In an exclusive interview in the Oval Office Sunday, President Joe Biden has revealed a compliment paid to him by President-elect Donald Trump.
According to USA Today, candid interviews with Biden are a rare event, with the outlet reporting Biden has held fewer press conferences and interviews with individual reporters than any other sitting president since President Ronald Reagan.
Discussing his legacy in politics, which includes a 35-year stretch in the U.S. Senate, eight years as vice president, and four years as the president, Biden told USA Today reporter Susan Page he hopes history remembers his tenure as honest and carried out with integrity.
“I hope that history says that I came in and I had a plan how to restore the economy and reestablish America’s leadership in the world … I hope it records that I did it with honesty and integrity, that I said what was on my mind,” Biden said.
During a private meeting with Trump after his election victory, Biden said Trump complimented “some” of his economic policies, despite publicly calling Biden’s time in office a “disaster.”
“He was very complimentary about some of the economic things I had done. And he talked about − he thought I was leaving with a good record,” Biden said.
However, Biden told Page if Trump ends the Biden administration’s economic policies and programs already in place, it could “hurt the economy,” but noted Trump is going to have a “hard time” winding them back.
“I think if he moves on the tax cuts of $5 trillion, I think if he moves on dealing with increasing tariffs across the board, all they are is increasing costs of consumers in America. And if he decides to do away with some of the major programs, whether it’s dealing with the rescue plan or infrastructure or the climate law, I think he’s just going to, you know, hurt himself, hurt the economy … The bottom line is Trump’s going to have a hard time undoing a lot, I think,” Biden said.
