In his first post-debate interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday, Biden dodged questions about whether he would undergo neurological testing and dismissed concerns about his age and ability to serve a second term, aimed at reassuring Americans concerned about his candidacy.
The president’s comments did nothing to quell the furor over his performance at the debate, with Biden at one point suggesting he was “doing the best job I can,” according to the report. ABC News TranscriptHe also seemed a little uncertain about whether he’d seen his own performance, saying, “I don’t think I did.” Biden said, “If the almighty God came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of this race,’ I’d get out of this race.”
Stephanopoulos asked Biden point-blank how he would feel in January if Donald Trump won the election and his warnings about Trump and democracy came true, to which Biden replied, “As long as I’ve given it my all and done the best job I can. That’s what this election is about…. America and the world are at a turning point, and the events that happen over the next few years will determine what the next 60, 70 years will look like.”
Following his poor debate performance, Biden faced repeated calls from members of the media and some Democrats for him to drop out of the race.
President Biden caught people’s attention in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos when he said he wasn’t sure if they watched his own performance in the debate. (Screenshot/ABC)
After ABC interview, Biden criticized, calling him a “disqualifier” for refusing cognitive testing
Biden told Stephanopoulos and the American people that he would only withdraw from the race if Almighty God told him so.
“If the almighty God came down and said, ‘Joe, step aside,’ I would step aside. The almighty God is not going to come down, George, these hypotheticals,” Biden replied.
Asked after his speech if he had watched the debate, Biden said he didn’t think he had.
Answering a question about whether he would be able to act effectively if re-elected, the president claimed he was the one who “silenced Putin”.
“George, I’m the guy that put NATO together, I’m the future. Nobody thought I could expand it. I’m the guy that shut down Putin, nobody thought it could be done. I’m the guy that put together the South Pacific Initiative with AUKUS, I’m the guy that mobilized 50 countries, not just in Europe but outside of Europe, to help Ukraine,” Biden said.
President Joe Biden stands at the podium during the first presidential debate of the 2024 presidential election between himself and former President Donald Trump, Thursday, June 27, 2024, at CNN studios in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin D. Lyles for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
President Biden faces the most crucial weekend of his political career
Russia, under the command of the Russian Federation led by President Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukraine in February 2022, marking the largest military attack between nations on the European continent since World War II.
The president also repeatedly dodged questions from Stephanopoulos about whether he had undergone neurological or cognitive testing.
“I undergo a full neurological exam every day. And I undergo a full physical exam. I undergo a physical exam at Walter Reed Hospital. So the answer is yes,” Biden responded.
“Have you had any specific cognitive testing done? Have you seen a neurologist or any other specialist?” the ABC News host continued.
Biden responded, “No. Nobody said I had to do that. Nobody said that. They said I was OK with it.”
President Joe Biden watches as he participates in and debates the first presidential candidates for the 2024 election with former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at CNN studios in Atlanta, Georgia, June 27, 2024. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
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Stephanopoulos asked again whether Biden was willing to get it.
“Look, I take cognitive tests every day,” Biden said. “I take tests every day. Everything I do. You know, I don’t just run a campaign. I run the world. This may sound like a stretch, but we’re the center of the world.”
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The ABC News host also asked Biden about his low approval ratings as president, which the president largely denied, with Stephanopoulos noting that Biden is trailing in the popular vote.
“I don’t think so,” the president responded. “I don’t think there’s anybody more qualified to be president or to win this election than me,” Biden said.
Stephanopoulos noted that he has never seen a president with an approval rating of 36 percent get re-elected.
“Well, I don’t think that’s my approval rating. That’s not what the polls are showing,” Biden responded.
Biden suggested Friday that he would beat Trump “again” in Wisconsin in 2020: “Let me be as clear as I can: I am continuing my campaign. I am going to beat Donald Trump. I am going to win again in 2020.”
