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Biden: 'If Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running'

The president warned Tuesday that Trump and his allies are "determined to destroy American democracy."
Biden: 'If Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running'
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President Joe Biden is raising some eyebrows over comments he made about his reelection campaign for the White House.

During a fundraising event Tuesday night in Boston, the president told donors that "if Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running" for reelection in 2024. However, when asked later to clarify those words, President Biden said he would not drop out of the race if Trump decided to also end his campaign.

This comes as polls show that many Democratic voters prefer somebody other than Biden to be the party's nominee, citing things like the 81-year-old's age and mental sharpness as major concerns. Nonetheless, President Biden warned Tuesday that Trump and his allies are attempting to overthrow institutions and are "determined to destroy American democracy."

"We cannot let him win," the president added.

SEE MORE: Poll: Trump leads Biden in 5 key battleground states

Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly pushed back on that rhetoric, claiming it's Biden who is the actual "destroyer of American democracy." Speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity Tuesday, the Republican front-runner spoke about targeting his rivals should he win the presidency in 2024. 

"Under no circumstances, you are promising America tonight, you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?" Hannity asked. 

"Except for day one," Trump responded. "... After that I'm not a dictator."

Earlier in the interview, Hannity asked if the former president had "any plans whatsoever" to "use the government to go after people." 

"You mean like they're using right now?" Trump replied, in reference to being indicted on federal charges for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Special Counsel Jack Smith alleges that Trump orchestrated a scheme to stop the peaceful transfer of power when a group of Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop Joe Biden from being certified as president. 

Trump has called the whole ordeal a "persecution of a political opponent" and previously promised to prosecute President Biden if he regains the White House.


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