Outgoing US President Joe Biden regrets dropping out of the election campaign as he now claims he would have defeated Trump.

White House sources cited by the Guardian say Biden also regrets picking Merrick Garland as attorney general, whom he blames for being slow to prosecute Donald Trump for his role in the January 6, 2021, uprising.

With just weeks left in his presidency, Biden’s reported somber thoughts are revealed in a profile of Washington Post which contains the clearest indication yet that he believes he made a mistake when he withdrew his candidacy in July after a dismal debate performance against his opponent. for the White House, Trump, last month.

Trump resigned – to be replaced as his party’s nominee by US Vice President Kamala Harris – after pressure from Democrats.

Harris’ rise initially brought a wave of enthusiasm and improved the polls, but ultimately resulted in a defeat.

Biden and his associates may not have directly blamed Harris, but they apparently believe the outcome would have been different if she had stood in his place, according to the Washington Post report.

It’s a view contested by many Kamala Harris supporters, who accuse the president of waiting too long before retiring, leaving the vice president little time to mount an effective campaign.

They also point out that Biden’s determination to seek a second term violated his 2020 campaign promise to be a “transitional” figure, passing the torch after one term leading the country away from the Trump presidency.

“Biden promised he would be a transitional president and would actually serve one term before handing it over to another generationRichard Blumenthal, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, told the Post.

Biden’s political allies had pressed the case for Doug Jones, then the Democratic senator from Alabama, arguing that he would be better equipped to navigate Washington’s bitter partisan atmosphere. Klein, instead, argued that Garland, who has a reputation for fairness, would send a more reassuring message of the independence of the Justice Department after Trump.

As events unfolded, Biden still faced false accusations from Trump that he “weaponized” the department as he conducted criminal investigations into his role on Jan. 6 and classified White House documents.

Biden now believes he should have picked someone else, the Post reported, a view echoed by many Democrats who believe Garland delayed investigating and ultimately impeaching Trump for Jan. 6 to overturn his defeat.