President Biden was asked Tuesday in an interview with Black Entertainment Television (BET) what, if anything, would drive him to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, as a growing number of Democrats call for him to step aside in the race.
“If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, the doctors came and said you’ve got this problem, that problem,” Biden told BET’s Ed Gordon. “But I made a serious mistake in the whole debate and, look, when I originally ran, you might remember it, I said I was gonna be a transitional candidate. I thought that I would be able to move from this, to pass it on to somebody else. But I didn’t anticipate things getting so, so, so divided.”
“Quite frankly, I think the only thing age brings is a little bit of wisdom. And I think I’ve demonstrated that I know how to get things done for the country, in spite of the fact we were told we couldn’t get it done. But there’s more to do, and I’m reluctant to walk away from that,” he added.
The comments from Biden’s interview with BET were provided in a preview clip that aired Tuesday evening on CBS Evening News. The full interview, which was recorded in Las Vegas, Nevada, is slated to air Wednesday on BET at 10 p.m. ET.
BIDEN AIMS TO SHORE UP BLACK VOTER SUPPORT AS TRUMP TRIES TO MAKE INROADS
President Biden speaks during the 115th NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 16, 2024. (KENT NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
In the preview of the interview, Biden was also asked how he’s “sure” he will be able to restore Roe v. Wade, which was overturned by the Supreme Court in the summer of 2022.
“The Supreme Court did it. Trump appointed the Supreme Court for the express purpose of doing it,” he said. “There’s gonna probably be two more appointments for the court. There’s probably two people gonna resign, I mean retire. Just imagine the court if he has two more appointments what that means forever.”
Titled “Black America Votes: The Biden Interview,” BET Media Group said the conversation affords the president an opportunity to “speak directly to Black America” and will “focus on the essential issues impacting our community and discuss why we should continue to support his candidacy amidst growing public concerns and calls for him to withdraw.”
The interview marks Biden’s third scheduled sit-down interview with a television network since his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump on June 27, which resulted in several Democrats calling for Biden to step aside in the 2024 race for the White House.
The interview comes as Biden seeks to maintain his support from Black voters as the once solid foundational bloc of the Democratic Party begins to waver.
In addition to the interview with BET, Biden delivered remarks at the 115th NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas on Tuesday. He’s also expected to meet with Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chairman Rep. Steven Horsford for an economic summit, where he will speak to Black voters and meet with Black members of congress to discuss his vision for a second term.
Despite holding a solid majority of Black voters, the Biden-Harris campaign has seen a notable drop in enthusiasm in key swing states since 2020. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The extensive tour focusing on the Black community comes at the same time former President Trump is courting solidly blue areas of the country, seeking to capitalize on Biden’s perceived weakness.
Trump’s decision to target minority voters in places like New York, where Republicans have not carried the state in decades, reflects the Trump campaign’s belief that Biden is showing weakness with key Democratic constituencies.
Despite holding a solid majority of Black voters, the Biden campaign has seen a notable drop in enthusiasm in key swing states since 2020.
“Our campaign believes that Black voters deserve to hear from Team Biden-Harris, and they deserve to have their vote earned, not assumed,” the Biden campaign previously said about Black voter engagement. “That’s exactly what we are doing through historic investments in Black media and outreach, creative engagement efforts, culturally competent content and innovative organizing initiatives. No campaign has valued Black voters like we have, including through investing earlier and with more money than ever before talking to Black voters.”
A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released last month found that support for Biden among Black voters has dropped roughly 20 percentage points in both Michigan and Pennsylvania since the last election.
Trump’s decision to target minority voters in places like New York, where Republicans have not carried the state in decades, reflects the Trump campaign’s belief that Biden is showing weakness with key Democratic constituencies. (Getty Images)
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In Michigan, the poll found Trump has 15% of Black voters, compared to Biden at 54% of the support from Black voters. Trump received just 9% of the Black vote in Michigan in the 2020 election.
Many pollsters expect Trump to experience a bump in support across all demographics following the assassination attempt that nearly took his life last weekend.
Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi, Hanna Panreck, and Caroline McKee contributed to this report.