President Biden said he would be “fortunate” to run against former President Trump in 2024, at a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.
Biden was asked whether he thought the foreign policy decisions he makes would be reversed by his successor, and the reporter specifically raised the possibility that Trump or an ally of the former president’s might win the election and unwind Biden’s commitments.
“The first G7 meeting I attended like the one I did today was in Great Britain, and I sat down and I said America’s back. And one of my counterparts, colleagues, head of state said, for how long?” Biden said.
“And so I don’t blame—I don’t criticize anybody for asking that question,” Biden added. “But the next election, I’d be very fortunate if I had that same man running against me,” declining to refer to Trump by name.
President Biden on Donald Trump: "The next election I would be very fortunate if I had that same man running against me." pic.twitter.com/Tn31Xe7Io1
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 24, 2022
Earlier in his response, Biden cautioned that presidential elections are still “a long way off,” and that “my focus” is to retain the House and the U.S. Senate.
Ahead of the press conference, Biden announced that the U.S. would provide $1 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and the White House announced that the U.S. would accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.
Biden has previously said that a potential Trump run in 2024 would “increase” his own chances of aiming for reelection, in a December 2021 interview on ABC News.
“You’re trying to tempt me now. Sure. Why would I not run against Donald Trump, if he’s the nominee?” Biden said at the time. “That would increase the prospect of running.”
Trump has not yet announced whether he will attempt a third run for president.
Biden’s comments come while his average job approval rating sits at 41 percent compared with a 53 percent disapproval rating, according to RealClearPolitics polling averages. The president’s approval rating remains low less than a year before the midterm elections, in which Republicans are looking to make gains or win back the majority in the House.
via nationalreview