WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he did not believe his decision to run for re-election paved the way for President-elect Donald Trump to win in 2024 and indicated he is still considering pre-emptive pardons for people whom Trump has targeted.

President Joe Biden said he is considering issuing preemptive pardons to people President-elect Donald Trump could target for retribution, Biden told USA Today, as the president-elect has vowed revenge against political enemies.

President Joe Biden said he had not made a decision about issuing preemptive pardons before leaving office, leaving the door open to an unprecedented move to protect some of his allies as he warned President-elect Donald Trump against trying to “settle scores.

The president hasn’t yet decided what he will do, he said, acknowledging that the makeup of Trump’s new administration could influence his decision.

Biden and his team are paying close attention to his successor's rhetoric in his final 10 days in the White House.

Joe Biden said Friday he won't pardon himself, blasted Meta's decision to cut fact-checkers and reiterated he thinks he would have defeated Trump.

It depends on some of the language and expectations that Trump broadcasts in the last couple days here as to what he’s going to do,” Biden told reporters at the White House

President Joe Biden dismissed the idea of pardoning himself as he considers using his clemency powers to protect critics of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to seek revenge when he returns to the White House on Jan.