Biden, on ‘The View,’ Calls Trump a ‘Loser’ Who Lacks ‘Redeeming Value’

President Biden became the first sitting president to appear live on “The View.” He said he was “at peace” with his decision not to run again.

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President Biden, appearing on “The View” for the 10th time on Wednesday, sought to put a positive spin on his decision to step aside in the race.

President Biden on Wednesday delivered a blunt assessment of the character of his predecessor, telling the hosts of “The View” on ABC that “there’s not a lot of redeeming value” to former President Donald J. Trump. Asked if he would have won if he stayed in the presidential race, Mr. Biden replied: “Yes. I was confident I would beat Trump. He’s a loser.”

But in an appearance that was part personal, part policy and part political, Mr. Biden said he was “at peace” with his decision not to run again. He also made an enthusiastic pitch for Vice President Kamala Harris: “She is smart as hell, No. 1,” he said. He added that “she’s tough, she’s honorable, and the thing I like about her — and one thing to share in common — is that we have an optimistic view in the future.”

Mr. Biden’s appearance on the “The View,” his 10th, was the first time a sitting president has appeared live on the show. His first appearance was when he was a senator in 2007. In 2010, Barack Obama became the first sitting president to appear on the show with a recorded interview.

Mr. Biden sought to put a positive spin on his decision to step aside. He said he had entered office expecting to be a “transition president” but decided to stay on because he was having “so much success in getting things done that people thought we couldn’t get done,” that he took longer “than I would have ordinarily” to pass the torch.

He insisted that his relationship with Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, who was instrumental in pushing Mr. Biden out of the race, was fine. And he said he “never fully believed the assertions that there was this overwhelming reluctance” on the part of Democrats to have him run against Mr. Trump. He insisted his polling was “always within range of beating this guy.”

He also made the usual jokes about his age. Looking at Alyssa Farah Griffin, a host, he said: “I know you’re only 30, but it’s hard to think of — it’s hard for me to even say how old I am. No, I’m serious. I give you my word. It’s like, holy God, that can’t be right, this can’t be right … No woman close to me is as old as I am. None.” To which Whoopi Goldberg, another host, interjected, “Right now they are!”

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