A “real danger to the security of America.” This is how US President Joe Biden described his former rival Donald Trump, in his first interview since withdrawing his re-election bid, this Sunday, August 11. After their debate at the end of June, which had sparked much criticism outside and within his party – Joe Biden having appeared overwhelmed on several occasions, unable to follow his train of thought – the current American president initially wanted to be reassuring to the journalist from “CBS Sunday Morning”: “I was really, really having a bad day during this debate because I was sick, but I don’t have a serious problem,” he said.
But Joe Biden also acknowledged that his poor performance played a significant role in the decision to withdraw: “The polls we had showed […] that the results would have been very close. […] But what happened was that many of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the race. And I was afraid that if I stayed, that would be the issue,” he added. Especially since for Joe Biden, the “critical question” of the next election is “to maintain democracy or not.” “Even though it’s a great honor to be president, I think I have an obligation to the country to do what is the most important thing that can be done, which is to defeat Donald Trump,” he said.
A recurring criticism
The charge against Donald Trump is not new. Last May, Joe Biden accused his former rival of “threatening [la] democracy”, in a message on X (ex-Twitter). In particular, the cause: Trump’s contestation of his trial which he considered “rigged”, after his conviction for falsified accounting for concealed payments to an X-rated film actress. Last April, Joe Biden had reiterated his criticism, pointing out Trump’s late response to the assault on the Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.
“If Trump loses next November to Vice President Kamala Harris, I have absolutely no confidence in a peaceful transfer of power,” Joe Biden said to the CBS journalist. Regarding the latter’s candidacy, the American president is nevertheless confident: “I talk to her often and, by the way, I know that her running mate is a great guy. He’s sincere, he’s smart. I’ve known him for several decades. I think they’re a hell of a team,” he concluded.