President Joe Biden sat down for his first interview since announcing his decision in July to drop out of the 2024 Presidential race after being the presumptive democratic nominee.
He spoke with campaign and election correspondent Robert Costa of CBS News, airing on CBS News Sunday Morning. The conversation took place earlier this week at the White House.
Here are the biggest moments from the revelatory conversation, and watch a preview of the interview below in which the President details his decision to drop out…
Why he dropped out
Biden explained that despite it seeming like a neck-and-neck race with Donald Trump for the presidency, he expressed concern that the misgivings of others in the Democratic party and his colleagues might prove to be a distraction from what was at stake.
"I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic...I thought it'd be a real distraction." He also called himself a "transition President" when discussing why he first ran for office in 2020.
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The support of his family
He gushed over the support of his family sitting beside him in the Oval Office when he addressed the nation for the first time following his decision to drop out of the race, and took a beat to gather himself when his late son Beau was mentioned.
© Getty Images"I can honestly say...I think of him all the time," he said. "Whenever I have a decision that's really hard to make, I literally think, 'What would Beau do?' He should be sitting here being interviewed, not me. He was really a fine man."
Final moments with Beau
Biden remembered some of his final moments with his late son. "We had a conversation toward the end when...we knew he wasn't gonna live. And he said, 'I'm gonna be okay, dad. I'm alright, I'm not afraid. But dad, you've gotta make me a promise..."
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"'I know when it happens, you're gonna want to quit. You're not going to stay engaged...look at me, dad. Give me your word as a Biden, when I go you'll stay engaged. Give me your word.'"
© Getty ImagesFinal days in office
Biden was also asked about the final months of his presidency and the ongoing conflicts he was politically involved in, including the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, and he confidently stated that he believed a ceasefire was possible before his exit from office.
He also spoke about pulling some senators into his office in March of 2021 and pointing to a portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt and expressing his ambition to "go big," saying that he had with "the great help of so many people. Democracy works, and it was very important to prove that it worked."
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Support for Kamala Harris
Biden said that he will join his Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive democratic nominee, on the campaign trail after giving her his endorsement, and also spoke fondly of her running mate Tim Walz.
© Getty Images"If we grew up in the same neighborhood, we'd have been friends," he said. "He's my kinda guy. He's real, he's smart, I've known him for several decades. I think it's a hell of a team."
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The debate misfire
Biden also addressed his poorly received performance in the first Presidential debate against Trump earlier this year, citing that he had a "really, really bad day in that debate" due to illness, but "I have no serious problem." He also elaborated more on his decision to join Harris on the campaign trail specifically in Pennsylvania.
