Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that former President Joe Biden made a "terrible mistake" by seeking re-election in 2024, marking her strongest public criticism yet of his decision to pursue another White House bid before ultimately withdrawing from the race.
Clinton made the remarks during an interview at the 92nd Street Y with The New Yorker editor David Remnick. She acknowledged that counterfactual narratives are difficult but argued Biden's original plan to serve only one term would have given Democrats a better chance against Donald Trump.
"He made a terrible mistake," Clinton said when asked whether Biden erred in running again. "He made a terrible mistake for himself, his legacy and for the country."
What the Left Is Saying
Some progressive voices have echoed Clinton's assessment, arguing that Democratic Party insiders knew Biden was too old to serve another four years but lacked the political will to push him aside before he formally launched his campaign. Several prominent Democrats publicly urged Biden to step down only after his June 2024 debate performance, which sparked widespread concerns about his mental acuity.
Clinton noted during the interview that private conversations about Biden's viability were happening within Democratic circles, but she said there was "no way to convince him by going public." She also argued that Vice President Kamala Harris faced an impossible task running simultaneously as the sitting vice president while trying to distance herself from the incumbent president's record.
"I think [the short timeline] was definitely a factor," Clinton said of Harris's loss. "I think she also found herself really in a difficult position trying to run as the sitting vice president but separate herself from the sitting president."
What the Right Is Saying
The White House pushed back sharply on Clinton's criticism. Spokesperson Davis Ingle called her "a whiny loser who no one wants to hear from," referencing her 2016 election defeat and subsequent political trajectory.
Conservative commentators have argued that Biden had every right to seek re-election based on his 2020 mandate and electoral record, pointing to his victory over Trump in the popular vote four years earlier. They contend that Clinton's Monday remarks reflect sour grapes from a figure who has repeatedly criticized Democratic Party decisions since her own presidential loss.
T.J. Ducklo, a spokesperson for Biden, declined to comment on Clinton's assessment. Some Republicans have also noted that multiple Democrats publicly endorsed Biden's re-election bid before the debate crisis, with Clinton herself saying in 2022 she would "endorse our sitting president" and calling questions about doing otherwise "silly."
What the Numbers Show
Biden was 81 years old when he announced his re-election bid. Post-debate polling showed significant declines in voter confidence regarding his mental fitness, with multiple surveys indicating majority views that he was too old to serve another term.
Trump won the 2024 presidential election, securing 312 electoral votes to Harris's 226. Trump also surpassed his 2020 popular vote total, receiving approximately 77.3 million votes compared to Harris's roughly 75 million.
Clinton lost to Trump in 2016 despite winning nearly 66 million popular votes. Both Clinton and Biden ran against each other during the 2008 Democratic primary cycle, which Barack Obama ultimately won before selecting Biden as his running mate.
The Bottom Line
Clinton's public criticism represents a notable break from the typically guarded language of senior Democratic figures regarding Biden's legacy. Her comments come as party leaders grapple with how to position themselves for future elections while managing the political fallout from 2024.
The exchange highlights ongoing tensions within the Democratic Party about whether earlier intervention might have changed electoral outcomes. Trump's victory has prompted soul-searching among Democrats, though critics note that Clinton herself faced questions about electability during her 2016 campaign.
Biden's legacy remains a subject of internal party debate as potential 2028 candidates position themselves and seek to draw distinctions from the current political moment.