Joe Biden says he’s «not going away» after his presidency ends.
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, the president made an appearance on The View, co-hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin. During their conversation, he discussed his post-White House plans for when his term ends on Jan. 20, 2025.
«Although I’m leaving, you’re stuck with me. I’m not going away,» Biden, 81, shared on the talk show.
He went on to say «there’s so many other things I want to do» while noting the foreign policy work being done at the University of Pennsylvania’s Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement think tank, and the domestic policy solutions being researched at the University of Delaware’s Biden Institute. Both centers were established in 2018.
Biden said that he wants to continue «to keep the things going that we started,» adding, «I think we can get them done.»
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Earlier in the episode, he reflected on his more than 50 years in politics, after starting his career as a United States senator from Delaware, and said he is «at peace» with his decision to no longer run for reelection since he dropped out of the race on July 21.
«Look, when I ran this last term, I saw myself as a transition president, transitioning to a new generation of leadership,» Biden said before cracking a joke about his age. «I know I only look 40 but I’m 180 years old — been around forever.»
«But what happened was we [were] having so much success [in] getting things done that people thought we couldn’t get done. I found myself having used more time than I would have ordinarily to just pass that torch,» he explained.
Biden went on to compliment his vice president, Kamala Harris, who became the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee in his place.
«Working with Kamala, she is bright, she is tough, she’s honorable,» he said. «And the thing I like about her, and one thing we share in common, is that we have an optimistic view of the future here. There’s nothing we can’t do.»
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He added, «It was the greatest honor in the world sitting behind the Resolute Desk as president of the United States. I loved it, but [it] sounds corny, but I love my country more.»
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In another part of the interview, Biden spoke of his legacy, saying, «What I want to remembered for is being honest [about] what I’ve done, straight up.» He then recalled his days serving as Barack Obama’s vice president from 2009 to 2017 and said «I think I used to drive Barack crazy every morning.»
«We’d meet at nine o’clock for eight years and then we end the day together,» he continued. «I’d say to him, Barack, remember, all politics is personal, including international. We build relationships. It matters. To build trust. It matters. It matters. It matters. And I just think the environment is such that we can get so much done, but we have to focus. We have to believe in ourselves again.»
He continued, «And that’s what I like most about Kamala. She believes in America, she believes in our capacity, she believes in who we are,» before ultimately noting that he is «less concerned about what my legacy is.»
