President Joe Biden reaffirmed his belief that he can beat Donald Trump again in an election, but did not confirm that he would run for a second term in a wide-ranging interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday.

“They’re concerned about whether or not I get anything done,” Biden said to Tapper after the host cited a recent poll which showed that 75% of Democratic voters want a new presidential nominee in 2024. “Look what I've gotten done. Name me a president in recent history has gotten as much done as I have in the first two years.”

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden reaffirmed his belief that he can beat Donald Trump, but declined to state plans for running again in 2024, in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper

  • In the wide-ranging interview, Biden expanded on his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "rational actor" who has "significantly miscalculated" regarding possible use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine

  • Biden also stated that he will not meet with Putin at the upcoming G20 summit in November, unless Putin is willing to talk about releasing imprisoned Americans like basketball star Brittney Griner

  • The president said that Democrats have a strong record to run on in November, and that he will make calculations for running again after the midterms

Biden cited his legislative accomplishments, including the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats’ climate change, health care and tax reform bill, and a bipartisan gun safety reform bill enacted in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, mass shootings.

“I think it’s a matter of, has anyone done more in the first two years of their administration?” Biden added. “They've been saying this about my age since I began to run.”

“You can come work out with me in the morning," Biden joked to Tapper.

The president touted those achievements as evidence that Democrats will be competitive in next month’s midterm elections.

But Biden, who turns 80 next month, stopped short of suggesting any plans to run for a second term in 2024.

“I’m not going to make this about my decision, I’m going to make this about the off-year election,” Biden said. “After that’s done in November, I’m going to be in the process” of making a decision.

Tapper’s interview with Biden ranged from Ukraine’s ongoing crisis with Russia, to U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, to his concern for a possible “slight” economic recession.

Prior to the interview, Tapper’s show argued that Putin has become an isolated, irrational actor who may be “(losing) touch with reality.” The point was underscored with clips of retired American officials, including former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, national security experts, and global leaders like French president Emmanuel Macron.

Biden, in response, said that he feels Putin is a “rational actor who’s miscalculated significantly.”

Putin, he said, could leave Ukraine and still retain political power in Russia if he so chose. But Biden stated that he also has “no intention” of meeting with Putin regarding Ukraine at the upcoming G20 summit, taking place in Bali in November.

“The idea (is) nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. I’m not about to, nor is anyone else prepared to, negotiate with Russia about them staying in Ukraine, keeping in any part of Ukraine, et cetera,” Biden said. However, he did suggest that he would meet with Putin to discuss the release of Russia’s American prisoners, including women’s basketball star Brittney Griner.

Biden also expanded on his statement that the risk of nuclear ”Armageddon” is at its highest since the Cuban Missile Crisis, by saying that Putin “cannot continue with impunity to talk about the use of a tactical nuclear weapon as if that’s a rational thing to do.”

Biden tiptoed around a question regarding reports that his son Hunter Biden could be charged with tax crimes and a false statement regarding a gun purchase, as reported by the Washington Post. The president said that he's "proud" of his son's ongoing recovery from drug addiction, but acknowledged that Hunter Biden did answer "no" when responding to a question about his use of drugs in his application to purchase a firearm.

"I have confidence in my son, I love him, and he's on the straight and narrow now, and has been for a couple of years now," Biden said. "And I'm just so proud of him."

At the heart of many voters' concerns regarding the upcoming midterm elections, Tapper noted, is the looming threat of an economic recession.

Biden said that he does not think that there will be a recession — and if there is one, that it will be a “very slight” recession.

“There’s more than one way to bring down the monthly costs for people who, in fact, are struggling. That’s to make sure that the ends meet and they have enough money,” Biden said, arguing that the Inflation Reduction Act has done just that by seeking to lower drug costs and helping people earn tax credits for working on their homes.