Trump doesn’t expect Biden to drop out of 2024 race, says president looked ‘extremely pale’ at debate

Donald Trump has made a stunning admission about his embattled presidential rival Joe Biden, who he says has too big an “ego”.

Former President Donald Trump has made a backflip — saying he doesn’t expect President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 contest due to his “ego” during a prime-time appearance on Fox News’ Hannity on Monday night local time.

It comes just five days after Trump was filmed on a golf course boasting Mr Biden had “quit” the presidential race and “we have Kamala”.

“I think he might very well stay in, and if he doesn’t – nobody wants to give up that way – he’s going to feel badly about himself for a long time,” Trump, 78, said on Tuesday morning Australian Eastern Standard Time.

“He’s got an ego and doesn’t want to quit. I think Jill would like to see him stay, she’s having a good time. I’m hearing Hunter is calling the shots,” he mused.

Trump previously suspected he’d be facing US Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election. Picture: Angela Weiss / AFP

“It’s hard to give it up that way the way they’re trying to force him out,” the former president said, alluding to the growing chorus of Democratic allies calling for Mr Biden, 81, to step aside.

In the wide-ranging 18-minute phone interview, Trump’s first since his debate with Mr Biden last month, host Sean Hannity probed the 2024 GOP standard bearer about his rival’s near-universally panned performance in the June 27 debate.

“Within minutes I could tell this was not going to be a good night for Joe Biden,” Trump said, highlighting his opponent’s “extremely pale” appearance on the Atlanta stage.

“He was a very pale man, to put it nicely. I don’t know, maybe it was a good makeup job, maybe it wasn’t a good makeup job.”

His reviews on Mr Biden’s performance were similarly critical.

“When he started to speak I thought his voice was weak, I didn’t know exactly what was happening. It was strange,” he said, describing the President as going “a little haywire.”

As for the content of his opponent’s messaging, Trump said, “They weren’t even answers, they were just words put together that made no meaning or sense.”

Mr Biden’s cognitive state has come under increasing scrutiny since his disastrous debate performance, followed by a series of subsequent appearances where he rambled incoherently or seemed dazed.

Trump now says he doesn’t think Joe Biden will drop out of the presidential race. Picture: AFP

Hannity questioned Trump on Vice President Kamala Harris, whose name has been floated in recent days as the presumptive heir apparent should Biden surrender his candidacy.

“Well I think that it will be her,” Trump said of the unlikely event Biden steps down and is replaced at the top of the ticket.

He called the Democrats “gun shy” about the prospect of going with anybody other than Harris in his stead.

“They don’t want to do it any other way.”

As for his reaction to the media’s about-face on denying Mr Biden’s declining faculties, the ex-commander in chief said “it’s getting difficult to cover for him”.

When Hannity point-blank asked if he wanted Mr Biden to step aside, Trump said simply, “we’ve prepared for him, but I don’t think it’s going to matter.”

Trump said he thought Biden’s voice was ‘weak’ during last month’s debate. Picture: AFP

The Fox News host concluded the interview by asking Trump when he expects to make an announcement about his potential running-mate choice, rattling off a few oft-mentioned shortlist contenders like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and North Dakota Governer Doug Burgum.

The former president said the names he mentioned were “absolutely under consideration,” but said “I haven’t made a final decision but I have some ideas as to where we’re going”.

He said he’d be making an announcement “probably within the next week” and that it might even be at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin starting July 15.

“We’ll be announcing soon and I think everybody’s going to be very happy. The choice will be very good. Meaning, a person who can do a fantastic job as president — you always have to think about that first — and second, somebody who’s going to help you get elected, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission