BRUSSELS — United States President Joe Biden mentioned on Thursday he could be fortunate if his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, made one other bid for the White Home within the 2024 presidential election.

A information convention after conferences with NATO leaders veered into U.S. politics when Biden was requested about European issues that “a determine like your predecessor, possibly even your predecessor himself” may take workplace and undo U.S. and NATO efforts to deal with Russian aggression in Ukraine.

“The following election – I’d be very lucky to have that very same man working in opposition to me,” mentioned the Democratic president, who defeated Trump within the 2020 election.

The quip got here after an extended reply that included why he determined to run for president in 2020 after Trump’s tepid response to the 2017 far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Biden, who has labored arduous to rebuild ties with European and different allies that have been frayed in the course of the Trump administration, mentioned the subsequent election was a good distance off and that he was centered on ensuring Democrats do nicely in congressional elections in November.

“Nevertheless it’s not an illogical query for somebody to ask,” he mentioned, particularly after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.

“If we sat and watched the doorways of the Bundestag damaged down and cops killed, and a whole lot of individuals storming in,” Biden mentioned, “Think about that we noticed that occuring within the British parliament. How would we really feel?

As is his wont, Biden didn’t say Trump’s identify, referring to him as “that gentleman you talked about” or one thing related.

Democratic political advisers near Biden have been expressing the identical sentiment for months, seeing Trump as one of many weaker contenders amongst hypothetical candidates in a head-to-head contest with Biden.

Trump has not introduced his candidacy for 2024, which might require him to arrange a separate fundraising account for his marketing campaign, however he frequently hints at his political rallies that he intends to run for president once more.

A Trump consultant didn’t instantly return a request for remark.

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