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic “demonstrated that we can pull the nation together.”
Biden said when he first launched his candidacy, he hoped to “restore the soul of America,” build the economy “from the middle out, not the top down,” and bring the country together.
“I’ve always believed, and I still do—the American people are good and decent, honorable people.”
