Biden, on ‘The View,’ takes blame for Trump’s win and rejects reports of cognitive decline

Former President Joe Biden, on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday, took responsibility for President Donald Trump’s historic return to the White House but vigorously pushed back on claims of cognitive decline in his final year in office.

“He’s had the worst 100 days any president’s ever had,” Biden said of his Oval Office successor.

Biden maintained he would have beaten Trump had he stayed in the race, but, when asked, said he accepted some blame for the election outcome because of voter concerns about border security and the cost of living during his tenure.

“I do, because, look, I was in charge and he won. So, you know, I take responsibility,” the former president said.

Though Biden went on to criticize Trump’s role in bringing down a bipartisan border bill and to tout the state of the economy at the end of his term, including investments made in infrastructure and health care that he said would boost the country’s future.

Biden and former first lady Jill Biden joined the co-hosts live in-studio for their first joint interview since leaving the White House.

The pair responded to recent reporting that Biden suffered cognitive decline and reflected on Biden’s debate performance. Biden also weighed in on Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss and what comes next.

Biden on Harris’ loss: ‘Disappointed but not surprised’

Biden was asked for his reaction to the 2024 election outcome and whether he was surprised when Harris lost.

“I was disappointed but not surprised,” Biden said. He went on to suggest sexism and racism played a role in her defeat: “They went the sexist route.”

“I’ve never seen quite as successful and consistent campaign undercutting the notion that a woman couldn’t lead the country, and a woman of mixed race,” he said.

Biden also attributed the Democratic Party’s losses in 2024 as part of a wider trend across the world.

“Think about it: Liberal democracies all across America, all across the world, lost last time out. I think we underestimate the phenomenal negative impact that COVID had and the pandemic had on people, on attitudes, on optimism, on a whole range of things.”

Biden maintains he would’ve beaten Trump: ‘Wasn’t a slam dunk’

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin asked Biden if he still believed he would have beaten Trump. Biden said he did.

“It wasn’t a slam dunk,” he said of Trump’s win, noting fewer people turned out in this election than in 2020 and that the margins were fairly close in several of the key battleground states.

“But let me put it this way. He’s had the worst 100 days any president’s ever had. And I would not say honesty has been his strong point,” Biden said.

Biden and his team were criticized for his decision to seek reelection and later withdraw after a poor debate performance against Trump that moved some Democrats to publicly question his ability as he approached the age of 82 to campaign for and serve another term.

Biden conceded on “The View” that he had a “terrible night” during the June 2024 debate. Jill Biden said they were “not going to let 90 minutes of a debate define his presidency” or years in public service.

Bidens push back on reports of cognitive decline

After Jill Biden joined the hosts and former president at the table, both she and Joe Biden pushed back against the slate of new books from reporters claiming that Biden was dealing with cognitive decline at the end of his presidency.

“They are wrong. There’s nothing to sustain that,” Joe Biden said.

Biden said his administration had found themselves dealing with the aftermath of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other challenges left for them after the end of the first Trump administration.

“And so we went to work and we got it done,” he said.

Jill Biden offered a forceful defense of her husband, and responded to accusations she was shielding Biden from allies and the public.

“I did not create a cocoon around him. I mean, you saw him in the Oval Office. You saw him making speeches. He wasn’t hiding somewhere,” Jill Biden said.

Co-host Ana Navarro said some went so far as to describe Jill Biden as “Lady Macbeth” — as had Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, Alexandra, in an interview with Politico earlier this year.

“It was very hurtful especially from some of our so-called friends,” Jill Biden said.

The Bidens on what comes next

More broadly, the Bidens’ appearance on “The View” comes as Democrats are in the midst of rebuilding their coalition and retooling some parts of their message; and grappling with what role — if any — the former president should play in the future of the party.

Biden said he was “trying to figure out what the most significant and consequential role I can play, consistent with what I’ve done in the past.”

On Harris’ future, Biden said she’s got a “difficult decision to make about what she’s going to do.”

“I think she’s first-rate,” he said. “But we’ve had a lot of really good candidates as well, so I’m optimistic. I’m not pessimistic about the future.”

Jill Biden, 73, retired from her longtime teaching career in December and was recently named as chair of the recently launched Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network.

She told “The View” that she was planning to continue the women’s health research she had worked on at the White House, calling out funding and research cuts from the current administration.

“We all need answers, don’t we? We need answers about osteoporosis, menopause, heart attacks, you know, why am I losing my hair, incontinence … We need to continue the research, and that is what Milken is going to do. We’re going to fund the research,” she said.