Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stated that Joe Biden made the right decision to step aside in the upcoming US presidential election following a lacklustre debate performance against Donald Trump. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Clinton expressed that Biden’s inability to recover from the debate meant he was justified in his choice.
“Once that debate happened, he could not recover and he did the right thing,” Clinton said.She also pointed out that Democrats have struggled to effectively communicate their efforts to address the economic concerns of Trump supporters. Clinton is familiar with this, having been unexpectedly defeated by Trump in the 2016 election, a relevant lesson as Trump now competes against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in a tight race.
Clinton acknowledged that the future of democracy in the United States rests on this election, urging Harris to “defeat Donald Trump to break the fever that he has caused in our political system”, as per BBC News.
Clinton noted the stark differences in the agendas presented by the two candidates, asserting that the election’s consequences extend far beyond the US borders, impacting matters like support for Ukraine and stability in the Middle East. She expressed concern over Trump’s previous comments about potentially cutting US aid to Ukraine, saying, “This election will have repercussions far beyond the US.”
In the interview, Clinton condemned Trump’s promise to initiate mass deportations of illegal immigrants, referencing comments made by his vice-presidential pick, JD Vance. “He is going to have a military presence [in US cities] to achieve his goals,” she said.
Clinton recognised that Trump’s support stems from various factors, including feeling “overlooked” and concerns over an economy that doesn’t seem to benefit everyone. “I think our problem is frankly we are not the most effective messengers,” she said.
As the election on November 5 approaches, polling suggests that Trump is currently more trusted on the crucial issue of the economy, with only narrow margins separating the candidates in key battleground states.