Washington, 9 May 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Former US president Joe Biden said on Thursday that he takes some of the responsibility for Donald Trump's re-election to the White House.

"Yes, I do, because, look, I was in charge and he won. So, you know, I take responsibility," he said during an interview with US broadcaster ABC.

Biden pushed back on claims of a decline in his cognitive function during his final year in office.

"They are wrong. There's nothing to sustain that," he said.

"I think that the only reason I got out of the race was because I didn't want to have a divided Democratic Party. It's a simple proposition, and so that's why I got out of the race," Biden said.

"I thought it was better to put the country ahead of my interest, my personal interest. I'm not being facetious. I'm being deadly earnest about that."

Biden was joined by his wife Jill for the live interview, their first since he left the White House in January.

Jill responded to accusations she was shielding her husband from the public.

"I saw him all throughout the day, and I did not create a cocoon around him. I mean, you saw him in the Oval Office. You saw him making speeches. He wasn't hiding somewhere. I didn't have him, you know, sequestered in some place," she said.

"I mean, when they were describing us, Lady Macbeth, it was very hurtful. It was very hurtful, especially from some of our so-called friends."

Biden dropped out of the presidential race in July following a poor performance in a televised debate, which intensified concerns within his party about his age and mental acuity.

Former vice president Kamala Harris took over as the Democratic nominee but lost the election to Trump.

MIA file photo