President Biden insisted his dismal performance in last month’s debate with former President Trump was simply a “bad episode” or a “bad night” rather than a sign of anything more serious, and suggested he was solely to blame. This was his first major television interview on Friday since the debate fiasco.
Amid growing speculation about whether Biden is fit to serve as president for both the remainder of his term and the four-year term he is seeking, ABC News host George Stephanopoulos asked Biden whether his performance was “a bad incident or a symptom of something more serious.”
“It was a terrible event,” Biden said. “I had no signs of any serious symptoms. I was exhausted. I didn’t follow my instincts in terms of preparation. It was a terrible night.”
Biden said, “All along [he] “I wasn’t prepared” means “it’s nobody’s fault, it’s my fault.”
The president then attacked Trump, accusing him of “lying 28 times.” Asked if he had watched the debate since it aired, the president said “I don’t think I have.”
President Biden faces the most crucial weekend of his political career
President Joe Biden gave a key ABC interview following a rally in Madison, Wisconsin. (Getty Images)
The footage is a preview of Biden’s primetime interview with Stephanopoulos, which is scheduled to air in full at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
The stakes for the meeting are high: Biden, 81, is facing growing pressure to step down as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee.
His performance at last month’s CNN presidential debate led even Biden’s staunchest supporters to question whether his mental health was deteriorating, and Democrats have increasingly publicly expressed concern that he could lose to Trump and undermine their party in key House and Senate races across the country.
Biden boosts spending to stabilize faltering campaign
Following the CNN presidential debate, concerns about Biden’s viability emerged in the mainstream media. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
Biden, meanwhile, has repeatedly declared that he has no intention of backing down.
“Let me be very clear: I’m going to continue my campaign. I’m going to defeat Donald Trump,” Biden told a crowd of supporters in Madison, Wisconsin, shortly before sitting down for a pre-taped interview.
He also addressed the showdown with CNN, telling voters, “I’m not going to let three and a half years of hard work go to waste on a 90-minute debate.”
What Biden said about his debate performance
There is growing concern among Democrats that they may lose to former President Trump. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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Meanwhile, three House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to nominate a new nominee: Reps. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Raul Grijalva of Arizona and Lloyd Doggett of Texas.
Several letters also have been circulating among House Democrats this week calling on Biden to resign, two sources familiar with the discussions told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
