(WASHINGTON) -- President-elect Donald Trump paid his respects to former President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday at the Capitol Rotunda.
Trump is set to meet with Senate Republicans later Wednesday to discuss how to move forward on advancing his agenda once he returns to the White House.
Carter, the nation's 39th president, is lying in state as part of his state funeral in the nation's capital.
Carter is being honored with a funeral service on Thursday at Washington National Cathedral, just miles north of the White House.
President Joe Biden is set to deliver the eulogy. Trump said he will also be attending the funeral despite their history of mutual criticism.
Trump, who has praised Carter as a "good man," has in recent days taken aim at his Panama Canal treaty that resulted in the U.S. ceding control of the critical waterway to the Central American nation.
The president-elect, who will be sworn in later this month, has also griped about flags being half-staff during his inauguration because of the 30-day mourning period for Carter. Trump said that "no American can be happy about it."
Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100, was remembered with several events in his home state of Georgia before his remains were transported to Washington on Tuesday.
Members of Carter's family walked down Pennsylvania Avenue behind his flag-draped casket being carried in a horse-drawn caisson to the Capitol.
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson gave remarks in the Rotunda. Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a eulogy celebrating his presidency but also his humanitarian work after he left office.
"We have heard much today and in recent days about President Carter's impact in the four decades after he left the White House, rightly so," Harris said. "Jimmy Carter established a new model for what it means to be a former president, and leaves an extraordinary post presidential legacy."
The deadly wildfires that continue to rage in Los Angeles County are disrupting scheduled awards season events and the filming of several TV shows.
ABC suspended production on the shows Grey's Anatomy and Doctor Odyssey, and canceled Wednesday's taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, it confirmed to ABC Audio.
ABC Audio also confirmed that production on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California, was closed on Wednesday because of the fires. This halted production on Abbott Elementary, as well as All American and The Pitt. It also stopped production on the multicamera sitcom Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage.
Additionally, the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards, which were originally scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 12, have been postponed to Jan. 26 "due to the catastrophic fires ravaging Southern California," according to a press release.
“This unfolding tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community. All our thoughts and prayers are with those battling the devastating fires and with all who have been affected," Critics Choice Awards CEO Joey Berlin said.
BAFTA has also canceled its Tea Party, a key event during awards season. The event was scheduled for Saturday at The Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.
"In light of the dangerous winds and wildfires in Los Angeles, we are cancelling this weekend’s BAFTA Tea Party. The safety of our colleagues, friends and peers in Los Angeles remains our utmost priority and our thoughts are with everyone impacted," BAFTA shared in a statement to the press.
Are you looking to bring our your inner artist? Check out David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Sketch AR. You can find Sketch AR in the Apple Store and Google Play below.
(WASHINGTON) -- President-elect Donald Trump will meet with Senate Republicans Wednesday to try to get lawmakers "on the same page" on how to advance some of his major policy initiatives after he takes office on Jan. 20.
Trump will meet with Senate leadership and the rank and file after paying his respects to former President Jimmy Carter, who lies in state in the Capitol before his funeral on Thursday.
The president-elect wants to deliver on campaign promises, but how to move them forward has divided congressional Republicans.
Trump has pitched one massive bill that would include several of Trump's top priorities: Immigration reform and energy production, and extending the tax cuts passed during his first term and other spending cuts. He's also suggested that the bill should raise the debt ceiling or eliminate it altogether.
With small majorities in each chamber and little to no support expected from Democrats, Republicans plan to push "reconciliation" -- a fast-track process limited to spending and revenue legislation that needs only a majority rather than the 60-vote threshold in the Senate needed to pass legislation.
House Speaker Mike Johnson faces resistance to the one-bill approach from fiscal conservatives in his conference. And some Senate Republicans are advocating for two bills -- one on border issues and a second to deal with fiscal policy.
One of the key objectives in Wednesday's meeting will be "how we get on the same page with the House," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso said Tuesday.
Barrasso said the "goal is the same," whether it's done with one or two bills, but he said a two-part plan would allow Trump to deliver on some of his promises and allow more time to address tax policy that doesn't expire until the end of the year.
"It was a suggestion by [Senate Majority Leader] John Thune -- this was before Christmas -- he said, 'Let's get an early win on the border,'" Barrasso, R-Wyo., said. "It was an issue in the election and it is a big issue for the American people and it is a big issue for national security, and we just thought we could get that done in a quicker fashion with a focus on that, on taking the handcuffs off of American energy as well as military strength, and then have the longer time to work on the financial component of this.
