Hillary Clinton Scoffs When Asked if She’d Endorse Biden if He Runs in 2024: ‘Silly Question’
Hillary Clinton scoffed when NBC News Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor asked whether she would endorse President Joe Biden if he chooses to run for re-election in 2024, calling it a “silly question” and pointing out how Biden had defeated former President Donald Trump in 2020 in a “huge landslide victory.”
Alcindor interviewed Clinton on stage at the Aspen Ideas Festival, covering a variety of topics, including the recent Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, and then spoke with the former secretary of state afterwards to get her thoughts about 2024.
“If he decides to run, he’s a sitting president,” Clinton told Alcindor about Biden.
“Would you endorse him?” Alcindor asked.
“Look, I would endorse our sitting president — yes, of course,” Clinton replied. “This is a silly question. So, let’s go with the person most likely to win. Joe Biden beat — in a huge landslide victory in the popular vote — Donald Trump. I think that says a lot.”
This was a “really interesting and fraught time” for Biden, Alcindor remarked, with growing concerns among Democrats about their fate in the upcoming 2022 midterms and a number of prominent figures within the party reluctant to endorse Biden’s re-election, including progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
According to Alcindor, Clinton also said that if Democrats don’t want to say that they will endorse Biden, “that’s their problem.”
Biden had been signaling to close aides that he does want to run in 2024, Alcindor continued, telling MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell that she had “snuck in a question” about whether or not Clinton was considering running again in 2024.
“Andrea, she turned, she looked at me, kind of shook her head, smiled, and said ‘absolutely not,'” said Alcindor.
“I can tell you, from covering her a long time in the campaign,” said Mitchell, “she’s not going to do that again.”
UPDATE 6:45 pm ET: MSNBC played a longer and more complete clip of Alcindor’s conversation with Clinton during Deadline: White House Thursday afternoon. As seen in the transcript and video below, Clinton made clear that she was calling the question silly in general about whether or not she would endorse a sitting Democratic president for re-election, not criticizing Alcindor personally. “Not you, but everybody who’s asking,” said Clinton.
Clinton: And if he decides to run, he is a sitting president.
Alcindor: Would you endorse him?
Clinton: Look, I would endorse our sitting president, yes, of course. This is a silly question. Not you, but everybody who’s asking… so let’s go with the person most likely to win, Joe Biden beat in a huge landslide victory in the popular vote Donald Trump. I think that says a lot.
Watch the video clips above, via MSNBC.
