BRUSSELS (Reuters – U.S. President Joe Biden claimed on Thursday that he would consider himself lucky if Donald Trump, his Republican predecessor, ran for the White House in the 2024 election.

After meeting with NATO leaders, a news conference veered towards U.S. politics. Biden was asked about European worries that “a figure similar to your predecessor or maybe your predecessor” might take office. This would reverse U.S.-NATO efforts to confront Russian aggression in Ukraine.

The Democratic President, who beat Trump in 2020’s election said that “the next election – I’d have to be very lucky to have the same man running against my,”

After a lengthy answer, including his reasons for running in 2020 in the face of Trump’s indifferent response to Charlottesville’s far-right rally 2017, the quip was delivered.

Biden said that while he has done a lot to strengthen ties between the Trump administration and European and other allies, the next election would be far away. Instead, he is focused on making sure Democrats are successful in the congressional elections of November.

“But it’s no illogical question to someone to ask”, he stated, particularly after Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Biden stated that “if we sat down and observed the Bundestag’s doors falling apart and the police officers being killed and hundreds of people storming into it,” he said. “Imagine we witnessed that happen in the British parliament.” What would you feel?

Biden didn’t say Trump’s name as it was his custom, but referred to Trump simply “that gentlemen I mentioned” or some similar.

Biden is close friends with Democratic political advisers, who have expressed the same sentiments for many months. They consider Trump to be one of the weaker competitors in any hypothetical head-to-head race.

Trump hasn’t announced his candidacy to be president in 2024. He would need to create a separate fundraising account. But he often suggests to his supporters that he will run.

Trump’s representative didn’t immediately respond to our request for comment.