Donald Trump said he hoped Joe Biden would stay in the US election race as long as possible after suggesting the president’s cognitive decline was damaging his campaign, Piers Morgan has revealed.
Mr Morgan said Trump made the comments during a phone conversation the pair had after the Republican candidate was shot in an attempted assassination at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month.
Just hours after the phone call, Mr Biden, 81, dramatically quit the race and endorsed Kamala Harris to replace him, saying it was “in the best interest of my party and the country” to stand aside after weeks of pressure over his health and age.
Writing in The Sun, Mr Morgan revealed that Trump asked him about his television debate with the president.
Mr Biden’s campaign was thrown into disarray by his disastrous debate performance against Trump on June 27 in which he froze and lost his train of thought.
Dozens of Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama, subsequently raised concerns over his health and called for him to “pass the torch” and stand down.
Mr Morgan said he told Trump: “It was a predictable train wreck for Mr Biden. Just so embarrassing. My 12-year-old daughter came down and asked if he was asleep.
“If he stays in the race, you’ll win. And even if he doesn’t, I still think you’ll win.”
