U.S. President Joe Biden termed his debate against Republican opponent Donald Trump “a bad episode,” but in an interview with ABC News on Friday, 5 July 2024, he remained adamant that he was the candidate to defeat Trump in November. “No signs of a major ailment. I was tired. In a taped interview with ABC News anchor by George Stephanopoulos in Madison, Wisconsin, Biden, 81, said he didn’t heed his instincts in terms of preparation and had a poor night.

I just had an awful night. “I’m not sure why,” Biden said in a raspy voice, occasionally stumbling over his words. Stephanopoulos softly but frequently pressed Biden about whether he was realistic in his confidence that he could defeat Trump, widening the gap in polls and raising concerns among elected Democrats. “I don’t think anyone is more qualified,” Biden told Stephanopoulos in an interview. He said the polls were not accurate.

When asked if he would get out if fellow Democrats in Congress indicated he was hurting their re-election chances in November, Biden replied: “If the Lord Almighty comes out and tells me that, I might do that.” The 22-minute interview, which Stephanopoulos claimed was not chopped or altered, was eagerly watched by Democrats concerned about the President’s capacity to serve another four years or defeat Trump, 78, in the election, following his shaky debate performance on June 27.

After watching a short snippet released before the interview, a senior House of Representatives Democratic official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters, “I don’t see how he (Biden) lasts the week as the nominee.”

“I was feeling terrible,” Biden confessed. “In reality, I have the documents with me. I inquired if they performed a COVID test because they were attempting to determine what was wrong. They ran a test to discover if I had any infections, such as viruses. No, I didn’t. I just got a nasty cold.”

He went on to say that it was entirely his fault and that he had not rewatched his performance in the debate. When asked if he was more feeble, Biden responded, “No.” “Look, I take a cognitive test every day. Every day I have that test; everything I do is a test,” Biden replied when asked if he would take a cognitive test. Earlier on Friday, Biden told a raucous crowd in Madison that some Democrats were attempting to drive him out of the race following his debate with Trump. However, during an interview with ABC News, he stated that senior Democrats would not ask him to step aside.

He stated that he spoke for an hour with House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries of New York and even longer with Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. During the interview, Biden emphasized his record in government, claiming that he increased NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), grew the economy, and has a Middle East peace plan. If he is elected for a second term, he plans to expand healthcare and reform the tax system. Even before it aired in full, the interview appeared to do little to alleviate viewers’ concerns about Biden’s age.

“I’ve seen enough,” Ron Fournier, a senior adviser at Truscott Rossman Communications and a former White House correspondent, commented on social networking site X alongside the video. “It’s hard to imagine this good man beating Trump and serving four more years in the most demanding job on earth.”

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