President Joe Biden reportedly regrets his decision to step out of this year’s presidential race, believing he had a strong chance of defeating Donald Trump in last month’s election despite polling data indicating otherwise. According to White House insiders cited in a new Washington Post profile, Biden has privately voiced confidence in his ability to have won if he had remained in the running.

The President is also said to be unhappy with his choice of Merrick Garland as attorney general. Biden reportedly feels that Garland was slow to bring charges against Trump for his role in the January 6 Capitol riots, while simultaneously overseeing a Justice Department that aggressively prosecuted Biden’s son, Hunter.

Biden announced his withdrawal from the election in July, following a lackluster debate against Trump and mounting pressure from Democratic leaders to step aside. The party replaced him with Vice President Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost the election to Trump.

While neither Biden nor his aides have publicly criticized Harris for the loss, the Washington Post reports that some in Biden’s circle believe his continued candidacy might have led to a different outcome.

Harris’ supporters, however, argue that Biden’s late withdrawal left her with too little time to build a robust and effective campaign, which they believe significantly hindered her chances.

Regarding Garland’s appointment, the report notes that Biden was initially hesitant and needed convincing from his then-chief of staff, Ron Klain, to choose Garland over Doug Jones, a Democratic senator from Alabama. Klain advocated for Garland, citing his reputation for impartiality and the need to restore the Justice Department’s independence after years of alleged politicization under Trump. However, Biden’s political allies had preferred Jones, viewing him as better equipped for the role.

Biden now reportedly regrets siding with Klain’s advice, sharing the frustrations of many Democrats who believe Garland was too slow in prosecuting Trump. The protracted investigation eventually resulted in the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith, but the cases against Trump came too late to prevent his renewed bid for the presidency.

This month, after Trump’s election victory, Smith formally requested the dismissal of the criminal charges against the former president, effectively closing the cases and sparking further criticism over the handling of the investigations.

{Matzav.com}