“I don’t think anyone is more qualified to be president or to win this race than I am,” the 81-year-old said in an interview with ABC News. Journalist George Stephanopoulos asked him whether the risk of losing the election was too high. Biden was undeterred. Only God might push him out of the race, he stressed.
- Video: The ABC News interview with Joe Biden:
When asked if he would give up his candidacy if Democrats in Congress told him he was hurting their chances of re-election, Biden said: “If the Almighty tells me that maybe I might do that.” Biden stressed that he knew best how to do the job. He also refused a medical test to determine his mental fitness. “I take a cognitive test every day. (…) You know, I’m not just campaigning, I’m running the world,” he argued. No one said such a test was necessary. Doctors would tell him that he was fine.
The oldest president in US history insists that he is fit enough for another term. During the debate a week ago, Biden made several mistakes, lost his thread and was unable to finish some of his sentences. After the appearance, the debate flared up once more regarding whether Biden is the right candidate for the Democrats in the presidential election in November.
“Had a bad day”
When asked regarding his performance in the debate with Trump, Biden said he had had “a bad day.” “I was sick during the debate and felt bad,” he said. Trump’s shouting also distracted him. Since the debate, however, he has made ten major appearances. “I’m still in good shape,” Biden assured.
Biden was gently but repeatedly asked by Stephanopoulos whether it was realistic that he might defeat Trump as the gap between the two candidates widened in polls and concerns among elected Democrats grew. The polls were unreliable, Biden countered.
The 22-minute interview, which Stephanopoulos said was neither edited nor cut, was closely watched by Democrats. A senior House Democratic aide who asked not to be named expressed doubts to Reuters following seeing a short clip of the Biden interview. “I don’t know how he (Biden) is going to get through the week as a candidate.” “I’ve seen enough,” wrote Ron Fournier, senior adviser at communications agency Truscott Rossman and former White House correspondent on X. “It’s hard to imagine this good man can beat Trump and do the most demanding job in the world for four more years.”
“Prevent total catastrophe”
Shortly before the interview was broadcast, another Democratic congressman openly called on Biden to withdraw. Only if Biden drops out of the race can a “total catastrophe” be prevented, warned Mike Quigley. Senator Mark Warner is reportedly trying to rally a group of Democrats behind him to convince Biden to drop out of the race. When asked regarding Warner, Biden said: “He’s a good man (…). I respect him.”
Before the interview aired, Biden had stressed that he wanted to stay in the presidential race. “Let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race. I’m going to beat Donald Trump,” he said at a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin. “When you’re down, you get back up,” the Democrat said to cheering supporters. Referring to his opponent Trump, Biden said: “I can’t wait, folks, let’s focus on what’s really important, which is to take on the biggest liar and the biggest threat.”
However, the appearance in Wisconsin was not without its problems. After announcing that he wanted to beat Trump in the November election, Biden said: “I will beat him once more in 2020.” He was wrong regarding the year. He defeated Trump for the first time in 2020. “By the way, we will do it once more in 2024,” he corrected himself immediately followingwards.
Photo gallery: Joe Biden: Crisis meeting with the family
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Pressure on Biden grows
The Democrat is currently fighting on all fronts to save his presidential candidacy. The 81-year-old is under intense scrutiny – every appearance is closely followed. Biden often has a hard time at appearances where he cannot read from the teleprompter. He regularly stumbles over his words, confusing names and places. This is probably one of the reasons why the Democrat hardly gives any TV interviews. Due to the growing pressure, he has now given an interview to star presenter Stephanopoulos, the former communications director of Democratic President Bill Clinton (1993-2001).
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, one in three Democrats believe the 81-year-old should withdraw from the race for the White House. Vice President Kamala Harris was considered the most likely replacement in this case.
Biden has actually secured his party’s presidential nomination – he is to be officially chosen at the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago in August. The US President collected the necessary delegate votes for this in the primaries. He had no significant competition in the primary campaign. It is now unclear whether he will throw in the towel following all.
