President Joe Biden said he has not made a decision on whether to issue preemptive pardons before leaving office, leaving the door open to an unprecedented move to protect some of his allies.
In an interview with USA Today’s Susan Page, Biden confirmed that he is open to the idea, but a decision has not been made. He specifically mentioned that he was straightforward with President-elect Donald Trump about not trying to “settle scores” and warned Trump against trying to reverse some of his legislative accomplishments.
Biden also defended his decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, saying it was based on his son having paid all his taxes, despite paying them late, and that no one had been tried on the question of a document meant to prevent drug addicts from obtaining firearms.
Biden expressed concern about misinformation, pointing to Trump’s attempts to mislead Americans, and suggested that Trump would “have a problem” if he tried to reverse some of his legislative accomplishments, such as the infrastructure bill or the climate and healthcare law.
The president also revealed that he believes he could have been reelected, but was unsure if he had the vigor to serve an additional four-year term. He lamented the spread of misinformation and the pace of some of his legislative wins, and said he would deliver a eulogy for former President Jimmy Carter, whom he described as a “decent man” who “genuinely cared about other people.”
Biden also announced that his granddaughter, Naomi Biden Neal, is due to have a cesarean section on Wednesday, making him a great-grandfather.
