Hillary Clinton Dissects 'Terrible Miscalculation' Behind Biden's Reelection Campaign

Hillary Clinton called President Joe Biden’s failed bid for a second term a “terrible miscalculation” during an event in New York on Tuesday.

While speaking to The New Yorker’s David Remnick about the political missteps that led to President Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office, the former secretary of state said, “He made a terrible mistake. He made a terrible mistake for himself, his legacy, and for the country.”

According to Clinton, Biden’s first misstep was going back on his word after vowing to be a one-term president who would pass the torch to a new cadre of Democratic leaders.

While she admitted thinking in hypotheticals was “tricky” business, the former senator said she imagined there “would have had a real contest” for the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate if Biden followed through with his initial plan.

“Very sadly, I believe whoever emerged from that contest, whether it was the vice president or a governor or a senator or anybody else, would have beaten Donald Trump,” Clinton added. “So, I think it was a terrible miscalculation on the part of President Biden.”

Furthermore, the former first lady said Biden left the party in a “terrible dilemma” by dropping out of the race at the 11th hour following a distressing debate against Trump in June 2024.

Clinton went on to claim politicos were met with “total denial” when they tried to convince Biden his debate performance had all but obliterated his chances and that only polling information was enough to finally push him to take a bow.

When Biden exited the race in late July 2024, most primary elections had long passed. With just four months before election day, his vice president, Kamala Harris, was left as the Democrats’ de facto candidate.

Clinton told Remnick she thought Harris’ campaign came with a fatal flaw, too, saying Biden’s right-hand woman was throttled by the fact she couldn’t speak to voters’ widespread dissatisfaction with his administration because of her role as No. 2.

“Some people didn’t want to hear anything from any candidate, especially somebody that he picked to be the vice president, criticizing him,” she explained.