Biden casts doubt on his fitness to serve another four years days before term ends
U.S. President Joe Biden, in a new interview days before he leaves office, cast doubt on his fitness to serve another four years even as he maintained that he could have won election to a second term.
The outgoing Democratic president also told USA Today in the interview published Wednesday that he tried during his Oval Office meeting with President-elect Donald Trump to discourage the Republican from going after his political opponents, as he has said he would. And Biden said he had not decided whether to issue sweeping pardons to preemptively protect those individuals from any possible retribution by Trump or the incoming administration.
“I don't know,” Biden responded when USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page asked if he would've had the vigor to serve another four years in office. Biden and Page sat down at the White House on Sunday for the president's rare interview with a print publication.
Biden, 82, talks about how he didn't intend to run for president in 2020, but says that when Trump sought reelection last year, “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."
“But I don't know. Who the hell knows?" he added. “So far, so good. But who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?”
Did he believe he could have been reelected? “It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think yes," Biden said. He said his assessment was “based on the polling” he reviewed, but he did not elaborate.
Concerns about Biden's age and fitness had followed him since he announced his bid for reelection, but he dropped out of the presidential race under pressure last July after faltering in a debate against Trump. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. She lost to the Republican.
In the interview, Biden said he was considering preemptive pardons but had not decided whether to issue any. When he and Trump met in the Oval Office after the election, Biden said, “I tried to make it clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores.”
Trump didn't answer one way or the other, Biden said, adding, “He just basically listened.”
Biden said his “greatest fear” is that Trump will eliminate parts of major climate legislation Biden signed in 2022. He also took Trump to task for implying that the driver of the deadly New Year's Day vehicle attack in New Orleans was an immigrant who had entered the U.S. from Mexico.
The FBI has identified the driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas and an Army veteran. Fourteen people were killed and nearly three dozen were injured in the attack. Jabbar was killed by police.
Biden said he bets many people read what Trump said about the attacker and believe it.
“How do you deal with that?” he said, referring to his successor as someone "not known for telling the truth.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE UPDATES Here's the latest on the most destructive fire in L.A. County history
A series of wildfires are tearing through densely populated parts of the Los Angeles, Calif. area. Five people have been reported dead. About 130,000 have been asked to evacuate. Nearly 2,000 homes and other buildings have been destroyed after the fires charred about 108 square kilometres.
Multiple Chinese warships track Canadian HMCS Ottawa through the South China Sea
The silhouettes of a hulking Chinese Navy destroyer dubbed 'Changsha' and a warship called the 'Yuncheng' can been seen hovering along the horizon, mirroring HMCS Ottawa’s movements.
'True when I said it, true today': former Canadian PM Harper pushes back against Trump on social media
Former prime minister Stephen Harper doesn’t find U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s jibes about Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state very amusing.
Ontario ready to deploy more than 150 firefighters to California, Ford calls situation 'devastating'
More than 150 Ontario firefighters are standing by and ready to be deployed to California as the state battles unprecedented wildfires, which have displaced more than 100,000 residents and left five people dead.
Canadian travellers now require an ETA to enter U.K. Here's what to know
Starting Jan. 8, Canadians visiting the U.K. for short trips will need to secure an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before boarding their flight, according to regulations set out by the U.K. government.
'Side by side': How one B.C. couple is finding joy in the face of devastating circumstances
Hayley and Bill Atkinson’s love story begins that night he abruptly left in the middle of playing a card game with friends, and didn’t return for a long time.
BREAKING Toronto police investigating parental abduction, three-year-old boy believed to be in India
A parental abduction investigation is underway after a father allegedly failed to return to Canada with his three-year-old son after a trip to India, Toronto police say.
Winnipeg man charged with sexually assaulting children at daycare: police
Police have charged a man with sexually assaulting two children at an unlicensed daycare in Winnipeg.
Cape Breton police ask for public's help in finding Justin MacDonald's remains
Police in Cape Breton are asking for the public’s help in finding the remains of a missing man they believe was murdered.
Local Spotlight
'Side by side': How one B.C. couple is finding joy in the face of devastating circumstances
Hayley and Bill Atkinson’s love story begins that night he abruptly left in the middle of playing a card game with friends, and didn’t return for a long time.
Long live the King: N.B. tribute artist to honour Elvis' 90th birthday with special performance
Though it has been nearly five decades since Elvis' death, his music and influence continue to inspire fans around the world, including tribute artist Thane Dunn of Moncton, N.B.
4 generations on 1 lot: One family's creative response to B.C.'s housing crisis
A single lot in Delta, B.C., that used to be home to a single rancher built in the 80s is the site of four separate homes, housing four generations of the same family.
'Unacceptable': Removal of beaver dam in Manitoba community sends surge downstream
The removal of a beaver dam in a rural Manitoba community is having some unintended consequences, sending a small flood downstream, catching residents off-guard.
Project Linus: Moncton group marks 15 years of handing out blankets to thousands of children
For 15 years, those who volunteer for the Greater Moncton chapter of Project Linus have been making blankets for children who need comfort at challenging time in their lives.
Social media-famous corgi from Kitchener, Ont. rescues owner
A captivating canine is being hailed as a hero after one of his owners took a terrifying fall.
These 90-year-old identical twins were born on a Saskatchewan farm, but grew to love the city
Rose Worona and Anne Skwarchuk were born in 1935 on a farm near Hafford. Now, they’re celebrating their 90th birthday together.
'Crawl bearers' carry mosaic bar top 2 km to new home
In a move signalling the beginning of a new era, staff and patrons carried Phog Lounge’s approximately 400-pound mosaic bar top through the downtown.
Elvis Gratton actor Julien Poulin has died at 78
Actor Julien Poulin passed away at the age of 78 on Saturday.. Born in Montreal on April 20, 1946, Poulin appeared in some 100 films. His most memorable role was certainly that of Bob Gratton in the cult classic trilogy 'Elvis Gratton', directed by his friend Pierre Falardeau.