Former President Donald Trump expressed an unusual level of concern for President Joe Biden during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Thursday, lamenting the recent events that led to Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.
“The presidency was taken away from Joe Biden,” Trump said, acknowledging the challenges Biden faced, particularly after a difficult debate performance.”I’m not a fan of his, as you probably have noticed. He had a rough debate. But that doesn’t mean that you just take it away like that.”
Trump detailed what he described as a betrayal by key Democratic figures, including former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Vice President Kamala Harris. He specifically referenced Harris’s attacks on Biden during the 2019 Democratic primary debates, saying, “She was nasty with calling him a racist and the school bus and all of the different things.”
Trump suggested that Biden regretted selecting Harris as his running mate, commenting, “For some reason, and I know he regrets it — you do, too — he picked her,” Trump said. “And she turned on him, too. She was working with the people that wanted him out.”

Trump also discussed Biden’s reaction to leaving the race, saying, that Biden was trying to “put up a good face” but had faced a “pretty severe” and “pretty horrible” exit from the race. “I hate to be defending him,” Trump admitted, “but he did not want to leave. He wanted to see if he could win.”
He added, “He’s a very angry man right now. I can tell you that.”
Trump also remarked on the changing dynamics of the 2024 race, noting, “We were given Joe Biden, and now we’re given somebody else. And I think, frankly, I would rather be running against the somebody else.”
Trump’s comments come 18 days after Biden’s departure from the race, with Biden endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris shortly after exiting.