Beto says Biden ‘failed this country’ by seeking second term

Beto O’Rourke recently criticized Joe Biden for seeking a second term as president, arguing that the decision ultimately failed the country. In an appearance on Pod Save America, O’Rourke said Biden’s choice to run again contributed to Donald Trump’s return to the White House, despite Trump’s attacks on democratic institutions.

“We could lose the greatest nation on Earth,” said O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman who has previously run for both president and governor. He blamed Biden and his advisers for deciding to pursue re-election, a move that he believes severely hurt the Democratic Party’s chances.

O’Rourke’s comments come in the wake of new criticism sparked by Original Sin, a political book by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. The book claims Biden and his inner circle concealed his mental decline until it was too late, costing Democrats the 2024 election.

Biden withdrew from the race less than a month after a poor debate performance against Trump on June 27, 2024. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement, but with limited time to campaign, she lost both the electoral and popular vote to Trump.

Trump’s second term has brought drastic changes: slashing federal budgets and staff, aggressive immigration enforcement, halts in funding to opposing institutions, unstable trade policies, and verbal attacks on judges who rule against him.

O’Rourke said the Democrats made a major error by backing Biden—who turned 82 in November—despite concerns about his age and fitness for office. While Trump is just three years younger, voters seemed less concerned about his age.

“To run the oldest candidate, despite clear doubts about his ability to lead, was a major credibility issue,” said O’Rourke. “Democrats need to admit they made a huge mistake.”

David Plouffe, a senior advisor to Harris and Obama’s former campaign manager, echoed that sentiment in Original Sin, saying Biden “totally fucked us” by waiting until late July 2024 to drop out of the race.

In response, a Biden spokesperson defended the former president, saying aging alone doesn’t indicate mental incapacity. “No one has shown where Biden failed to do his job due to cognitive decline,” the statement read.

O’Rourke, who began his political career on the El Paso city council and served three terms in Congress, has yet to win a statewide or national race. He lost the 2018 Senate race, the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, and the 2022 Texas governor’s race.