President Biden’s first post-debate interview with ABC was likely to do little to change the minds of Democrats who were shaken by Biden’s poor performance in last week’s debate and questioned whether they could beat former President Trump in November.
The interview was seen as a make-or-break moment for the president as he tries to convince voters and party leaders that a lackluster onstage performance – in which Biden appeared listless, hoarse and stuttering – was a one-off.
The debate raised alarm bells among Democrats about whether Trump should remain the top candidate. Several names have been floated as possible successors, but the incumbent has insisted he intends to continue in the race.
Some Democrats have joined calls for Biden to drop out of the race to make room for someone else to challenge Trump in the fall, with some questioning whether the president can serve out another four years in office.
Here’s what some of them said after Biden was interviewed by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.
Congressman Sheila Jackson Lee
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) questions Special Counsel Robert Harr during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Tuesday, March 12, 2024, discussing Special Counsel Harr’s investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified documents. (Greg Nash)
“Tonight’s interview with the president was intense” – Jackson Lee Posts Biden posted on social media platform X on Friday night in response to another post that featured a clip from the interview.
Jackson Lee has supported Biden despite questions swirling within the party about his mental health. Earlier Friday, she Said “There should be no mention of the president resigning.”
“We know what kind of man Joe Biden is. Instead, I am speaking out in outrage at the monster Donald Trump has created: Project 2025,” the Texas Democrat wrote. “I have read it and it is a disgrace. It is time to stop this now. Enough is enough!”
Congressman Lloyd Doggett
FILE – Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, listens during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 16, 2015. Rep. Doggett became the first member of his party to publicly call for President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic presidential nominee, saying he failed to “effectively defend his many accomplishments” during the debates. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke, File)
Doggett was the first sitting House Democrat to call for Biden to resign days after the debate debacle.
Doggett, a Texas Democrat, sat down with CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Friday after Biden’s appearance on ABC. When asked if he’d heard anything from the sitting president during the highly anticipated interview that made him “question my judgment,” Doggett sounded less than optimistic, replying, “Nothing.”
“Joe Biden is a good man and an American patriot, but the need for him to step down is more urgent tonight than when I first called for it on Tuesday,” Doggett added.
Earlier this week, Doggett cited Biden’s trailing approval ratings in the polls as a reason to hand over the baton, arguing that Biden is even lagging behind Democratic senators in key states.
“We had hoped the debate would be the catalyst for changing that, but it did not,” Doggett said in a statement after the debate. “Far from reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend many of his accomplishments and expose many of Mr. Trump’s lies.”
Senator Chris Coons
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) attends the annual White House Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Greg Nash)
Like Jackson Lee, Coons also praised Biden’s performance in the ABC interview.
“President Biden has made incredible progress for the American people and has plans to do even more in his next term,” Coons said. Said “I can’t wait to help him continue to take on Trump and win in November,” he posted on X in response to a video interview with the Biden campaign on Friday.
Coons, a Biden aide and national co-chairman of his campaign, acknowledged after the debate that the president needs to do more interviews and events without the use of a teleprompter.
“We need to see more unscripted, informal moments,” Kuhn said Monday. “I encourage that.”
Congressman Mike Quigley
Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) speaks to reporters in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, November 8, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Quigley became the fourth Democrat to call for Biden’s resignation on Friday, joining Doggett, Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona and Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts.
He was asked about his reaction to a clip of an ABC News interview with JuJu Chan.
“What would you do if your allies, your friends, your Democrats in the House and the Senate told you credibly that they were concerned that you were going to lose the House and the Senate if you stayed in office?” Stephanopoulos asked Biden in the video.
“I’m not going to answer that question,” Biden responded. “That’s not going to happen.”
Quigley responded to the video, saying he was “not sure I have the same confidence he does” about losing both the House and Senate.
In calling for Biden to step down, the Illinois Democrat said the president’s legacy has already been decided and someone else should be given a chance.
“Mr. President, your legacy is set, and we owe you the utmost gratitude,” Quigley said in an interview on MSNBC. “The only thing you can do now to cement that forever and prevent total catastrophe is to step down and let somebody else take over.”
He has previously said the poll numbers were the only thing that would change his mind about Biden, but he continues to insist the incumbent will continue in the race and win, despite his post-debate drop in the polls.
Senator John Fetterman
Sen. John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, at left, speaks during Fox News Channel’s special report “An Interview with Bret Baier” in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
Fetterman was asked by Ciutto on “CNN Newsroom” on Friday for his reaction to the ABC interview and whether he had heard enough from Biden to ease Democrats’ concerns.
The freshman senator did not answer the question directly.
“Obviously, that’s going to be an ongoing conversation,” he said, adding, “But, obviously, he’s done a great job in that regard.”
Fetterman delivered an impassioned defense of Biden amid the post-debate turmoil and responded harshly to the New York Times editorial board’s call for Biden to halt his campaign rally.
“That’s bullshit,” the Pennsylvania senator said. I wrote a reply At X last week.
