Former President Joe Biden downplayed his disastrous 2024 CNN debate performance against Donald Trump in a new People magazine interview, saying he did not consider the televised showdown especially significant despite the political fallout that preceded his withdrawal from the race.
“Look, I don’t know anybody who hasn’t made a mistake in a debate,” Biden said in the interview, published Wednesday. “To me, it was not very consequential. First of all, I thought there’d be another debate, which there wasn’t.”
The June 27, 2024, debate on CNN intensified concerns about Biden’s age and fitness for office after he struggled to finish sentences and complete some answers. His performance triggered weeks of public scrutiny and pressure from Democratic lawmakers and donors, culminating in his decision to withdraw from the presidential race on July 21.
The CNN-hosted debate drew 51.3 million viewers across television networks, according to Nielsen, including 9.53 million on CNN itself. The broadcast was CNN’s most-watched program in its history at the time, underscoring the scale of the televised moment that ultimately reshaped the presidential race. Biden’s halting performance, however, quickly became the dominant story of the night, overshadowing much of the candidates’ discussion of policy.
“I had very good relationships with all the major leaders in the world,” Biden said. “And so I believe that on an objective basis I was the best-equipped person to do the job.”
Jill Biden also defended the decision to seek another term, explaining that her husband had initially considered leaving office after one term. But Democrats’ stronger-than-expected showing in the 2022 midterms encouraged him to continue, she said.
“Everybody kept saying, ‘No, you’ve won the midterms. You’re doing so great. Look at all we’re doing. We have work to continue,’” she recalled.
Biden’s withdrawal came just 24 days after the debate, following repeated efforts to reassure voters and Democratic leaders that he could serve another four years. He subsequently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee and lost to Trump in November 2024.