"These issues and the urgency of the tax issue doesn't really come into play until the end of the year to the level that these other issues have the higher urgency right now," he said.
Trump reiterated his preference for one bill when he spoke to reporters on Tuesday, but said he could live with two.
"Well, I like one big, beautiful bill, and I always have, I always will, he said. But if two is more certain [to pass], it does go a little bit quicker because you can do the immigration stuff early," he said.
In the House, Johnson said he remains convinced that the one-bill strategy is the "best way to go," but conversations with Thune are continuing.
"Yes, Leader Thune and I are on exactly the same page with regard to the objectives, and we're determining right now the final sequence of the play call, so to speak," he told reporters on Wednesday. "This is not some sort of, I feel like sometimes the media tries to make this an existential threat to the objectives or to what we're doing with the legislation. It's not that, this is two chambers deciding the best sequence of events, and we'll get to a perfect alignment here in the next I think a couple of days."
Johnson said he hopes to have a bill ready by the first week in April, but it remains to be seen if he can get fiscal conservatives in his conference, who have long opposed all-in-one bills like the one Johnson is proposing, on board.
The speaker pushed back on Tuesday about the one-bill approach being a kitchen sink approach.
“This is not an omnibus spending bill, but appropriation," Johnson said. "This is reducing spending, which is an objective we talked about. I'll keep reiterating this: that just because the debt limit is raised, to give stability the bond markets and to send a message around the world that we will pay the nation's debt. We are doggedly determined to decrease the size of scope of government and to limit spending, cut spending so you can you'll see both of those things happen simultaneously."
Johnson also intends to handle the debt limit in the reconciliation bill -- without Democratic support.
"That way, as the Republican Party, the party in charge of both chambers, we again get to determine the details of that. If it runs through the regular order, regular process… then you have to have both parties negotiating. And we feel like we are in better stead to do it ourselves," he said Tuesday.
But it remains to be seen whether Johnson can sell the fiscal conservatives in his conference on that idea. They nearly derailed the short-term government funding bill to avert a shutdown last month after Trump demanded that it dealt with the debt ceiling.
After his meeting with senators, Trump will meet with groups of House Republicans at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida this weekend.
"He's bringing in big groups of House Republicans to Mar-a-Lago over the weekend three days in a row to meet with and talk with all of our team members about what's ahead of us and the challenges and how we can accomplish all this together," Johnson said, though the speaker is not expected to attend.
(NEW YORK) -- John Henry Ramirez was executed in Texas in 2022 after being convicted of murder in the 2004 death of 46-year-old Pablo Castro.
In her documentary "I am Ready, Warden," director Smriti Mundhra tells the story of Ramirez's attempt to reach out to the victim's son, Aaron Castro.
ABC News' Linsey Davis sat down with Mundhra, also known for the Oscar-nominated "St. Louis Superman," and Castro to discuss the documentary.
ABC NEWS: Is redemption or retribution possible for a murderer? Director Smriti Mundhra examines this question and more in a new Oscar-shortlisted documentary from MTV called "I'm Ready, Warden." Let's take a look.
Smriti Mundhra and Aaron Castro join us now. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Now this film highlights John Henry Ramirez; he had been on death row for 14 years, in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.
Smriti, I understand you heard about his story by reading an article by The Marshall Project. What about that article made you decide you wanted to do a film about his death row experience?
SMRITI MUNDHRA: I wanted to specifically examine a story of a person on death row who had admitted to committing the crime. There was no question of innocence or guilt. And, you know, who had had the time, you know, in prison to really reflect and, you know, atone for what they'd done. And also look at the perspective of the victim side, you know, of the impact on the family of, you know, on the other side of things.
So that's sort of how this project really came to be. And I read an article by a journalist who had -- Keri Blakinger -- who had done a lot of work, you know, writing about men in the prison system and on death row, and we collaborated.
ABC NEWS: And Aaron, Ramirez killed your father. What made you decide that you wanted to participate in this film?
CASTRO: I think not hiding from the problem and being able to talk about it is always those first steps, right? They always say talk about it, don't hold things in.
And this allowed me to kind of give more of my father's side of things as not just a Mexican immigrant who was murdered, but call him by his name, Pablo Castro. And, you know, share a little bit more about him and how it affected us.
