Biden says not taking more credit for accomplishments is key regret of his presidency

CNN
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President Joe Biden said a key regret of his four years in office was not taking more credit — and reminding voters — of his administration’s accomplishments, including infrastructure and Covid relief spending.

Biden has mused about his legacy in the final days of his administration, including in his farewell address from the Oval Office this week, when he warned about the rise of a developing “oligarchy” as well as “a tech industrial complex.” In particular, he has spoken about his fears about the stability of American democracy.

“The mistake we made was — I think I made — was not getting our allies to acknowledge that the Democrats did this. So, for example, building a new billion-dollar bridge over the river, we’ll call it the ‘Democratic Bridge,’ figuratively speaking,” Biden said in an interview that aired Thursday with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, his final TV sit-down before he leaves office. “Talk about who put it together. Let people know that this was something the Democrats did, that it was done by the party. That’s different than me writing a check and me signing a check and saying I did it.”

Among Biden’s legislative achievements was a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package that he signed in late 2021. At the time, Biden said the bill was “proof that despite the cynics, Democrats and Republicans can come together and deliver results.”

Biden was also asked by O’Donnell if it ever crossed his mind to put his name on the Covid relief checks that were mailed out, something that President-elect Donald Trump did during his term as president. Letters bearing Biden’s name and informing Americans of Covid relief payments, though, did arrive in mailboxes in May 2021, which CNN reported at the time.

“I’m not a very good huckster. I mean, and that – it wasn’t a stupid thing for him to do. It helped him a lot. And it undermined our ability to convince people that we were the ones that were getting this to them,” Biden said. “And so – but I don’t think – ironically, I almost spent too much time on the policy and not enough time on the politics, because, I mean, you have some senators in Congress, Democratic senators in Congress saying, ‘Well, you know, Joe Biden did this, and this is done by so and so and so and so, and this is a – the “new built by the Democratic Party” kind of thing.’”

Congress mandates that the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Treasury, “shall provide such taxpayer with a written notice which includes the taxpayer’s taxpayer identity…the aggregate amount of such payments made to such taxpayer during such calendar year, and such other information as the Secretary determines appropriate.” There is no requirement, however, that the president sign said written notice, CNN has previously reported.

CNN’s Rashard Rose contributed to this report.