President Joe Biden has opened up more about his decision to exit the presidential race in July.
Speaking in an interview Wednesday on ABC's "The View," Biden said he was "at peace" with his decision to drop out of the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
"When I ran for the first, this last term, I said that I saw myself as a transition president transitioning to a new generation of leadership," he said. "... working with Kamala, she is bright, she is tough, she is honorable. And the thing I like about her — and one thing we share in common — is that we have an optimistic view of the future."
RELATED STORY | Harris, Trump clash on the economy, abortion, immigration in fiery debate
President Biden sat down for about half an hour with the show's co-hosts, who lauded his presidency and more than 50-year political career. However, when asked if pressure from Democrats like Rep. Nancy Pelosi and others is what prompted him to end his campaign, President Biden insisted that he "never fully believed" there was "overwhelming reluctance" against him staying in the race.
"There were some folks who would like to see me step aside so they have a chance to move on. I get that. That's just human nature," he said. "But that wasn't the reason that I stepped down."
President Biden also insisted that at the time he ended his campaign, he still believed he was the best candidate to defeat Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump.
"I was confident I would beat Trump," President Biden said. "He's a loser."
Nonetheless, his advice for Harris on how to win in November was simple: "be herself."
"As vice president, there wasn't a single that, that, I did that she couldn't do," President Biden added. "So, I was able to delegate her responsibility on everything from foreign policy to domestic policy."
RELATED STORY | Political wrap: Harris touts fundraising and Trump attends farming roundtable
At this point in the presidential race, it is anyone's game and the candidates are fine-tuning their strategies. Harris and Trump both have been hitting the campaign trail hard in the final weeks, and voters are taking notice.
According to the latest data from The New York Times and Siena College, Trump has taken a notable lead on Harris in Arizona and he's maintaining his lead in Georgia and North Carolina. But at the same time, pollster Nate Silver is calling for a Harris victory with his data models showing her making gains in the critical swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
