Trump expects Biden to stay in 2024 race: "He's got an ego"
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Former President Trump in Washington, D.C., last month. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Former President Trump on Monday night predicted that President Biden wouldn't quit the presidential race, but the presumptive Republican nominee said if that happened he expected Vice President Kamala Harris would replace the Democrat on their ticket.
The big picture: Biden has faced intense scrutiny about his age and health following the 81-year-old's debate performance against 78-year-old Trump, which the president and his aides have attributed to a cold and jet lag.
- Meanwhile, Democrats have noted that Trump has been largely quiet on the campaign trail since the June 27 debate.
What they're saying: After speculating about Biden's health, Trump said on Fox News' "Hannity" during his first post-debate interview that "it looks to me like he may very well stay in" because "he's got an ego and he doesn't want to quit."
- He added: "Nobody wants to give that up that way. He's going to feel badly about himself for a long time. It's hard to give it up that way, the way where they're trying to force him out."
- Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Trump in their phone interview whether he wanted Biden to "step aside" and whether he cared about the president staying in the race.
- "Well, we have prepared for him, but I don't think it's going to matter," said Trump, who's due to hold a rally in Florida on Tuesday, as he touted his presidential record on the border and the U.S. economy "pre-COVID."
- Hannity asked Trump whether he thought he'd face Harris "if Biden steps aside or is pushed out."
- Trump replied: "I don't think he wants to get out. But if he gets out, it will be her."
The other side: Biden campaign spokesperson James Singer said in a statement to media that "a low energy Donald Trump has been off the trail for 12 days and nothing has changed," adding that he's "still a habitual liar" and "a 34-time convicted criminal" who would "lose this November to Joe Biden."
Zoom out: Several Democrats and some donors have called for Biden to end his 2024 candidacy in the wake of the debate, though Axios' Andrew Solender notes that Democratic lawmakers are now publicly rallying in defense of the president.
Go deeper: Biden's plea to big donors: I'm your guy