ABC NEWS: I understand that Ramirez reached out to you when he was on death row, when he was saying his goodbyes to his own family. And your response? Have you changed your opinion at all about him or the idea of giving people a second chance?
CASTRO: I think something that the film really shows is that change. That change of mindset. You know, because the film is showing something so raw and authentic within the moment you're able to capture through even moments of silence in the documentary, moments where I am thinking and understanding and following my heart, how do I feel? How has this really affected me?
And, you know, I'm a human being. I'm empathetic, and I have emotions as well. So I had to really dig deep.
ABC NEWS: What did you learn about death row while you were doing this film?
MUNDHRA: I think probably the most profound thing I learned about death row and the death penalty overall is that it doesn't always offer the closure and justice that it promises, you know, and that there's victims on all sides. There's a ripple effect, right, when a person is incarcerated, you know, to families on both sides.
ABC NEWS: Does it offer closure?
CASTRO: I think that's something that I have thought about for a long time, that's the difference between, for me, deciding to choose hate and anger or forgiveness and compassion. And I think each individual human being has to search that for themselves.
ABC NEWS: Smriti, this is your second Oscar film or film that's been shortlisted for the Oscars about violence in America. What is it that you hope that the viewers will take away with regard to this theme?
MUNDHRA: I feel it's my responsibility to really understand, you know, these subjects, these institutions that are really designed to protect me, but that victimize others, to really understand what they're about, you know, and really take stock of my own values and really pose that question to the viewers. You know, as, you know, what is our value system as a culture, as a society?
ABC NEWS: Smriti, Aaron, we thank you both so much for coming on the show. And you can watch "I am Ready, Warden," available on streaming.
Winter Weather Closures and Delays – Ahead of winter weather, our news partners at KETK have compiled a list of affected schools and districts you can find here.
(TEXAS) -- As Texas prepares for severe winter weather, Gov. Greg Abbott expressed confidence Wednesday in the state's power grid.
Frigid temperatures -- along with snow, sleet and freezing rain -- are expected to make their way into Texas starting Wednesday, especially in the northern part of the state. The storm is expected to start in the west before moving eastward through the state, Abbott said in a press conference Wednesday.
Winter storm advisories are in effect across much of the South, including in Dallas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta, which could see up to 6 inches of snow before the weekend.
In preparation for the snowfall in Texas, emergency response resources have been deployed across the state, including more than 350 warming centers.
"Obviously, the lives of our fellow Texans are by far the most important thing, and we're directing resources and responses and strategies to make sure that we put protecting life first and foremost," Abbott said.
The power grid is not expected to be an issue during the storm, though officials are preparing for downed power lines as a result of freezing rain and falling trees, he said.
Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO Pablo Vegas reiterated Abbott's confidence in the power grid, saying there is more than an adequate power supply for the expected weather event. ERCOT inspected 150 power stations in December, all of which he said went well, and more inspections are planned for January and February.
Roadways could be impacted by precipitation and icy conditions, and officials are urging Texans to stay off the roads and remain at home as much as possible. Texas Department of Transportation crews have been preparing for days, with over 2,000 crews out treating the roadways, Abbott said.
"I cannot emphasize enough to my fellow Texans, we're not used to driving on ice and snow. We're not used to driving in conditions like this," Abbott said. "Be careful. Be cautious. Make sure that you're protecting your own life."
As of Wednesday morning, 16 roads in northwest Texas have already been impacted, Abbott said. The Texas National Guard has activated hundreds of resources, the Texas A&M Forest Service will be ready with chainsaws to clean up after the storm passes and the Texas Highway Patrol will be out to assist motorists.
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd urged residents to be prepared at home, ensuring they have food, water and blankets in case they lose power. Kidd also warned of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning when using a generator.
At least two people are dead and several others injured as the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst and Woodley fires burned through thousands of acres and prompted sweeping evacuations around Los Angeles County.
The dry landscape in the region heavily contributed to fire's ability to spread quickly. Only 0.16 inches of rain has fallen in the region since May 6, according to the National Weather Service.
But without the low humidity and extreme winds, the dry landscape wouldn't present as big of a threat.
On Monday, the National Weather Service began warning of a "life-threatening" Santa Ana windstorm that could spark severe wildfires in Southern California -- more than 24 hours in advance of the first wildfire.
