(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Joe Biden revealed that his rival Donald trump once gave him a compliment during a private meeting, even as in the public, the later decried the state of the nation as "a disaster".
Biden, who will leave the White House office on January 20, said in an exit interview with USA Today that Trump was "complimentary" about his economic record at their "private meeting".
"He was very complimentary about some of the economic things I had done. And he talked about − he thought I was leaving with a good record," Biden said.
Also Read | Who are Donald Trump's new appointments to White House?
Donald Trump is set to succeed Biden and take over the office after his inauguration on January 20. Trump won the 2024 US presidential election after defeating US Vice President and Biden's ally Kamala Harris
Donald Trump won 312 electoral votes while Harris got 226 votes, a total that was confirmed during the certification on Monday, marking the final step in the election process before Trump returns back to the White House on January 20, The Hill reported.
Also Read | 'Not going to happen': Blinken on Trump's idea of taking over Canada, Greenland
Biden had dropped out of the presidential rac following backlash from both the Republians and the Democrats. He told USA TODAY that he believes he could have won his re-election bid − but isn't sure he would have had the vigor to complete four more years in the Oval Office.
"It's presumptuous to say that, but I think yes," Biden said, adding he based that view on polling he had reviewed. He expressed no such confidence when asked whether he had the vigor to serve another four years in office, though. "I don't know," he replied.
Also Read | President-elect Trump appeals to US Supreme Court to halt hush money sentencing
Biden also acknowledged his age was an issue. "I had no intention of running after Beau died − for real, not a joke," Biden said, referring to the death of his elder son in 2015 of brain cancer.
Then, in 2020, "when Trump was running again for reelection, 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 . And so I did talk about passing the baton" to the next generation of Democratic leaders, a phrase many in his party took to mean he wasn't likely to seek a second term, the report added.
MENAFN09012025007365015876ID1109070994
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.