Joe Biden is in the middle of a series of high-dollar fundraising events to finish out the year. And why not, right? I mean, it’s not as if there’s anything else going on in the country or around the world that might demand the President’s attention. During an appearance in Boston last night, however, it appeared that Biden either went off the teleprompter or forgot his cue cards because he seemed to let the mask slip a bit regarding next year’s elections. He was railing against Donald Trump and the “MAGA Republicans” as usual when he made a startling confession to the audience. He said, “If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running.” The New York Post describes the moment as ‘a stunning self-assessment of the implications of Biden’s age.’

President Biden said Tuesday that he might have retired after a single term of office if former President Donald Trump wasn’t running in next year’s election.

“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” the 81-year-old president told a group of Democratic donors in Boston. “But we cannot let him win.”

The remark at a fundraiser was a stunning self-assessment of the implications of Biden’s age.

Biden already is the oldest-ever president and would be 86 if he completes a full second term in January 2029.

The remark caught the attention of the press. It apparently wasn’t a mistake, because he repeated it to reporters when he was heading for the plane to depart. Granted, this was all taking place long past Joe’s normal bedtime when he’s typically not at his best. Perhaps his team is regretting it a bit this morning and figuring out a way to “clarify” his comments.

If this was really a look inside Joe Biden’s mind and not a comment prepared for him by his staff, it probably says a lot about Biden’s stubborn insistence on running for a second term. Even Joe himself must privately admit that he knows he’s not up for the job. People running for President should be doing it because they believe in their hearts that they are really going to make the country better for its citizens. Running simply to stop one man from being elected is not precisely a noble aspiration.

Biden appeared to waver, however when a reporter asked him if he would drop out of the race if Trump dropped out. He said, “No. Not now.” He didn’t stick around to clarify, so we’re left to wonder what he meant. Did he mean that he wouldn’t drop out now but he might do so later? Or perhaps he meant that he might have dropped out earlier if Trump had, but now it’s too late. Either way, the answer still seems to be no, at least for the time being.

The entire question is likely academic in any event. Donald Trump clearly isn’t going anywhere. No one has been able to put a dent in his polling numbers and he continues to campaign at a furious rate. The two men are a case study of opposites at this point in the race. Joe Biden has every reason in the world to drop out, while Donald Trump has every reason to think he might win the whole thing again.

Let’s not forget that the decision to bow out may not be left in Joe Biden’s hands. If the situation for the Democrats appears to be too fraught by the time summer approaches, the DNC could still remove Biden and Harris from the ticket at the convention and replace them with someone else. It would be a stunning turn of events, but the possibility is written into the party rules. I wouldn’t wager a serious amount of money on the possibility today, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.