What made the Santa Ana wind event so severe is the upper-level support lining up with the surface gradient, Curt Kaplan, a retired operational forecaster for the National Weather Service in Oxford, California, told ABC News. The upper low that moved over Baja California caused a strong colder air subsidence, or sinking, north-northeast over the region.
The sinking air associated with the colder dense air aloft was able to descend, bringing damaging mountain waves across the Los Angeles and Ventura County mountains that then crashed into the foothills and some coastal communities.
As the upper support relaxes later on Wednesday, with the upper low pushing east, the strong winds should taper off to moderate, typical Santa Ana winds late morning into the afternoon hours, Kaplan said.
Many of the cities -- like Burbank, Pasadena and Beverly Hills -- as well as the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, are not usually affected by typical Santa Ana northeast winds, Kaplan said.
Four wildfires were burning in Southern California on Wednesday afternoon: the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire and Woodley Fire.
The earlier-than-normal warning from the NWS allowed for ample time to prep for the fire threat.
On Monday evening, California Gov. Gavin Newsom directed state departments to position fire engines, handcrews, aircraft and additional support in areas that could be impacted.
The region remained under a state of emergency on Wednesday as the fires continued.
More than 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, and fires ripped through the Pacific Palisades, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Los Angeles County.
Celebrities such as Josh Gad, Steve Guttenberg, Chris Pratt, Mandy Moore and Eugene Levy have documented how the fire was impacting their homes.
Some of the regions under elevated fire risk this week, such as Malibu, were impacted by a raging wildfire last month that spread to more than 4,000 acres and forced 20,000 residents into evacuation.
Additionally, the first three episodes of the thriller series will drop on Prime Video on Feb. 20.
In the third season of the action series, "Reacher (Alan Ritchson) hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise when trying to rescue an undercover DEA informant whose time is running out. There he finds a world of secrecy and violence—and confronts some unfinished business from his own past,” according to the show's logline.
"I've figured out why you do what you do. Cause you hate the big, the powerful who think they can get away with things. So you make sure they don't," Maria Sten's Frances Neagley says in the trailer.
"You just figured that out?" Ritchson's Reacher responds.
Anthony Michael Hall, Sonya Cassidy, Brian Tee, Johnny Berchtold, Robert Montesinos, Olivier Richters and Daniel David Stewart join the show's cast for season 3. New episodes premiere each Thursday through March 27, only on Prime Video.
(LOS ANGELES) -- California homeowners shared evacuation stories and video clips of the damaging flames plowing through their community as the Pacific Palisades fire continues to blaze since its start on Tuesday.
Zibby and Kyle Owens, who own a home in Pacific Palisades but also reside in New York, sat down with Diane Macedo on ABC News Live on Wednesday morning, showcasing footage from their Google Nest camera that reveals the devastating flames. The camera faces their backyard, with the fire engulfing the surrounding area and moving closer to their pool.
"This is the worst-case scenario playing out in front of our eyes right now," Kyle Owens said. "It's not just a place, it's a beautiful community."
The video was the last contact the Owens received from their home since they lost power shortly afterward.
Fires are common in California, and the Owens said they are not new to this experience. The couple recently evacuated from a New Year's Eve fire that started with fireworks. However, these particularly powerful Santa Ana wind gusts, which allow the fire to burn five football fields per minute, concerned Kyle Owens about the future of this community.
"If we're able to go back at some point, I don't know what we are going back to," Kyle Owens said.
Kyle Owens also discussed how Pacific Palisades, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the area, is particularly difficult to evacuate due to its hillside homes and winding streets. Many friends waited over three hours to get down the mountain, a drive that would normally take around two minutes.
Two other Pacific Palisades residents, Kenny and Tricia Rakusin, who live along the coastline, said they also struggled to escape the fire zone as a buildup of vehicles trying to travel the hill toward Pacific Coast Highway clogged the road. Tricia Rakusin said her daughter also witnessed many people forced to abandon their cars along Sunset Boulevard.
"This neighborhood has been in place for decades, there's never been a fire anywhere close to where we live," Tricia Rakusin said. "No one has ever conceived the possibility of this."
Along with the stress of the destructive flames and imminent damage, Tricia Rakusin said their insurance canceled all policies in their area four months ago.
"When we go up there, it will be from a war zone," Kenny Rakusin said. "The unknown is really challenging."
As of now, the Pacific Palisades fire, which is among two other fires in LA County, has grown to at least 3,000 acres and is zero percent contained.
