Whoopi Goldberg "didn't like the way" people publicly pushed President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. On September 25, 2024, The View cohosts asked the president about his decision to not seek re-election — and whether he felt pressured or forced to exit the race. Biden, 81, said that he is "at peace" with his decision. He also told the cohosts that in spite of calls for him to drop out of the race, he "never fully believed the assertions that somehow there was this overwhelming reluctance with my running again."
Whoopi Goldberg, 68, was more openly critical of the way people approached the issue. Before Biden announced that he would no longer be running for president again, many Democrats, including Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Betty McCollum, and Rep. Scott Peters, called for him to drop out. In July, actor and prominent Democratic fundraiser George Clooney also wrote an essay for The New York Times urging Biden to drop out.
Goldberg believes that they didn't have to "publicly" put pressure on Biden.
"Listen, I didn't like the way they did it," Goldberg said on The View. "I'm just going to say it out loud because nobody says it out loud. I didn't like the way it was done publicly, I thought they could've done this in a different way."
She spoke directly to Biden, telling him, "We didn't need to hear all the inner-fighting. I didn't like it, I'm saying it to you, you were my ride-or-die."
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"I was going wherever you were going, that's where I was going. I just wanted to say that because I always felt you were going to probably do four years and then try to figure out where to go with Kamala," she continued.
Goldberg then mentioned former President Donald Trump, not calling him by name. "He was just like a bug. He just kept being there," she said.
Ultimately, Goldberg thanked Biden for his decision, and for everything he's done during his time as a politician.
"So you felt, that’s what was needed, and you did it, and I just wanted to say thank you. But, thank you for everything you've done in my entire lifetime," Goldberg said to Biden.
While on The View, Biden also spoke about why he believes in Kamala Harris. "She is smart as hell, No. 1," he said. "She’s tough … she has the energy, she has the intelligence, she has the grit, she has the stamina and she has the guts to do the right thing."
Speaking on his decision to step down, Biden made a joke about his age. "I know I only look 40 but I'm 180 years old — been around forever," he said. "But what happened was we were having so much success in getting things done that people felt we couldn't get done, I found myself having used more time than I would've ordinarily to, you know, pass that torch."
He described Harris as someone who is "bright," "tough," and "honorable." The president added that he appreciates her optimism. "The thing I like about her, and one thing we share in common, is that we have an optimistic view of the future here," he said. "There's nothing we can't do."
