Putin Endorses ‘Predictable’ Biden Over Trump in 2024 Presidential Race

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with President Joe Biden during a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16, 2021. Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin picked President Joe Biden as the candidate he wants to see win the 2024 presidential election, calling the incumbent Democrat a “more predictable” person to work with.

During an interview with the state-owned television channel Russia-1 on Wednesday, President Putin was asked which presidential candidate, President Biden or former President Donald Trump, would be better for Moscow. “Biden,” President Putin replied. “He’s more experienced, more predictable. He’s an old-school politician. But we will work with any U.S. leader who the American people have confidence in.”

During a campaign rally in South Carolina on Wednesday, President Trump referenced President Putin’s endorsement for the upcoming elections.

“President Putin of Russia has just given me a great compliment actually. He’s just said that he would much rather have Joe Biden as president than Trump. Now that’s a compliment. A lot of people said, ‘Oh gee, that’s too bad.’ No, no, that’s a good thing.”

“I got along good with him [Putin], but he doesn’t want to have me. He wants to have Biden because he’s going to be given everything he wants, including Ukraine. That’s a gift, he’s got a gift, he’s going to have his dream of getting Ukraine because of Biden. The whole thing is just crazy ... The only president in the last five that hasn’t given Russia anything is a president known as Donald J. Trump.”

The former president also pointed out that during his presidency he put a brake on the construction of Nord Stream 2, a controversial German-Russian pipeline that was supposed to carry natural gas from Russia to Europe.

“I’m the one that stopped Nord Stream 2, probably the biggest pipeline anywhere in the world ... He [Biden] got into office, and he immediately approved it. I said, ‘I can’t believe it.’”

The Trump administration opposed Nord Stream 2 due to concerns it would increase European dependence on Russia as an energy source.

President Putin’s comments come as President Trump is leading President Biden in the polls.

According to a Feb. 12 update by Morning Consult, 43 percent of likely U.S. voters said they would vote for President Trump, a 1 percentage point lead over President Biden who got a backing of 42 percent.

President Trump was also favored among independents, having a 6 percentage point lead over President Biden. While only 80 percent of people who voted for President Biden in 2020 intend to elect him again this time around, President Trump had the backing of 89 percent.

“While Biden led Trump for most of 2023, he now consistently trails his most likely challenger, with Trump making up ground since the summer as the Republican presidential primary heated up,” Morning Consult said.

“Biden has also seen his popularity edge over Trump wane since the GOP’s nominating contest picked up steam several months ago.”

Biden’s Mental Health

During his interview, President Putin was also asked about the controversy surrounding President Biden’s health.

“I once met with Biden in Switzerland. It was several years ago. And there was already talk then about him being incapacitated. I didn’t see anything like that. Yes, he was peeking at his paper. I peeked at mine, to be honest … I’m not a doctor. And I don’t think I’m entitled to any comment on that,” President Putin said.

A Feb. 8 report by Special Counsel Robert Hur included an evaluation of President Biden’s mental fitness, describing the 81-year-old as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” It also called the president’s memory “hazy,” “faulty,” and “significantly limited.”

During an interview with the special counsel’s office, President Biden was unable to recall the start or end of his vice presidency, the report stated. The president also struggled to remember major events like the timing of his son’s death and key matters related to Afghanistan.

The White House attacked the report, calling it “politically motivated” and “gratuitous.”

Speaking to CBS, Bob Bauer, President Biden’s attorney, said that the Democrat “does not” have any memory problems. He also cited issues with the special counsel interview.

“There were a couple of occasions when the special counsel, who had flagged at the beginning that sometimes he asks imprecise questions, asked questions that the President picked apart as a matter of logic. He showed that the questions didn’t have a logical underpinning,” he said.

“Now, everybody in the room recognized that was the case, that showed the president was listening carefully and understood precisely what was wrong with those questions.”

In late December, President Trump had also questioned President Biden’s mental faculties. “The guy can’t talk. The guy can’t put two sentences together. So, I do think this: I cannot believe he’s going to be the nominee. I hope he is. But I can’t believe he’s going to be the nominee,” the former president said in an interview with Breitbart.

Speaking to Fox News in November, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), who previously served as a White House physician, said that President Biden’s cognitive decline is “happening quickly.”

“I’ve taken care of three presidents ... So, I know firsthand what it takes to be the commander-in-chief and the head of state. It’s a grueling job, both mentally and physically. This man can’t do the job. He’s proven to us every single day that he can’t do the job, but this is going to get worse,” Mr. Jackson said.

A Feb. 12 poll by Morning Consult found that “more voters are confident in Trump’s mental fitness and health than Biden’s.”

Only 38 percent agreed that President Biden is “mentally fit” for the job, lower than the 49 percent who deemed President Trump to be “mentally fit.” Among independents, President Trump was seen as being in better shape mentally than President Biden.