Biden says he could have defeated Trump

Washington: US President Joe Biden believes he would have defeated Donald Trump and won re-election in November. However, the 82-year-old Democrat added that he was unsure if he would have had the vigour for a four-year term in the Oval Office. "So far, so good," the 82-year-old said. "But who knows what I'm going to be when I'm 86 years old," Mr Biden said in a wide-ranging interview with USA Today.

The outgoing US President admitted that he was contemplating pre-emptive pardons for foes of his successor Donald Trump, including former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney and former senior health official Dr Anthony Fauci. Mr Trump has threatened to investigate and prosecute Dr Fauci for his criticism of Republica’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic during his first term and in Cheney’s case, helped lead efforts to impeach him.

So far, the interview with USA Today is the only exit interview Mr Biden has given to a print publication as media access to him has been strictly controlled by the White House.

In the interview published on Wednesday, Mr Biden said with Mr Trump in the Oval Office a week after the November election, he asked him not to go forward with threats and “make clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores.”