Gaza ceasefire 'still possible' before leaving office, Biden says

The US president also confirmed during the interview that he was encouraged to drop out of the race due to concerns on his health and age.

US President Joe Biden speaks to the press at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, August 1, 2024.  (photo credit: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)
US President Joe Biden speaks to the press at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, August 1, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

US President Joe Biden gave an interview with the news outlet CBS, which was released on Sunday, where he said that a ceasefire in Gaza is still very much possible.

"The plan I put together, endorsed by the G7, endorsed by the UN Security Council, et cetera, is still viable," the president told CBS. "And I'm working literally every single day – and my whole team – to see to it that it doesn't escalate into a regional war. But it easily can."

Biden made this statement shortly after explaining why he withdrew his re-election bid, saying that it would be better for the Democratic Party to defeat Donald Trump in November, as he told the US new outlet that he's campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris for president alongside Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro in the battleground swing-state.

Biden was encouraged to drop out of the race

The US president also confirmed during the interview that he was also pushed out of the race due to concerns about his health and age. He made his big decision last month at his family home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. 

Biden elaborated to CBS by saying that is would be a distraction that his "Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was gonna hurt them in the races. And I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic."

 US PRESIDENT Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House last week, explaining the decision to drop his presidential re-election bid.  (credit: Evan Vucci/REUTERS)
US PRESIDENT Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House last week, explaining the decision to drop his presidential re-election bid. (credit: Evan Vucci/REUTERS)

The second distraction he says, in addition to his age, is that when he "ran the first time, I thought of myself as being a transition President."