REPORT: Biden Regrets Decision To Drop Out, Believes He Would Have Won

President Biden is increasingly bitter about his decision to suspend his presidential campaign this past summer, according to a report from The Washington Post.

Despite his disastrous debate performance in June and cratering approval ratings that forced him out of the race, the president reportedly believes that he would have won the election had he stayed in, multiple sources familiar with the president’s thinking told the outlet.

Biden faced an avalanche of calls to step down from Democrat lawmakers and influential donors in the days following the June 27 debate, throughout which the president spoke incoherently and appeared drained. Donors also began to withhold funds from the president’s re-election campaign, including influential Hollywood donors like George Clooney.

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Biden ultimately exited the race on July 21 and almost immediately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after former President Barrack Obama called for an “open process.”

According to the Washington Post, Biden has been careful not to blame Harris for the loss in conversations with his aides, though he has remained adamant in believing that he could have won. Harris was defeated by Trump by roughly 2.2 million votes, making her the first Democrat to lose the popular vote since 2004.

“How to govern at this moment to set the U.S. up for long-term success has one answer, and how to govern to deal with midterm and presidential elections in the very short-term might have a different answer. The president went with doing the things that really put America in a strong position,” Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told The Post when asked about the president’s feelings on the election loss.

While multiple sources told the outlet that Biden has acknowledged his poor performance in the debate, he has also expressed significant regret over appointing Merrick Garland as attorney general. Several aides convinced the president to nominate Garland because he was seen as a “consensus pick” who would easily be confirmed, though Biden believes that he could have sped up the prosecutions of his political opponents, namely then-candidate Donald Trump.

Biden is also reportedly furious with Garland’s decision to appoint a special counsel to investigate his son, Hunter, who was ultimately convicted on federal firearms and tax-related charges in two cases. Biden opted to pardon his son earlier this month.

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