President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he’s not the only Democrat capable of beating former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election ― but he expressed confidence that he’ll secure another four-year term at the White House next November.
Biden estimated there are “probably 50” Democrats who could win a race against Trump, though he didn’t list any names.
“No, I’m not the only one who can defeat him, but I will defeat him,” Biden told reporters in a Q&A session after delivering remarks urging Congress to pass his national security supplemental request, including aid for Ukraine and Israel, before the holiday recess.
Earlier this week, Biden said he wouldn’t necessarily be running for reelection if Trump weren’t in the race.
“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” he said Tuesday. “But we cannot let him win.”
Only two Democrats have come forward to challenge Biden for the presidential nomination: Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.) and self-help author Marianne Williamson. Support for both is in the single digits, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Trump is the front-runner in the GOP primary contest and is widely expected to be the Republican nominee in 2024, according to the polls.
During a recent town hall with Fox News, the former president, who has been indicted four times this year, repeatedly declined to say he wouldn’t abuse his power or seek retribution against his political rivals if he won reelection in 2024.
He also said he would only act as a dictator on the first day of his term in order to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of Trump’s rivals for the GOP nomination, sharply criticized his words during a debate Wednesday night in Alabama.
“This is an angry, bitter man who now wants to be back as president, because he wants to exact retribution on anyone who has disagreed with them,” Christie said of Trump, who has declined to debate his fellow GOP contenders.
Christie also took issue with the other Republicans he shared the stage with ― Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy ― who have refused to rule out supporting Trump if he ends up being the GOP nominee.
“You want to know why those poll numbers are where they are?” Christie asked. “Because folks like these three guys on the stage make it seem like his conduct is acceptable.”