Joe Biden Breaks Silence on Dropping Out of Presidential Race After White House Exit (2025)

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Jill Biden Shares Rare Look at Her and Joe Biden’s Life Post-Presidency

President Joe Biden has no regrets.

In his first interview since exiting the White House in January, the 82-year-old addressed the timing of his exit from the 2024 presidential race, which saw Vice President Kamala Harris step in to run against President Donald Trump.

Looking back, Biden, who exited the race last July, doesn’t think passing the baton any earlier would have made a difference in the outcome, which saw Trump ultimately defeat Harris.

“I don’t think it would have mattered,” he said during an interview with the BBC shared May 7. “We left at a time when we had a good candidate, she was fully funded. And what happened was, what we had set out to do—no one thought we could do it. And we’d become so successful, with our agenda it was hard to say, now I’m going to stop now.”

Biden continued, “I meant what I said when I started, that I’m prepared to hand this to the next generation, the transition government. But things moved so quickly, that it made it difficult to walk away. And it was a hard decision.”

readKamala Harris Makes Surprise Appearance at Met Gala 2025

However hard, though, the politician doesn’t regret his decision to drop out of the race. "I think it was the right decision,” he said. “I think that—well it was just a difficult decision.”

The 46th President’s comments about dropping out of the race come almost a year after he announced his exit, with Harris to ultimately stepping in take his place with running mate Tim Walz.

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"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," Biden said in a statementshared to social media in July. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."

In a follow-up message, the Democrat urged his party to choose Harris as his replacement.

“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he shared. "My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made."

Cameron Smith

But despite losing to Trump and running mate JD Vance, Harris expressed her hopes for the future.

"My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve," Harris said in her November concession speech. "The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say, the light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting."

And while the 60-year-old has kept a low profile in the months since Trump’s inauguration, Harris has begun stepping back into the spotlight. This includes a surprise appearance at the Met Gala May 5 with husband Doug Emhoff to celebrate the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme.

To see more of the celebrities at the event, keep reading.

Joe Biden Breaks Silence on Dropping Out of Presidential Race After White House Exit (2025)

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