President Joe Biden admitted his debate was a “bad episode” Friday night in his first primary television interview since his disastrous performance in last week’s presidential debate and rejected the idea of taking a full cognitive test, as the 81-year-old president does. seeking to do so, assuring Democrats that he is mentally and physically compatible for a second term in the White House.

When asked if the debate was an episode or a result of his current state (an inquiry made in the past through former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi), Biden responded that he had just experienced a “bad episode. ” “.

Biden and his crusader said his extensive education before the debate had exhausted him, however, when ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked why last week at Camp David before the debate wasn’t enough time to rest, Biden said he was sick and was being tested. to see if he had an infection or a virus, and doubling down on an earlier claim that he had a “very bad cold. “

When Stephanopoulos asked Biden if he had watched CNN’s debate with former President Donald Trump after its broadcast, he replied, “I don’t think I did, no. “»

When asked through Stephanopoulos whether he would undergo independent neurological and cognitive testing, Biden responded, “No one said I had to,” and then said, “every day I do this test. “

Biden, who spoke in a soft, husky voice during the interview, also claimed he was “not in control” of the event, complaining that he became distracted at times when Trump appeared to be yelling, a new excuse presented for his functionality. – even though Biden said CNN turned off Trump’s microphone.

Asked if he even knew he was “the same guy today” as when he took office in 2021, Biden said “in terms of success, yes,” reiterating his argument that he deserves to be evaluated based on his track record in the House. White. that functionality of him in the debate, even though he curiously claimed to have “silenced Putin” even as the Russian war in Ukraine drags on.

Biden boasted about creating more than 200,000 new jobs in the month of June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, arguing that he is still capable of generating for the economy; This BLS report also found that task expansion had decreased from 218,000 in May. while the unemployment rate exceeded 4% for the first time in just three years.

When asked if he thought he could “serve well for the next 4 years,” Biden replied that he “wouldn’t run if I didn’t believe he does,” and doubled down on that answer when asked by Stephanopoulos if Biden “was sure” “You’re being fair to yourself when you say you have the intellectual and physical ability to serve another 4 years. “

Biden has continually called Trump a “pathological liar,” saying he believes he can beat him in November despite his dismal approval ratings and multiple polls that have shown the Trump electorate on Biden.

The interview prompted some consideration from Democrats: Former Obama adviser David Axelrod, one of the first Democrats to make explicit considerations about Biden’s advanced age last year, said in an article in contact with people’s considerations. ” It depends on his talent moving forward and his position in this race.

Get Breaking News Text Alerts from Forbes: We send text alerts to keep you on top of the biggest stories making headlines of the day. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or register here.

Asked if he knew how hot the debate was at the time, Biden said, “I prepared what I would do regularly, just sit down like I did on the way back to foreign leaders or the National Security Council to get specific details, and I learned that component, you know, I’m being quoted, the New York Times had narrowed me down to 10 issues before the debate, nine [numbers]

At least four Democrats in Congress have said Biden dropped out of the race — Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois, Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona — along with the editorial. forums of multiple primary newspapers and political experts. Several billionaire supporters have also suggested Biden step down: Walmart heiress Christy Walton, worth $15. 2 billion, according to Forbes, and crypto mogul Michael Novogratz ($2. 5 billion) called on Biden to “pass the torch” in a joint letter with more than 150 other people. business leaders on Friday. Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings ($4. 8 billion) also called on Biden to “step aside,” while Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban ($5. 4 billion) went to polls to see which other Democrat could beat Trump in November.

Despite those calls to resign, Biden has vowed to stay in the race, admitting he “got it wrong” on the debate stage. Biden also attempted to placate the electorate by claiming that his performance was the result of a long, cold vacation and only a “bad” performance (a post-Harvard CAPS/Harris debate vote found that 66% of the electorate doubted Biden’s intellectual health). Biden once again doubled down on his campaign engagement in Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon, asking a packed crowd whether he was “too old to beat Donald Trump” or to “restore Roe v. Wade,” a key promise of his re-election. platform.

Biden downplayed the importance of the interview papers. But since the debate, Biden has fallen down the ballot, trailing Trump by 42. 2% to 39. 7% in a head-to-head matchup, according to FiveThirtyEight’s weighted average of ballots, down. From Trump’s narrow merit of 41. 1% to 40. 9% on the day of the debate. debate. When adding other challengers, such as independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , Biden and Trump remain tied, 40% to 40%, according to a post-debate Ipsos poll. Respondents in that vote still subsidized Biden by a speculated Democratic Replacements organization. The only potential Democrat to score higher than Biden was former first lady Michelle Obama, who led Trump 50 to 39 percent in the Ipsos poll, even though the former first lady is an unlikely candidate. .

The interview comes at a critical time for Biden’s campaign, as a developing list of Democratic lawmakers, pundits and primary donors urge him to withdraw from his re-election bid in the week after his rocky performance in the first presidential debate. CNN last week, a 90-minute back-and-forth punctuated by Biden’s whispered voice, gaffes and incoherent responses. While some primary Democrats, including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have publicly endorsed Biden, others have warned that he may take on four more years in the White House, Illinois Democratic Gov. J. B. Pritzker, to Biden. to “communicate more” and Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif. , arguing that Biden will sit down for a live interview “as soon as possible” (the ABC interview was taped Friday afternoon).

In the week following the debate, Biden made multiple verbal mistakes in interviews and stops from the crusade. At a rally on Friday, Biden incorrectly said he would beat Trump in 2020, before correcting himself by saying he would beat Trump in 2024. In an interview this week with Philadelphia’s WURD radio station, Biden also said he was proud to be “the first. “”A black woman will have to serve with a black president,” seeming to distort her words before saying that she has appointed Kentaji Brown Jackson, the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

A community. Many voices.   Create a free account to share your thoughts.  

Our network aims to connect other people through open and thoughtful conversations. We need our readers to share their perspectives and exchange concepts and facts in one space.

To do this, please comply with the posting regulations in our site’s terms of use.   Below we summarize some of those key regulations. In short, civilized.

Your message will be rejected if we realize that it seems to contain:

User accounts will be locked if we become aware that users are engaging in:

So, how can you be a user?

Thank you for reading our Community Guidelines. Please read the full list of posting regulations discovered in our site’s Terms of Use.