Biden Dropped Out Because “The Most Important Thing” Is “We Must Defeat Trump”: CBS News

In his first sit-down interview since dropping his 2024 campaign, President Joe Biden told CBS News reporter Robert Costa that he bowed out because he feared being a distraction in the Democrats’ efforts to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump. Their discussion, which aired on CBS Sunday Morning, touched on that infamous presidential debate, Biden’s plans for the rest of his campaign, and what another Trump presidency could look like.

“Although it’s a great honor being president, I think I have an obligation to the country,” Biden said. “The most important thing,” he continued, is “we must, we must, we must defeat Trump.”

The interview comes three weeks after Biden dropped out and swiftly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. What followed has been an expedited, energized whirlwind of a campaign for Harris and her newly minted VP pick, Minnesota governor Tim Walz. The Democrats revised ticket has shaken up their opponents’ strategy and thrown a wrench into what, prior to Biden’s decision, appeared to be a coordinated campaign. Much of Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance’s response has been filled with misogynistic and racist attacks on Harris.

Following Biden’s concerning debate performance in late June, Democratic legislators from across the country began calling for the president to rethink his campaign. Some of Biden’s closest allies, like former president Barack Obama, were getting remarkably worried. One main concern was that a lackluster response at the polls for Biden could negatively impact down-ballot races in tough competitions.

“Look,” Biden said during the CBS interview, “I had a really, really bad day in that debate because I was sick. But I have no serious problem,” adding at one point that he “can’t even say how old I am; it’s hard for me to get it outta my mouth.”

“What happened,” Biden began, explaining what led him to end his bid, “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, ‘Why did Nancy Pelosi say?’ ‘Why did so and so say?’” Biden continued. “I thought it would be a real distraction.”

Biden is planning to hit the campaign trail again in the coming months—but this time to cheer on his former running partner. The president said he is going to team up with Pennsylvania governor and veepstakes runner-up Josh Shapiro to secure that battleground state’s 19 electoral votes. Biden said he’ll visit other states, too, adding that he wants to do “whatever Kamala thinks I can do to help most.”

“I talk to [Harris] frequently, and by the way, I’ve known her running mate is a great guy,” Biden said of Walz. “As we say, if we grew up in the same neighborhood, we’d have been friends. He’s my kind of guy. He’s real, he’s smart. I’ve known him for several decades. I think it’s a hell of a team.”

In his remaining time in the office, Biden said he plans to focus on the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to avoid additional escalations toward regional war, claiming that a ceasefire deal during his presidency is “still possible.” His remarks come after an Israel Defense Forces airstrike on a school where individuals were sheltering killed at least 100 people and injured dozens more Saturday morning, according to Gaza’s civil defense. After the attack, the White House released a statement urging Israel “to minimize civilian harm.”

Biden also touched on his efforts to reform the Supreme Court, deeming the institution “so out of whack.” On July 29, the president released a three-part blueprint on how to ensure “that no one—neither the President nor the Supreme Court—is above the law.”

First, pass “a constitutional amendment that makes clear no President is above the law or immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office,” in response to the court’s recent immunity ruling siding with Trump.” Second, establish 18-year term limits for justices. Third, “Congress should pass binding, enforceable conduct and ethics rules” requiring that justices disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and recuse themselves from cases with conflicts of interest for their spouses or themselves.

A USA Today/Ipsos poll from early August found that a majority of both Democrats and Republicans were in favor of the reforms.

In Biden’s initial Oval Office address after leaving the race, he said that nothing “can come in the way of saving our democracy.” Even, he added, “personal ambition.” Throughout the interview between Biden and Costa, the president repeatedly returned to his anxieties about the future of American democracy should Trump win in November. “Mark my words,” Biden warned, “if he wins this [election], watch what happens, he’s a genuine danger to American security.”

Trump has said it will be a “bloodbath” if he doesn’t get elected.

When Costa asked the president if he was “confident” that there would be a peaceful transfer of power in 2025, Biden responded quickly.

“If Trump loses, I’m not confident at all.”