In his first TV interview since withdrawing from the US Presidential election, President Joe Biden explained his sudden exit saying he acted under pressure from fellow Democrats as his highest priority was to defeat Donald Trump in November. Brushing off concerns about his age and mental acuity, Biden, 81, asserted he has “no serious problem” with his health, and blamed his poor debate performance on being sick at the time.
The US President told broadcaster CBS News that his Democratic colleagues standing for reelection feared the public focus on his age and mental abilities was damaging their chances of winning the November 5 polls.
In the short TV interview, recorded in the White House last week and broadcast on Sunday, Biden also pledged to campaign for Kamala Harris--who has replaced him on the ballot-- saying he was going to do whatever his vice-president thinks he "can do to help most".
The chances of Democrats winning the presidential poll have soared since Biden's withdrawal, with VP Harris enjoying a surge in support that has left Trump and the Republicans struggling.
"A number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the (election) races...I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic you'd be interviewing me about," he said.
The President singled out former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose refusal to explicitly back his campaign was seen by many as pivotal.
"You'd be interviewing me about why did Nancy Pelosi say (something)... I thought it'd be a real distraction," Biden told CBS.
"A critical issue for me still is -- not a joke -- maintaining this democracy...I have an obligation to the country to do what is the most important thing we can do, and that is -- we must, we must, we must defeat Trump," he added.
“Mark my words, if he (Trump) wins… this election, watch what happens...He’s a genuine danger to American security. Look, we’re at an inflection point in world history… and democracy is the key," Biden added.
The outgoing president also stressed he was proud of his record on jobs, investment and Covid recovery and said he had expected to serve only one term when he won in 2020.
Claiming that he had been persuaded to push for a second, Biden said, "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 it out of my mouth -- but things got moving so quickly, it didn't happen."
Biden has so far kept a low profile since ending his second-term bid on July 21, following a Democrat revolt against him after questionable debate performance against Trump.