US President Joe Biden reportedly regrets withdrawing from this year’s presidential race, expressing confidence that he could have defeated Donald Trump in last month’s election despite polling that suggested otherwise, according to White House sources quoted in a newly published Washington Post profile.
The President has also expressed dissatisfaction with his decision to appoint Merrick Garland as attorney general. Biden is said to believe that Garland was slow to prosecute Trump for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots while presiding over a Justice Department that aggressively pursued charges against Biden’s son, Hunter.
Biden announced his withdrawal from the race in July, following a lackluster debate performance against Trump, amid growing pressure from Democratic leaders. The party ultimately replaced Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris as its nominee, and she ultimately lost to Trump.
While Biden and his aides have refrained from directly blaming Harris for the loss, the Washington Post reports said that that they believe Biden’s continued candidacy might have changed the outcome.
This perspective is contested by Harris’ supporters, who argue that Biden’s delayed withdrawal left the Vice President with insufficient time to build an effective campaign.
As for Biden’s regret over Garland’s appointment, the report said that Biden had to be convinced by his then-chief of staff, Ron Klain, to choose Garland over Doug Jones, a Democratic senator from Alabama. Klain argued that Garland’s reputation for impartiality would project an image of Justice Department independence after years of perceived politicization under Trump. Biden’s political allies, however, believed Jones would be better suited to the role.
According to the Washington Post, Biden now regrets choosing Garland, echoing the frustrations of many Democrats who feel that the attorney general moved too slowly to prosecute Trump. The drawn-out investigation ultimately led to the appointment of a special counsel, Jack Smith, whose cases against Trump came too late to prevent him from running for office again.
Earlier this month, Smith formally requested the dismissal of the criminal cases against Trump following his election victory, effectively bringing them to an end.