Biden: Health questions risked being 'real distraction'

US President Joe Biden gave his first TV interview on Sunday since withdrawing from the presidential election race, saying his decision stemmed from a desire to see his Republican rival Donald Trump beaten.

Biden pulled out of a bid for a second term in the White House last month amid growing concerns about his age, health and mental acuity.

What did Biden say?

During a short interview with CBS recorded last week at the White House, Biden said he faced pressure from fellow Democrats about his chances of winning the next US election.

"What happened was, a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them... and I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic you'd be interviewing me about," Biden said.

"I thought it'd be a real distraction," he said, and that his main priority was that Trump not win a second term.

The president admitted his performance against Trump in the first TV debate in late June had been a failure, but stressed that health-wise he has "no serious problem."

Trump a 'danger' to US democracy

"A critical issue for me still is — not a joke — maintaining this democracy," Biden said.

"I have an obligation to the country to do what is the most important thing we can do, and that is we must, we must, we must defeat Trump."

Calling the Republican candidate a "genuine danger to American security," Biden said he was "not confident at all" of a peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses a second time.

Biden gives full support to Harris

The president also vowed to campaign hard for Vice President Kamala Harris, who has replaced him as the Democratic Party's nominee.

"I'm going to do whatever Kamala thinks I can do to help most," he told CBS.

Harris said Saturday she planned to unveil her policy positions in the coming week.

Last week, she announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate.

"He's my kind of guy, he's real, he's smart, I've known him for several decades. I think it's a hell of a team," Biden told CBS.

Harris leads Trump by four points each in Pennsylvania and two other key swing states, Wisconsin and Michigan, according to polls by The New York Times and Siena College released Saturday.

mm/rmt, jsi (AFP, Reuters)