During a meeting with Democratic donors on Tuesday, President Joe Biden said he probably wouldn’t be seeking another term if former President Donald Trump wasn’t running again.
“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” he said, adding that Democrats “cannot let him win.”
The comment during the fundraiser, hosted at a private home outside of Boston, was off the cuff and has left Biden campaign officials and advisers surprised, according to CNN, which cited sources familiar with the matter.
“Yikes,” is what one top campaign adviser told the outlet after hearing the comments.
Quickly, campaign officials started scrambling to disregard the remark from the president, who they said has always seen Trump as a “unique threat to our democracy.”
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, who serves as a national co-chair for Biden’s 2024 campaign, spoke with CNN, remarking that Biden “beat Trump before and he will do it again.”
Later on Tuesday, when asked about whether or not he would still be running if Trump wasn’t, Biden appeared to walk back the comment.
“I expect so, but look — he is running, and I have to run,” the president said.
During his fundraising blitz on Tuesday, Biden shared more of his thoughts with donors, saying that Trump is “telling us what he’s going to do. He’s making no bones about it.”
Other comments from the president included condemnation against the “sexual violence of Hamas terrorists.”
“Let me be crystal clear: Hamas’ refusal to release the remaining young women is what broke this deal and end the pause in the fighting. Everyone still being held hostage by Hamas needs to be returned to their families immediately. We’re not going to stop,” Biden said.