Biden First Post-Office Interview: “I Was So Successful”; Blames “Sexist Route” for Harris Loss; Bernie Defends $221K Private Jets on “Oligarchy” Tour

Former President Biden gave his first sit-down interview after leaving office in May 2025, and the answers raised more questions than they resolved. On his withdrawal: “We left at a time when we had a good candidate. I had become so successful on our agenda, it was hard to say I’m going to stop now.” On Harris losing: “I wasn’t surprised because they went the sexist route. A woman, a woman of mixed race — the most successful campaign undercutting the notion that a woman could lead the country.” Separately, Sen. Bernie Sanders defended spending $221,000 on private jets during his “fighting oligarchy” tour: “You think I can sit on a waiting line at United while 30,000 people are waiting? No apologies for that.” Maxine Waters stumbled through a Bessent grilling, and Steve Witkoff was sworn in as Special Envoy to the Middle East.

Biden: “So Successful”

Biden’s first answer set the tone for the interview.

“Should you have withdrawn earlier, given someone else a bigger chance?” the interviewer asked.

“I don’t think it would have mattered,” Biden said. “We left at a time when we had a good candidate — she was fully funded.”

He explained his reasoning: “What happened was, I had become what we had set out to do. No one thought we could do. And become so successful on our agenda, it was hard to say, ‘Now I’m going to stop.’”

The claim that Biden had been “so successful” that stopping was hard contradicted virtually every available indicator about his presidency. The Afghanistan withdrawal had been a military disaster. The border had experienced record illegal crossings. Inflation had reached 40-year highs. International conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza had expanded on his watch. His approval ratings had dropped to historic lows.

More fundamentally, the claim contradicted the facts of his own withdrawal. Biden had not voluntarily stepped aside because of his success; he had been forced out by his own party after the catastrophic June 2024 debate made his cognitive decline impossible to conceal. The “so successful” framing was a rewriting of history that could not survive scrutiny.

”The Sexist Route”

Biden’s explanation for Harris’s loss identified the Trump campaign’s strategy as the culprit.

“Why do you think the vice president lost? And were you surprised?” the interviewer asked.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Biden said, “not because I didn’t think the vice president was a qualified person to be president. She is qualified to be president of the United States of America.”

He identified the cause: “I wasn’t surprised because they went the route of the sexist route, the whole route. I mean, ‘This is a woman, she’s this, she’s that.’”

He elaborated: “Really, I’ve never seen quite as successful and consistent campaign undercutting the notion that a woman couldn’t lead the country and a woman of mixed race. And they played that further on.”

Biden’s analysis attributed Harris’s loss entirely to sexism and racism in the electorate, with no consideration that her policy positions, her campaign performance, or the administration’s record might have contributed. This framing was politically comfortable for Democrats but epistemologically weak.

Harris had lost every swing state. She had lost the popular vote. She had lost among demographics that had traditionally voted Democratic — including women, Hispanics, and young voters. The sexism-and-racism explanation required Americans to have simultaneously elected female governors, senators, and representatives in record numbers while refusing to elect Harris specifically because she was a woman of mixed race. The explanation didn’t survive contact with actual voting data.

More fundamentally, Biden’s analysis absolved the Democratic Party of any responsibility for the defeat. No policies needed review. No messaging needed adjustment. No strategic decisions needed reconsidering. The loss was entirely the fault of voters who were too sexist and racist to make the correct choice. This framework guaranteed that the party would learn nothing from the election and repeat the same mistakes.

Paige Bueckers: “As a White…”

WNBA player Paige Bueckers provided another moment of progressive messaging that went viral for the wrong reasons.

“As a white — I want to shed light on black women,” Bueckers said, attempting to demonstrate allyship at her celebration event.

The phrasing — identifying herself primarily by race before completing the thought — captured the awkward self-consciousness that progressive racial consciousness had produced. Athletes who celebrated their accomplishments felt compelled to immediately deflect attention to other racial groups, creating moments that read as self-flagellation rather than genuine tribute.

Maxine Waters Stumbles

Rep. Maxine Waters attempted to attack Treasury Secretary Bessent but stumbled over her own script.

“In the first quarter, since Trump took office, the United States economy shrank, with our gross dest — domestic produp — product decreasing by 0.3%,” Waters said, mangling the term “gross domestic product.”

She attempted to continue the attack: “Mr. Bessent, you are also the face of what the Hall Street Journal — ”

The “Hall Street Journal” slip — instead of “Wall Street Journal” — was the second flub in a sequence. Waters had attempted to quote a Wall Street Journal op-ed describing the tariff policy as “the dumbest trade war in history,” but her delivery undermined the attack. A sharp-sounding indictment became a confused stumble that made the questioner look unprepared.

Bernie’s Private Jets

Sen. Bernie Sanders faced questions from Bret Baier about the $221,000 he had spent on private jets during his “fighting oligarchy” tour.

“The only way you can get around to talk to 30,000 people — you think I can sit on a waiting line at United while 30,000 people are waiting?” Sanders said.

He was defiant: “No apologies for that. That’s what campaign travel is about. We’ve done it in the past. We’re going to do it in the future.”

Baier noted: “When’s the last time you saw Donald Trump during campaign mode at National Airport?”

The defense was practically reasonable but politically indefensible. A senator who made his career attacking “the oligarchy” could not credibly explain why he traveled like an oligarch. The hypocrisy was the story. When Trump flew on private jets, it was consistent with his brand as a successful businessman. When Sanders flew on private jets while denouncing the billionaire class, it was contradiction at its most glaring.

Witkoff Sworn In

Steve Witkoff was officially sworn in as Special Envoy to the Middle East. Witkoff, a real estate magnate and longtime Trump friend, had already conducted multiple high-stakes meetings with Vladimir Putin during the Ukraine peace negotiations and was now taking on the formal title for his Middle East role.

Key Takeaways

• Biden in first post-office interview: “I had become so successful on our agenda, it was hard to say I’m going to stop now.”
• On Harris losing: “They went the sexist route. A woman, a woman of mixed race — successful and consistent campaign undercutting the notion.”
• Bernie Sanders on $221K in private jets: “You think I can sit on a waiting line at United? No apologies for that.”
• Maxine Waters stumbled attacking Bessent: “Gross dest — domestic produp” and “Hall Street Journal.”
• Steve Witkoff sworn in as Special Envoy to the Middle East.