‘I would not be disappointed’ Biden says of facing Trump on the 2024 ballot as he calls ex-president’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal a ‘gigantic mistake’ during Israeli TV interview
- President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he wouldn’t be too upset if he had to face former President Donald Trump on the ballot again
- He also hammered Trump for leaving the Iran nuclear deal during a sit-down with Israeli TV station Keshet 12
- ‘I’m not predicting, but I would not be disappointed,’ Biden said when asked if he thought 2024 would be a rematch
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he wouldn’t be too upset if he had to face former President Donald Trump on the ballot again – as he hammered the ex-president for leaving the Iran nuclear deal during a sit-down with an Israeli TV station.
‘I’m not predicting, but I would not be disappointed,’ Biden said to Israel’s Keshet 12 television, when asked if he thought the 2024 election would be a Biden-Trump rematch.
The president answered ‘no’ when asked if he was looking forward to it, saying his ‘hope’ would be that the Republican Party ‘moves back to more normal position – not this MAGA party that it’s become in many ways.’
But he also said it was way too early to have real clarity on who he’d face in more than two years.
‘The one thing I know about politics and American politics in particular is there’s no way to predict what’s going to happen,’ Biden said. ‘I’m not even halfway through my term yet. And so there’s a lot of room to figure out what’s going to happen.’
Biden brought up Trump earlier in the interview when he was asked about his insistence to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal, as the Israeli public is largely against it.
‘Because the only thing worse than the Iran that exists now is an Iran with nuclear weapons,’ he said.
Biden continued by saying, ‘I think it was a gigantic mistake for a U.S. president to get out of the deal.’
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he wouldn’t be too upset if he had to face former President Donald Trump on the ballot again, in an interview that aired Wednesday on Israel’s Keshet 12 TV station
President Joe Biden (right) talks to Keshet 12’s Yonit Levi (left) for an interview that aired Wednesday night. Biden arrived in Israel earlier Wednesday and will remain in the country through Friday before flying to Saudi Arabia for a day of meetings
‘They’re closer to a nuclear weapon now than they were before,’ he added.
Biden also said he was open to using force to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
‘If that was a last resort, yes,’ he answered.
Biden is in Isreal through Friday and then heading to Saudi Arabia, for a controversial meeting with Saudi leaders including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – known as ‘MBS’ – who was implicated in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
‘The trip is about stability in the Middle East,’ Biden explained. ‘It’s overwhelming in the interest of the United States of America to have more stability in the Middle East, No. 1. It’s overwhelming in the interest of Israel and I think the United States in the region for Israel to be more integrated in the region and accepted as an equal.’
Biden added that some people believed that the United States ‘sort of walked away’ form the Middle East while Trump was president.
‘That we were going to create a vacuum that China and/or Russia would fill, and we can’t let that happen,’ Biden said.
The president continued by saying he believed that ‘the more Isreal is integrated in the region as an equal and accepted the more likely there is going to be a means by which they can come to an accommodation with the Palestinians down the road.’
Biden relented that the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi is ‘going to take a long time.’
President Joe Biden said he hopes the Republican Party ‘moves back to more normal position – not this MAGA party that it’s become in many ways,’ he said, pointing at former President Donald Trump’s political influence
‘But increasing the relationship in terms of acceptance of each other’s presence, working together on certain things, it all makes sense to me,’ the president added.
Biden will make history when he flies directly between Israel and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – being the first U.S. president to do so.
During the 13 minute sit-down, Biden also whacked progressives in his party who tried to strip Iron Dome funding out of Congressional spending bills.
‘There are few of them,’ Biden began. ‘I think they’re wrong. I think they’re making a mistake. Israel is a democracy. Israel is our ally. Israel is a friend.’
Biden added that during his administration $4billion in support has been provided to the Israelis for the country’s Iron Dome missile defense system, and the two countries are currently working on a laser system to replace Iron Dome.
Biden was briefed on Iron Dome and its replacement, dubbed Iron Spear, during his first stop in Israel Wednesday.
‘There’s no possibility, I think, of the Democratic Party or even a significant portion of the Republican Party walking away from Israel,’ Biden added.
Among those Biden is meeting with in Isreal is the former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who’s now the opposition party leader.
Netanyahu could come into power again after Israel’s November elections.
He’s been more politically aligned with American Republicans than Democrats.
Still, Biden told Keshet 12’s Yonit Levi he could work with him.
‘Bibi and I have known each other for close to 40 years. We know where we agree, and where we disagree, and we make no bones about it,’ Biden said.
‘I’m dealing with a democratic state that is going through a decision of who they’re going to have as leader,’ he continued, adding that he would work with whomever is elected.
Biden also talked about the importance of the west standing up against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
‘The idea that we would stand by in the West, NATO in particular, and have the largest invasion of physical force in another country since World War Two and stand there, was just not in the cards.’
Biden said the U.S. would support Ukraine for ‘whatever time it takes.’
‘We’re not going to let him prevail,’ he said.
Biden affirmed that it could take months or years at Levi’s suggestion.
When she asked him if he truly believed it could take years the president pushed back, ‘No you said that.’
‘They’re trying to eliminate Ukraine – and we just cannot let that stand,’ Biden said.
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