President Joe Biden isn’t feeling optimistic about another faceoff with former President Donald Trump, sharing that he doesn’t think Trump will concede if he loses.
The feelings were shared with Evan Osnos of the New Yorker, who published a profile on the president on Monday.
“Losers who are losers are never graceful,” Biden said. “I just think that he’ll do anything to try to win. If — and when — I win, I think he’ll contest it. No matter what the result is.”
During the sit down with the reporter, Biden shared several concerning quotes from Trump, including when he threatened the “termination” of parts of the Constitution, said he wanted to be a dictator for a day, and said that immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country.”
“What the hell?” Biden said. “If you and I had sat down 10 years ago and I said a president is going to say those things, you would have looked at me like: ‘Biden, you’ve lost your senses.’”
Biden, who has received his fair share of criticism in recent months, is looking to position himself as the better option of himself and Trump in what is expected to be a rematch of the 2020 election.
When asked if he considered stepping down as his party’s leader and letting someone else’s name on the ballot, Biden put it simply: “No.”
“I’m running again because I think two things: No. 1, I’m really proud of my record, and I want to keep it going. I’m optimistic about the future. ... And, secondly, I look out there, and I say: ‘O.K., we’re just — most of what I’ve done is just kicking in now.’”
When it comes to their potential rematch, Biden still has some ground to make up, as a Wall Street Journal poll found that Trump would beat Biden 40% to 35%.
The poll also found that despite his best efforts, and 31% of voters thinking the economy is getting better, Biden is not getting credit for recent economic improvements.
As things currently sit, 38% of Americans approve of Biden’s job as president, compared to 60% who disapprove.