On top of the uncertainty of their home's condition, the Owens worry the flames could travel to Zibby's bookshop in Santa Monica, which is also under an evacuation warning. For the Owens and many others, these flames are wiping away businesses and homes full of memories and connection.
"There is so much soul to the neighborhood," Zibby Owens said. "It's unthinkable that this place could vanish."
Nominations for the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards are here.
Actors Joey King and Cooper Koch were initially set to announce this year's SAG Awards nominees Wednesday morning during a press conference, which was set to stream on Netflix's YouTube channel, but that event was canceled due to the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles.
Nominations were instead announced via press release on the SAG Awards' website.
Wicked was the most-nominated film this year with five nominations, earning nods for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a motion picture and acting nominations for stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey.
A Complete Unknown followed close behind with four nods, while Emilia Pérez and Anora snagged three noms each.
On the television side, Sh?gun was the most-nominated series of the year with five nominations, earning nods for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series, outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a television series and acting nominations for stars Tadanobu Asano, Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai.
The Bear and The Diplomat followed close behind with four noms and three noms, respectively.
There are 20 first-time actor nominees this year, including Grande, Pamela Anderson, Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, Nicola Coughlan, Harrison Ford, Karla Sofía Gascón, Demi Moore and Zoe Saldaña.
Bell is set to host the 31st annual awards ceremony, which will see Jane Fonda receive the SAG Life Achievement Award, the highest honor from SAG-AFTRA.
The ceremony will stream live globally on Netflix on Sunday, Feb. 23.
(LOS ANGELES) -- Wildfires are tearing through thousands of acres in Los Angeles County in California, as strong Santa Ana winds stoke the blazes.
The Palisades Fire has impacted more than 2,920 acres, the Eaton Fire has impacted more than 2,200 acres, and the Hurst Fire has spread over more than 500 acres.
The Palisades Fire has impacted more than 11,800 acres, the Eaton Fire has impacted more than 10,600 acres, and the Hurst Fire has spread over more than 500 acres.
Evacuation alerts
Evacuation orders from CalFire have been issued in the areas surrounding the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires.
Orders to evacuate in the Pacific Palisades, Topanga and eastern Malibu region reach to the Carbon Beach Terrace on the west side of the blaze. To the east and southeast, evacuation orders cover the Riviera, Rustic Canyon and Wilshire Montana regions, stretching to San Vincente Boulevard.
Orders to evacuate from the Eaton Fire are stretching through Altadena, La Cañada Flintridge, and large swaths of Pasadena and Glendale.
Orders to evacuate from the Hurst Fire are stretching through the suburban neighborhoods of Sylmar in Los Angeles, Whitney Canyon Park and Elsmere Canyon.
Residents can check for evacuation zones on CalFire's interactive, updated map here: here.
Power outages
Roughly 319,493 customers are without power in California, according to poweroutage.us. Los Angeles County residents alone represent 226,245 of the customers facing outages.
About 27,184 customers in San Bernardino County; 24,840 in Riverside County; 14,965 in Orange County, 13,418 in Ventura County and 9,248 in San Diego County are affected.
Smoke and air quality
Across Southern California, residents are facing air quality conditions deemed hazardous by the U.S. Air Quality Index from the Environmental Protection Agency.
From Los Angeles to Pasadena, near the Eaton blaze, air sensors are picking up "hazardous" to "very unhealthy" conditions. Other surrounding areas -- including near Redondo Beach, Torrance, and some parts of Los Angeles are also deemed "unhealthy."
The EPA urges residents to wear N95 respirators to protect their lungs from smoke, limit time spent outdoors in the open air, and use an air purifier to reduce smoke particles indoors.
SMITH COUNTY— A Tyler woman was arrested Wednesday morning arrested after allegedly shooting at deputies and setting a trailer on fire while she was in it.
The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said at around 3:15 a.m., deputies responded to a call at on Horseshoe Ln due to a disturbance. The caller told officials a woman was causing damage to his property. Once deputies arrived to the scene, they could hear a woman, later identified as Rachel Marie Shell, 35 of Tyler, inside the trailer as well as crashing noises.
(LONDON) -- Nearly a quarter of the world's freshwater species are at risk of extinction, according to new research.
A detailed extinction assessment of more than 23,000 species of freshwater fauna by the International Union for Conservation of Nature identified major threats from pollution, dams, agriculture and invasive species, according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
The species studied included fish, decapod crustaceans -- such as crabs, crayfishes and shrimps -- and odonates, such as dragonflies and damsel flies. About 24% of those species are at risk of extinction, Catherine Sayer, lead of the freshwater biodiversity team for the IUCN, told ABC News.
