Former Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview that he didn't think anyone thought during the 2016 presidential election that Donald Trump would be as divisive as he turned out to be.

"Even when he was running, I don't think anybody thought he would be as bad as he is," Biden said in an interview published Tuesday in The New York Times Magazine.

Since announcing his candidacy in April, Biden has confronted questions from progressives about his centrist worldview and whether he would be too conciliatory in dealing with Republicans.

On the campaign trail, he's pitched his 45-year career in Washington, DC, as a senator and then vice president as the steady hand of moderation the nation needs after four years of the Trump administration.

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Former Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview that he didn't think anyone thought during the 2016 presidential election that Donald Trump would be as divisive a leader as he turned out to be.

"Even when he was running, I don't think anybody thought he would be as bad as he is," Biden said in an interview published Tuesday in The New York Times Magazine.

Since announcing his candidacy in April, Biden has confronted questions from progressives about his centrist worldview and whether he would be too conciliatory in dealing with Republicans. On the campaign trail, he's pitched his 45-year career in Washington, DC, as a senator and then vice president as the steady hand of moderation the nation needs after four years of the Trump administration.

Read more: Joe Biden sees his long career in politics as his biggest advantage. His 2020 opponents want to use it against him.

But he recently faced substantial backlash after his remarks fondly remembering his work with segregationist senators. Biden later apologized but has staunchly defended his record on civil rights.

His past opposition to busing as a mechanism to integrate schools has also been scrutinized. Sen. Kamala Harris attacked Biden's civil-rights record in the first Democratic debate last month, lifting her standing in polls while highlighting Biden's vulnerabilities.

Read more: Kamala Harris' appeal soars as Joe Biden's shrivels after their contentious Democratic debate

In the interview, he framed the presidential race as "a battle for the soul of America" and said that "there's a lot of sadness" in the country.

And regarding his political record, Biden said he had faith that voters would understand why he took positions that might not mesh with today's Democratic Party.

"I don't expect people to know the context, but I do think people intuitively know there is always a context in which something happened," he told the magazine.

The magazine noted that while Biden lauded Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, describing her as "smart as the devil," the New York congresswoman has told Vogue that she doesn't think he is "a pragmatic choice," highlighting the rift between progressive and centrist Democrats over the direction of the country.

In the interview, Biden also called for civility, saying the Democratic primary — which involves nearly two dozen contenders — shouldn't turn into "a circular firing squad."