President Biden acknowledged concerns about his age and reflected on his legacy in an Oval Office interview with USA Today. He admitted uncertainty about lasting another four years, even as he claimed he would have beaten Donald Trump again.
"Do you think you would've had the vigor to serve another four years in office?" asked Susan Page of USA Today.
"I don't know," Biden responded. "That's why I thought when I first announced, talking to Barack [Obama] about it, I said I thought I was the person. I had no intention of running after [my son] Beau died – for real, not a joke. And then when Trump was running again, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him."
He expressed doubts about his stamina for a second term. "But I also wasn't looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old," Biden said. "And so I did talk about passing the baton."
Reports from outlets like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have highlighted White House staffers' doubts about Biden's stamina. Concerns about his age had loomed even before he dropped out of the race.
"But I don't know," Biden admitted. "Who the hell knows? So far, so good. But who knows what I'm going to be when I'm 86 years old?"
The president’s words marked a rare acknowledgment of his limits as the oldest president in U.S. history. This came despite previous assertions of being in "great shape."
Biden reiterated his belief that he could have defeated Trump in a rematch. However, he withdrew from the race after a shaky debate performance in June. That event exposed cognitive concerns his supporters had often dismissed. He later endorsed Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost the general election.
His remarks tied into a broader reflection on his presidential legacy. "And so I hope that history says that I came in and I had a plan how to restore the economy and reestablish America's leadership in the world," Biden said. "That was my hope."
Biden pointed to his age as a source of experience with global leaders. "And 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," Biden continued. "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. And anyway, that's what I hope anyway, that I'm viewed in that context."