Regrets, precedent and legacy: 7 takeaways from Biden's exclusive interview with USA TODAY
WASHINGTON ― President Joe Biden discussed his greatest fear about Donald Trump's second term, revealed what he told the president-elect during their post-election White House meeting and pondered the outcome had he stayed in the 2024 election in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY.
The interview with USA TODAY's Washington Bureau chief Susan Page, which took place Sunday in the Oval Office, is the only exit interview Biden has granted with a print publication before his term ends in less than two weeks.
Biden entered the White House four years ago after campaigning on a "battle for the soul of the nation" following four years of Trump. But on Jan. 20, he will be attending Trump's inauguration ceremony outside the Capitol as his successor ? and predecessor ? takes the Oath of Office to cap a remarkable White House return.
Here are seven takeaways from the interview:
Biden believes he could have defeated Trump
Biden said he believes he could have defeated Trump had he stayed in the race yet expressed uncertainty whether he had the stamina to serve another four years until he's 86 years old.
"It's presumptuous to say that, but I think yes, based on the polling," the 82-year-old Biden said when asked whether he could have won the 2024 presidential election.
Biden dropped out of the election in late July amid mounting pressure from top Democrats following a disastrous debate performance that exposed an aging president struggling to articulate clear thoughts and make the case against Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris quickly coalesced support to secure the Democratic nomination.
It's unclear what polling Biden was referencing. He trailed Trump throughout the campaign in both national and battleground state polls. After Biden's exit, Harris quickly erased Trump's sizable polling leads despite ultimately losing all seven closely contested swing states.
Had Biden stayed in and won, would he have had the vigor to serve four more years?
"I don't know," Biden said. "When Trump was running again for reelection, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him. But I also wasn't looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old. And so I did talk about passing the baton. But I don't know. Who the hell knows? So far, so good. But who knows what I'm going to be when I'm 86 years old?"
Biden warned Trump not to 'settle scores'
Biden said he warned Trump not to "settle scores" with his political enemies but is still undecided whether he will take an unprecedented step to pre-pardon Trump targets like former Rep. Liz Cheney, Anthony Fauci and others.
The outgoing president recounted a Nov. 13 meeting he had with Trump at the White House that took place one week after Trump's victory over Harris.
"I was very straightforward with Trump when he got elected. I invited him immediately to the White House. I spent two hours with him," Biden said. "I tried to make it clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores."
More: President Biden considers preemptive pardons amid concerns over Trump revenge tour
Biden said he didn't get an answer from Trump on the matter.
"He didn't say, 'No, I'm going to...' You know. He didn't reinforce it. He just basically listened," Biden said.
Biden and senior White House aides have discussed potential preemptive pardons for political adversaries they fear Trump and his incoming administration might target for criminal investigations and prosecutions. Yet the possibility of preemptively pardoning people who have not been charged of any crimes raises a host of legal concerns that could sway Biden not to take action.
Biden says Trump told him he's leaving with 'a good record'
Recalling the same White House meeting with Trump, Biden offered one other interesting nugget ? Trump, according to Biden, praised some of his policies.
"He was very complimentary about some of the economic things I had done," Biden said. "And he talked about ?he thought I was leaving with a good record."
Biden did not elaborate on the initiatives Trump apparently applauded. Earlier in the interview, Biden touted his signature laws unleashing historic infrastructure spending, a resurgence of clean-energy factories and investments in the microchip industry to catch up to China.
More: President Biden scraps 'Bidenomics' after slogan falls flat
Of course, Trump might have just been playing nice during the cordial meeting after the two bitter rivals sought to display a friendly, peaceful transfer of power.
After all, Trump has repeatedly warned that Biden and his policies have destroyed the country, and his election victory was achieved in part because of Americans' continued concerns with the economy and inflation.
Hunter Biden pardon should not set precedent, Biden says
Biden said he hopes his controversial pardon of Hunter Biden does not set a precedent for future presidents as he defended the move by pointing to the unique circumstances with his son's federal criminal cases.
"I hope not," Biden said when asked whether he believes the pardon of his son could set a precedent and pave the way for future abuse.
Biden, who for months said he would not pardon Hunter Biden, said he "meant what I said" in making that commitment but pointed to "two factors" that changed his mind.
