Former President Donald Trump told CBS News in a phone conversation on Sunday night that while he won’t face President Biden on the ballot in November, the former president doesn’t think it changes the race if he instead faces Vice President Kamala Harris, who Mr. Biden has backed for the nomination.
“I think she is no better than him,” Trump said. “She could be far less competent, which is hard to believe.”
Trump insisted that Harris is still tied to the Biden administration policies, which he believes are unpopular with Americans.
“The policies whether it’s him or her wouldn’t be any different,” Trump said. “She was in charge of the border. She was the border czar, she was the worst ever. The worst ever. We had the worst border ever so that wouldn’t matter.”
Mr. Biden announced Sunday afternoon on social media that he is dropping out of the 2024 race, throwing his support behind Harris. Harris said it is her “intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
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The unprecedented announcement came after weeks of uncertainty after Mr. Biden’s disastrous debate against Trump.
Trump called Mr. Biden’s decision a “shock to our country,” but added “we have a man in there that shouldn’t be in there” so he believes it would overall be a “good thing for the country.”
Trump also posted several times on social media on Sunday after Mr. Biden’s announcement, writing that “we are forced to spend time and money” running against Mr. Biden and “now we have to start all over again.”
“Shouldn’t the Republican Party be reimbursed for fraud in that everybody around Joe, including his doctors and the Fake News Media, knew he was not capable of running for, or being, President?” Trump wrote.
Trump also said he would no longer be participating in the planned September debate. Harris had already committed to a vice-presidential debate on CBS News in August, although the Trump campaign would not do the same, saying last week that they had no idea who the vice-presidential nominee would be.
A Trump campaign official said Sunday that Democrats are “in chaos,” and the campaign is ready and full speed ahead for the November election.
Olivia Rinaldi contributed to this report.
