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Biden is ‘damaging Dem party’ by insisting he would’ve beat Trump as ‘costly miscalculations’ in last days as prez mount
Biden insisted he had an 'advantage' due to being an 'old guy'
JOE Biden is damaging his own political party by insisting he would've beat Donald Trump in the 2024 election, an ex-Obama official says.
Biden's remarks on how he could've defeated Trump are the latest miscalculation in a series of missteps during his final days in office, the expert told The U.S. Sun.
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President-elect defeated Vice President in a landslide Electoral College victory in November and is set to take the oath of office on January 20.
Now, with 12 days remaining in his presidency, firmly believes he would've secured a second term if he stayed in the 2024 race.
"It's presumptuous to say that, but I think yes," Biden told when asked if he could have won.
The statement has led to outrage as Biden seemingly slighted Harris - creating a further divide in the fractured party.
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"The role Joe Biden needs to be playing right now is helping to unify his party, helping to put in place a path going forward," Brett Bruen, former Director of Global Engagement during the administration, told The U.S. Sun in an exclusive interview.
"And quite frankly this is a distraction. This does further damage to the Democratic Party's efforts to find a new leader because he wants to debate whether or not he would've been the best leader for last year."
Bruen called Biden's remarks another miscalculation on his part in his final few weeks as president of the US.
"I think at the end of the day, Joe Biden is going to be leaving office having made a number of miscalculations both during his term but also - and especially - during these last several months.
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"We have seen from Biden the pardoning of his son, which drew a lot of criticism, including from Democratic circles, myself included."
He also questioned the amount of time Biden has spent out of office in the weeks since the election.
'Nothing to lose' Biden could issue blanket pardon for Harris - but it's a gift she wouldn't want to accept, analyst warns
"Also I think Biden's choice of how he has spent some of these last few weeks on vacation, Vice President Harris choosing to go on a whirlwind tour of the world, may not have been the best use of their time and ultimately may prove costly as Democrats are trying to prepare for the presidency of Donald Trump."
'BEST CHANCE' OF BEATING TRUMP
Biden admitted to USA Today that he was uncertain if he would have had the capability to complete four more years in .
"I had no intention of running after Beau died - for real, not a joke," the president said.
His son Beau died in 2015 at age 46 of brain , leading Biden to stay out of the 2016 presidential race.
"[Then, in 2020], when Trump was running again for reelection, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him.
"But I also wasn't looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old. And so I did talk about passing the baton.
"But I don't know. Who the hell knows? So far, so good. But who knows what I'm going to be when I'm 86 years old."
This does further damage to the Democratic Party's efforts to find a new leader because he wants to debate whether or not he would've been the best leader for last year.
Brett Bruen, ex-Obama administration official
Biden added that he had an "advantage" due to being an "old guy."
"I think the only advantage of being an old guy is that I've known every major world leader for a long time," he said.
"And, so, I had a perspective on each of them and their interests.
"And, so, I think it helped me navigate some of the fundamental changes taking place, whether it's in Europe, in Latin America, in the Middle East, in the far East."
President Biden has held a strong belief that he would have succeeded if he had followed through with his reelection plans.
Biden ended his reelection campaign in July and immediately endorsed Vice President Harris as the presidential nominee.
'WITHIN RANGE' OF A WIN
In an interview on in September, Biden said his polling always had him "within range of beating" Trump despite a disastrous presidential debate in June.
"I never fully believed the assertions that somehow there was this overwhelming reluctance of my running again, I didn't sense that," on the morning talk show.
"There were some folks who liked to see me step aside so they have a chance to move on.
"I get that, that's just human nature, but that wasn't the reason I stepped down."
Despite his decision to bow out of the race, Biden said he was at "peace" with his decision.
"As vice president, there wasn't a single thing that I did that she couldn't do," Biden said of Harris at the time.
In December, reported that President Biden and several of his aides still believe he should have remained in the race.
"Biden and these aides have told people in recent days that he could have defeated Trump," the outlet reported.
During his exit interview with USA Today, Biden shared a sneak peek of his close door meeting with President-elect Trump at the White House a week after Election Day.
Biden said his rival praised him on some of his policies as president.
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"He was very complimentary about some of the economic things I had done," the outgoing president said.
"And he talked about - he thought I was leaving with a good record."
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