More: President Biden faces backlash from Democrats for breaking promise by pardoning son
Regarding Hunter Biden's conviction for tax fraud, Biden argued that his son had paid back all the tax payments he didn't previously make. And on the guns charges, Biden said "no one's ever been tried" on the law Hunter Biden broke: lying about his drug use on a document that he had filled out when buying a handgun in 2018.
When he announced the pardon, Biden also said he was shielding him from potential future charges by Trump's Justice Department.
"He was fighting a drug problem," Biden said of his 54-year-old son. "And he beat it. He's been square and sober for almost six years now."
'Single greatest fear' with second Trump term
Biden has repeatedly called Trump a threat to democracy, but the departing president cited something else ? the survival of his signature economic and climate law ? when it comes to his biggest fear about a second Trump term.
"On the economy, my single greatest fear is that he will try to, and maybe even succeed, in eliminating the elements of the climate law," Biden said, referring to the Inflation Reduction Act, which he signed in 2022. "That he'll succeed in kicking back the restrictions on drug manufacturers."
More: How President Biden is trying to Trump-proof his legacy
The Inflation Reduction Act provided billions of dollars in incentives to spur companies to expand manufacturing of clean-energy products such as solar panels and electric vehicles, along with other climate measures, with a stated goal to reduce carbon emissions by about 40 percent by 2030.
The law also authorized Medicare for the first time to able to negotiate directly with drug companies to lower costs of prescription drugs.
Still, despite his concerns, Biden predicted Trump will face a dilemma rolling back the Inflation Reduction Act because of the popularity of the investments being made in Republicans' congressional districts and states.
"I think he's going to have a problem," Biden said with a laugh. " I won't mention the names because I can't prove it, I'm told ? but you probably know ? there's already several very conservative members of his delegation in the United States Senate and House who said, 'Don't block the plan in my state. Don't block A, B, C, or D plan. They're going to invest $3 billion to build a factory here.'"
Biden added: "I don’t know how he comes along and gets rid of these investments."
Biden regrets not taking more credit
Biden expressed disappointment about not getting more projects in the ground faster from his infrastructure, climate and other laws. The lame duck president also said he regretted not taking enough credit for his administration's accomplishments.
"I think that we would've been a hell of a lot better off had we been able to go much harder at getting some of these projects in the ground quicker," Biden said.
Biden pointed to a disconnect between projects, in some cases a decade down the road, and Americans' immediate concerns about the cost of living.
"We passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Hooray, hooray. That sounds great, right?" Biden said. "But it didn't have any immediate impact on people's lives. But guess what? There's 66,000 projects already signed out there. Some of them are billion dollar bridges. There are things that are going to create enormous wealth and work out there, but it takes time."
More: President Biden says it was 'stupid' not to put name on COVID checks like Trump did
Biden said he could have done more to let Americans know "the government did this for you," referring to projects in their communities. He pointed to Trump putting his name on stimulus checks at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic ? something Biden did not do when COVID-19 checks were sent from his administration.
"I don't think that Donald Trump knows as much substantively as I do about these things," Biden said. "But when we came along with the rescue plan, guess what? He signed his name for that check, the first check that went out to those families, all of which he opposes now."
How Biden wants history to remember his presidency
As he prepares to leave the White House after four years ? and end a political career that spanned five decades ? Biden said he hopes to leave a presidential legacy defined by two fronts.
"I hope that history says that I came in and I had a plan how to restore the economy and reestablish America's leadership in the world," said Biden, who came into office in January 2021 during a historic pandemic and amid straining relations with traditional U.S. allies. "That was my hope."
"And I hope it records that I did it with honesty and integrity, that I said what was on my mind," he said.
On the foreign policy front, Biden touted his record "reestablishing our alliances." And he called for continued U.S. leadership on the global stage as many hardline Republicans close to Trump embrace isolationism from international conflicts.
"I think America is desperately needed to lead the world," Biden said. "Let me put it in this context. Who leads the world if we don't? Not a joke. Who leads and tries to put together the kinds of coalitions and policies that are international in scope? I mean, it's all cliché. The world's really getting small, man."
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden exclusive: 7 takeaways from president's USA TODAY interview