“If he wins, watch what happens” — Biden warns

U.S. President Joe Biden surprised many when he announced he will not seek re-election in 2024, stepping aside to endorse his Vice, Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate.

Biden, at 81, revealed his choice via a heartfelt letter posted on his X account, marking the end of his bid for a second term.

In an exclusive interview with CBS News’ Bob Costa on Sunday, August 11, Biden opened up about the personal and political pressures that influenced his decision. Reflecting on the mounting concerns about his age and mental fitness—intensified by a rocky debate performance on June 27—Biden admitted that the advice and pressure from fellow Democrats were significant factors in his choice to withdraw.

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He said:

“Look, polls we had showed it was a neck-and-neck race, it would have been down to the wire. A number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to 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 why did Nancy Pelosi say -why did – and I thought it’d be a real distraction.”

Biden’s comments included a notable reference to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with whom he had not communicated for some time. His remarks suggest that internal party dynamics and strategic considerations played a crucial role in his decision-making process.

He added:

“Number two, when I ran the first time, I thought of myself as being a transition President. I can’t even say how old I am — it’s hard for me to get out of my mouth, and uh, but things got moving so quickly it didn’t happen.”

The President underscored his commitment to protecting democracy as a primary motivation for stepping aside, stating:

“But I thought it was important because although I, it’s a great honour being President, I think I have an obligation to the country to do what I, the most important thing you can do, and that is we must, we must, we must defeat Trump.”

Biden’s exit from the race comes amid a turbulent political climate, with heightened concerns about the integrity of the upcoming election. The President expressed his lack of confidence in a peaceful transition of power should Trump win, saying:

“If Trump wins, no I’m not confident at all,” before quickly correcting himself.

“I mean if Trump loses, I’m not confident at all. He means what he says, we don’t take him seriously. He means it, all this stuff about, if we lose it’ll be a bloodbath, it’ll be a stolen [election]. Look what they’re trying to do now, in the local election districts where people count the votes. Putting people in place in states that they’re going to count the votes, right? You can’t love your country only when you win.”

Adding to the gravity of his warnings, Biden referred to Trump as “a genuine danger to American security” and emphasized the stakes of the election:

“Mark my words, if he wins … watch what happens,” he warned.