In a rare interview, Biden emphasizes that he is the Democrats’ best option against Trump

In an expanded Oval Office interview with The New YorkerPresident Biden expressed confidence that he would be re-elected in 2024, laid out his rationale for running for a second term despite questions about his age and said he doubted former President Donald J. Trump would support the results of the election would accept from November.

Biden, who rarely gives interviews, faces dissatisfaction from voters in his own party and widespread dissatisfaction with his leadership of the nation, polls show.

But he suggested to The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos that he was the strongest Democrat to take on Trump in November, saying he was the “only one to ever beat him.”

“And I will beat him again,” he added.

Mr. Biden suggested that neither he nor voters could afford for him to sit out the election, asking a rhetorical question: “If you thought you were best positioned to defeat someone who, if he won , the nature of America were to change, what would happen? you do?”

His answer appeared to represent a slight shift from December, when he was asked whether he believed other Democrats could achieve victory over Mr. Trump.

“Probably fifty,” Mr. Biden responded. “I’m not the only one who could beat him. But I will beat him.”

The latest New York Times/Siena College national poll showed Mr. Biden trailing his rival, with Mr. Trump ahead of him 48 percent to 43 percent among registered voters. However, Mr. Biden said the news media had underestimated him before and did so again.

“First of all, remember when you guys told me in 2020 that I wouldn’t win? And then you told me in 2022 how it was going to be this red wave? Mr. Biden said this during the New Yorker interview, which was conducted in January and published on Monday as part of a lengthy profile. ‘And I told you there wouldn’t be a red wave. And in 2023 you told me we’re going to get our ass kicked again? And we have won every race contested.

“I think you’ll see the same thing in 2024.”

One of the biggest hurdles for the 81-year-old Biden remains voters’ perception of his age. Mr. Osnos, who has conducted several high-profile interviews with Mr. Biden over the years, wrote that the president’s voice is now “thin and muddy, and his gestures have slowed, but in our conversation his spirit seemed unchanged. ” He continued, “He never messed up a name or a date.”

Another challenge is the Israeli war in Gaza. Biden’s support for Israel during the conflict has chipped away at his support among Arab Americans, young voters and progressives. In the interview with The New Yorker, the president continued to walk a tightrope on the issue, saying, “I don’t want Palestinians to be killed,” but he also asked disgruntled Democrats for patience.

“I think they need to give this a little bit of time, to understand what would happen if they entered their state or neighborhood and saw what was happening with Hamas,” he said.

The president has pushed for a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas, but no deal has yet been reached. On Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris loudly supported “an immediate ceasefire” — an apparent escalation by the White House as pro-Gaza Democrats stage protest votes against Mr. Biden in presidential primaries.

Mr. Biden also said he did not think Mr. Trump, whose extensive criminal cases include charges related to his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, would abandon the race if he loses in November.

“Losers who are losers are never graceful,” the president said. “I just think he’ll do everything he can to try to win. If – and when – I win, I think he will contest it. Whatever the outcome.”