Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has labeled former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection in 2024 a “terrible mistake,” arguing that the move undermined Democratic prospects against Donald Trump.
Speaking at an event in Manhattan earlier this week, Clinton told David Remnick that Biden should have honored his pledge during the 2020 campaign to serve only one term and step aside by late summer of 2023. She stated that doing so would have allowed Democrats to field a candidate who could defeat Trump.
“Whoever emerged from that nomination fight, whether it was the vice president or a governor or a senator or anybody else, would have beaten Donald Trump,” Clinton said.
Clinton’s remarks come as Democrats grapple with their recent loss of Kamala Harris to Trump in the 2024 presidential race. Biden ended his campaign after a widely criticized debate performance on June 27, 2024, while Harris became the Democratic nominee but lost the general election following a shortened campaign.
Clinton noted that her stance has shifted from her earlier support for Biden’s reelection bid at the Aspen Ideas Festival in 2022. At that time, she stated: “I would endorse our sitting president, yes, of course.”
In recent months, Clinton said there have been private conversations among Democrats about Biden’s decision to run again but that there was “no way to convince him by going public.” She also suggested Harris’ shortened campaign was a factor in her loss and described the vice president’s position as “really in a difficult position, trying to run as the sitting vice president but separate herself from the sitting president.”
