'Things got moving so quickly, it didn't happen,' he tells CBS, in his first interview since bowing out as a candidate for re-election.

President Biden has given his first interview since quitting the 2024 election, but don't tune in hoping for introspection. "Look, I had a really, really bad day in that debate, because I was sick," Mr. Biden told CBS, in the not-quite-whisper that Americans now expect from their 81-year-old leader. He insisted his polls at the time still showed him "neck and neck" with Donald Trump.

So why did he drop out? Democrats in the House and Senate made clear he was hurting them, Mr. Biden said: "I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic. You'd be interviewing me about, why did Nancy Pelosi say, why did so -- and I thought it'd be a real distraction, number one."