Joe Biden ‘still believes he could have beaten Donald Trump’ if he had stayed in US election

Joe Biden believes he could have beaten Donald Trump in last month’s US presidential election if he had stayed in the race, it has been reported.

The White House incumbent – who is set to hand over the keys to Mr Trump next month – withdrew from the race in July amid pressure over his low polling numbers and rocky performance in a televised debate against his Republican rival.

He was replaced as the Democratic Party’s candidate by Kamala Harris, who later lost to Mr Trump in November’s election.

Now it is being reported by The Washington Post that Mr Biden and some of his aides believe the 82-year-old should have stayed in the race.

Mr Biden and these aides have reportedly told people in recent days that he could have defeated Mr Trump, according to people familiar with their comments, who spoke to the paper under the condition of anonymity.

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Mr Biden beat Mr Trump in the 2020 election with a record number of votes, securing his first term in the White House and denying his opponent a second.

But throughout his time in the White House, there was speculation about whether he would run again in 2024, or whether he would opt for a one-term presidency.

In April last year, he announced that he would be re-running for election and entered the race for the 2024 Democratic Party nomination.

He made a case that he had beaten Mr Trump once and that, despite questions about his age, he could do it again.

But despite securing the Democratic Party nomination, pressure mounted after a series of embarrassing public gaffes, including in July when he introduced Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

In February, he also mistakenly claimed to have met Francois Mitterand, who died in 1996, at the G7 summit in 2021.

However, it was a jumbled performance in a television debate against Mr Trump that ultimately cost Mr Biden, with Democrats labelling it an “unmitigated disaster”, “a meltdown”, and “a slow-motion car crash”.

Ten days later, he announced he was withdrawing his candidacy, and throwing his support behind his vice president, Ms Harris.

But Ms Harris lost to Mr Trump in November’s election, with the Republican claiming a second term by clinching victory in all of the key battleground states, as well as winning the popular vote.

Mr Trump will now take office on 20 January.