Harris-Walz make "a hell of a team," Biden says reflecting on race exit
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President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on August 8, 2024. Photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
President Biden soon plans to hit the campaign trail for for Vice President Kamala Harris, he said in his first interview since bowing out of the 2024 race.
Why it matters: Reflecting on his decision to drop out of the race three weeks ago, Biden told CBS' Robert Costa he had an "obligation" to step aside if that gave Democrats the best chance of beating former President Trump.
- "The most important thing we can do: and that is we must, we must, we must defeat Trump," Biden said.
Driving the news: Biden said in the "CBS News Sunday Morning" interview that he feared that if his name remained on the ticket, it would drag down Democratic chances of winning down-ballot races.
- "And I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic ... and I thought it'd be a real distraction," he said.
- The president continued: "When I ran the first time, I thought of myself as being a transition president — I can't even say how old I am; it's hard for me to get out of my mouth ... but things got moving so quickly, it didn't happen."
Zoom in: Asked if he was thinking about his late son Beau Biden, who died in 2015, when he made the decision, the commander-in-chief responded: "I can honestly say that I think of him all the time."
- "He should be sitting here being interviewed, not me," he added.
State of play: Within the remaining months of a lame-duck Biden term, a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war is still possible, the president told Costa.
- Biden pledged last month to spend his remaining time in office trying to end the war and recover the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
- "I'm working literally every single day, and my whole team, to see to it that it doesn't escalate into a regional war, but it easily can," he said.
What's next: Biden said he will be on the campaign trail, advocating for his No. 2 during her White House bid.
- He characterized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, recently announced as Harris' running mate, as "my kind of guy; he's real, he's smart," adding, "I think it's a hell of a team."
- Pressed on questions about his health in the remaining months of his term, Biden said he has "no serious problem" and that he has been working with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to put together a campaign tour.
Go deeper: Biden "not confident at all" Trump will accept 2024 election results