"That means there are high to extremely high risks of becoming extinct in the future," Sayer said. "That's quite an alarming percentage."
Decapods have the highest percentage of species threatened at 30%, while 26% of freshwater fish and 16% of odonates are threatened, according to the analysis. Nearly 90 freshwater species have already been reported extinct, Sayer said.
Of the threatened species, 54% of studied species are thought to be affected by pollution.
Dams and water extraction are impacting 39% of the studied species, according to the paper.
"Dams completely block water courses, which means that species can't move downstream, and so they can't get to habitats that they previously used for breeding or feeding," Sayer said. "And that completely disrupts the lifecycle."
Land use change and associated effects from agriculture -- including the use of pesticides and herbicides -- are affecting 37% of the studied species, while 28% by invasive species and disease are impacting 28% of studied species.
Freshwater ecosystems are home to more than 10% of all known species and provide benefits such as nutrient cycling, flood control and climate change mitigation, the researchers said.
These species hold "intrinsic value" -- both ecologically and economically, Sayer said. Some species even hold cultural and spiritual value for indigenous groups, such is the case of the Atlantic salmon, Sayer said.
Other notable freshwater species that are threatened are the European eel, which is critically endangered, and several freshwater crustacean species in the Southeast United States, Sayer said.
Climate change is also threatening freshwater species and is expected to have more of an impact in the future, Sayer said. As global temperatures rise, it causes habitats to change, making it even easier for invasive species to thrive in ecosystems that were previous cooler, she added.
The analysis found that 18% of the freshwater species studied are threatened by climate change.
Since IUCN reassesses species every five to 10 years, researchers believe that if the analysis were repeated 10 years in the future that climate change would play a more prominent role in the decline of freshwater species.
"It's very much a threat that we see as intensifying, and it's it's getting worse with time," Sayer said.
The findings highlight the urgent need to address threats to prevent further species declines and losses and could help to inform future efforts to reduce the loss of freshwater biodiversity, the researchers said.
"We have about a quarter of species which are on their way to extinction if we don't do anything to stop it," Sayer said.
(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden believes he could have won the 2024 election if he had decided to stay in the race, he told USA Today in a wide-ranging interview.
"It's presumptuous to say that, but I think yes," he told the newspaper during a nearly hourlong interview on Sunday. He said his view was based on polling he'd seen.
The president's comments come as he prepares to hand over the Oval Office to President-elect Donald Trump, who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
Biden, the oldest sitting president at 82, withdrew from the race in July, as questions about his age and fitness for office surged following a disastrous CNN debate performance in June.
Biden also told USA Today on Sunday that he was unsure if he would have had the vigor to serve another four years in office.
"I don't know. Who the hell knows?" Biden said, though he also added that when he first decided to run, he "also wasn't looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old."
Biden, who pardoned his son, Hunter, in December, said he has not decided whether to issue more preemptive pardons for potential Trump targets before leaving office in less than two weeks. When Biden and Trump met in the Oval Office after the election, Biden urged Trump not to follow through on his threats to target his opponents.
"I tried to make clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores," Biden said, adding that Trump "listened" but did not say what he planned to do.
If there were to be more preemptive pardons, Biden said the decision would be based "a little bit" on whom Trump taps for top administration roles.
Possible names being considered for pardons included current and former officials such as retired Gen. Mark Milley, former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, Sen. Adam Schiff and Dr. Anthony Fauci, ABC News previously reported.
Trump frequently attacks Biden's handling of the economy, including on Tuesday when he was asked about grocery prices during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort. But, in private, Biden said Trump was complimentary of his some of his actions.
"He was very complimentary about some of the economic things I had done," Biden said. "And he talked about -- he thought I was leaving with a good record."
Biden also reflected on his relationship with former President Jimmy Carter and his visit with Carter in Georgia in 2021 as he prepares to deliver the eulogy at Carter's state funeral in Washington on Thursday.
"We talked," Biden said. "He was not a big fan of my predecessor and successor. Well, he was never pointedly mean about it. But he was just very encouraging."
Looking beyond his time in office, Biden said he doesn't know yet where his presidential library will be, but ruled out his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He expressed his hope that it will end up in Delaware, but didn't rule out the University of Pennsylvania either.
