Former President Joe Biden said he wasn’t surprised by Kamala Harris’ loss in the election, stating that the Democrats would have won if he hadn’t been forced out of power in an interview with ABC’s The View.
Biden pointed to the sexism and racism levied against Harris for why she lost, despite her qualifications as a candidate and said he was “disappointed” not surprised.
"I wasn't surprised, not because I didn't think the vice president was the most qualified person to be president … I wasn't surprised because they went the route of - the sexist route, the whole route," Biden said.
"I've never seen quite as successful and consistent a campaign, undercutting the notion that a woman couldn't lead the country - and a woman of mixed race."
Separately, Biden also said he believed he would have beaten Trump if he had remained in the race, but he still accepted some of the blame for the election's outcome.
"I do, because, look, I was in charge and he won. So, you know, I take responsibility,” he said.
Biden also criticised Trump’s first 100 days in office.
“He's had the worst 100 days any president's ever had,” he said.
“And I would not say honesty has been his strong point.”
When asked about Harris’s future, Biden said he’s optimistic but that she has a “difficult decision to make”.
"I think she's first-rate," he said.
"But we've had a lot of really good candidates as well, so I'm optimistic. I'm not pessimistic about the future."
Jill Biden, who was also present at the interview, pushed back on claims of her husband's cognitive decline, denying that she was shielding Biden from his allies and the public.
"I did not create a cocoon around him. I mean, you saw him in the Oval Office. You saw him making speeches. He wasn't hiding somewhere," Jill said.
Jill said, who recently launched Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network, she plans to continue the Women’s Health research she worked on at the White House and called out the current administration for their funding and research cuts.
“We need answers about osteoporosis, menopause, heart attacks, you know, why am I losing my hair, incontinence ... We need to continue the research, and that is what Milken is going to do. We're going to fund the research," she said.
