President Joe Biden is facing backlash just before leaving office after insisting that he “would have beaten” incoming President-elect Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Why It Matters

Biden withdrew as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee in July after weeks of scrutiny and intense pressure following a disastrous televised debate with Trump during the previous month.

Some Democrats have been second-guessing the decision to replace Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris, who went on to lose every swing state to Trump, while others have suggested that the incumbent president would have fared worse.

What To Know

During a news conference at the White House on Friday, a reporter asked Biden if he regretted his “decision to run for reelection” or thought that the candidate switch-up “made it easier” for Trump to win.

“I don’t think so,” Biden responded. “I think I would have beaten Trump, could have beaten Trump. And I think Kamala could have beaten Trump and would have beaten Trump. It wasn’t about … I thought it was important to unify the party.”

“When the party was worried about whether or not I was gonna be able to move, even though I thought I could win again, I thought it was better to unify the party,” he added.

Biden made similar remarks in an interview published by USA Today on Wednesday, saying “yes” when asked whether he thought he would have defeated Trump for a second time, although he also said he did not “know” if he would have had the energy to finish a second term.

Newsweek reached out for comment to Trump’s office via email on Friday night.

What People Are Saying

Former Trump adviser Steve Cortes, in a Friday post to X, formerly Twitter: “Wow. Joe Biden’s completely lost it.”

Political commentator Meghan McCain, daughter of the late former Republican presidential candidate and Senator John McCain, on X: “This is pathetic and it needs to stop.”

Progressive political commentator Jack Cocchiarella, on X: “Kamala saved your legacy please stop saying this please please please stop talking.”

Cenk Uygur, co-creator and co-host of progressive podcast The Young Turks, on X: 1. Biden says he would have beaten Trump. 2. He also said, “Who the hell knows?” on whether he could have served a whole second term. 3. He’s finishing with an approval rating that is an astounding -35%. Trump’s first term was considered really bad at -4%. 4. Biden is mental.

What Happens Next

Biden will officially leave office on January 20, when Trump will be inaugurated and begin serving his second and final term. Biden remains the only politician, Democratic or Republican, to ever beat Trump in an election.