President Biden has repeatedly refused to reconsider seeking reelection and, in a key interview on Friday, repeatedly dismissed concerns from those trying to pressure him to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, citing struggling polls and concerns about his mental health.
Biden’s 22-minute conversation with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos was taped earlier in the day but aired unedited. It was the 81-year-old president’s first televised interview since last week’s debate with former President Donald Trump.
At one point, Stephanopoulos told Biden he was trailing in the popular vote, to which the president responded, “I don’t believe that.”
Asked about the election in which his opponent is expected to win, Biden said, “I don’t think there is anybody more qualified to be president or to win this election than me.”
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When asked if he thought he had the mental toughness to serve another four years as president, Biden replied, “If I didn’t think I had it in me, I wouldn’t be running.”
President Biden sat down for an important interview with ABC News on Friday. (Screenshot/ABC)
Biden also dismissed concerns about his mental fitness. Asked if he was “honest” about his cognitive abilities, the president replied, “Yes, I’m honest. Because the last thing I want, George, is to not meet those qualifications.”
But when asked about the possibility of taking a cognitive test and releasing the results, something Biden’s Republican critics have long called for, he avoided answering.
“Look, I take cognitive tests every day. I take tests every day. Everything I do is a test,” Biden said. “You know, I don’t just run a campaign, I run the world. And that’s not an exaggeration. But we are the country that needs to be in the world.”
Pressed again, Biden said “we already did that,” but did not provide details.
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The interview was expected to be closely watched by Biden’s supporters and critics after last month’s CNN debate raised concerns about Biden’s viability as a nominee.
The president performed poorly against his Republican rival, speaking in a hoarse voice that he blamed on a cold, frequently trailing off while speaking and appearing to lose his train of thought.
Biden claimed Friday that he had a “terrible night” during the debate.
Doubts about Biden’s viability as a candidate were raised by his performance in the debate. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
“I think the most generous thing that can be said about this is it’s too little, too late,” Julian Epstein, a former top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and a Democratic strategist, told Fox News Digital after the interview aired.
“The president looks weak. He looks dazed. He looks weak. He looks like he’s using up every last bit of energy he might have just to get it done.”
“Most Democrats, whether they say it or not, know that the Biden campaign is dying. And the question is whether that will happen early next week or later.”
Biden said he took responsibility for how the debate unfolded, but suggested Trump also bore some responsibility.
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“I realized he was still yelling while I was answering questions and when the microphone was off, and that distracted me. I don’t think that’s what it was. I just realized I wasn’t in control,” the president said.
He also answered questions about recent polls showing him trailing Trump.
“Every pollster I talk to says it’s 50-50. And when I’m behind … there’s only one poll that’s really far behind, and that’s the CBS poll and the NBC poll, excuse me,” Biden said, his last few words barely audible.
“The New York Times and NBC both have you about six points below the popular vote,” Stephanopoulos then said.
Biden spoke to ABC in an interview after a rally in Wisconsin. (Getty Images)
“That’s correct. The New York Times had me 10 points behind before I even got involved in this race. I was 10 points behind. Nothing has changed substantially in the New York Times poll,” Biden responded.
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Towards the end of the interview, Stephanopoulos asked Biden about the growing number of Democrats suggesting he should resign, to which Biden pushed back.
“If the Almighty God came down and said, ‘Joe, step down,’ I’d step down. The Almighty God is not coming down,” the president said.
“The president is rightly proud of his record, but he seems dangerously oblivious to people’s concerns about his future abilities and where he stands on the campaign trail,” David Axelrod, a campaign adviser to former President Barack Obama, wrote in X after the debate.
