Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-NY) said President Joe Biden's decision to run for a second term in 2024 [2] was a “terrible mistake” [1].
Clinton's critique highlights internal Democratic friction regarding leadership transitions and the strategic risks of running an incumbent who may lack broad electoral appeal. Her comments suggest that the party's failure to "pass the torch" contributed to the loss of the presidency.
Speaking in an interview with New Yorker editor David Remnick, Clinton said that Biden made a terrible mistake by running again [1]. She argued that the decision negatively impacted the country, the president's own legacy, and the Democratic Party's chances of victory in the 2024 [2] cycle.
"He made a terrible mistake for himself, his legacy, and for the country," Clinton said [4].
Clinton believes that Biden should have stepped aside to allow a new candidate to lead the ticket [5]. This perspective reflects a belief that the Democratic Party's inability to pivot to a different leader harmed their overall standing during the campaign [5].
This critique comes from a political figure who experienced her own high-profile loss in the 2016 [1] presidential election. Despite that history, Clinton maintained that the 2024 [2] outcome was avoidable had the party chosen a different path.
"He made a terrible mistake for the country," Clinton said [6].
“"He made a terrible mistake for himself, his legacy, and for the country."”
Clinton's comments provide a candid post-mortem from a senior party figure, suggesting that the Democratic establishment viewed the 2024 candidacy as a strategic liability. By framing the run as a mistake for the country, she shifts the narrative from a simple electoral loss to a failure of leadership and succession planning within the party.
