President told co-hosts he didn't sense 'overwhelming reluctance' from Democrats about his re-election effort
President Biden says he didn't 'sense' reluctance from Democrats, insists he would have beat Trump
President Biden told the co-hosts of "The View" that he didn't sense an "overwhelming reluctance" from Democrats about his re-election effort and said he was "confident" he could have beat Donald Trump.
President Biden told the co-hosts of "The View" on Wednesday that he was "confident" he could have beaten former President Trump in November and said he didn't sense an "overwhelming reluctance" about his re-election effort from fellow Democrats.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin asked the president about the pressure coming from Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to drop out of the race following his debate with former President Trump in June.
"I never fully believed the assertions that somehow there was this overwhelming reluctance of my running again. I didn’t sense that," Biden said.
Biden joined the daytime talk show co-hosts, who have mostly expressed unbridled support for his presidency, after he decided to drop out of the race in July following weeks of pressure from his fellow Democrats. Biden quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place on the ticket after making his announcement.
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President Biden tells "The View" he didn't feel an overwhelming reluctance from Democrats about running for re-election. (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)
The president also argued that polling showed he was in the "range" of beating Trump.
"And although the polling, they say ‘Biden’s polling was different,’ the fact of the matter is my polling was about, you know, we were always within range of beating this guy," he said.
He said he didn't bow out due to the pressure from Democrats, but rather after thinking about his age.
Griffin asked Biden if he thought he would have won in November if he remained in the race.
"Yes," he said. "I was confident I would beat Trump, he's a loser."
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SAVANNAH, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives during a campaign rally at the Johnny Mercer Theatre on September 24, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia.(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg called out the Democrats who pressured the president to step down and said she didn't like how concerns over Biden's age were aired in public.
"You were my ride or die," Goldberg told the president.
"I didn't like the way it was done publicly. I thought they could have done this in a different way, because we didn’t need to hear all the inner fighting. I didn’t like it," she said.
After Biden's June debate performance, the "The View" co-hosts suggested he might need to be replaced on the ticket.
"It was really hard to watch and it kind of pains me to say this today, but I think President Biden needs to step down and be replaced," co-host Sara Haines said at the time.
Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.
