President Joe Biden admitted his debate was a “bad episode” Friday night in an excerpt from his first major broadcast interview since his disastrous performance at last week’s presidential debate—and a wobbly week since—as the 81-year-old president attempts to reassure Democrats he is mentally and physically fit for a second term in the White House.
President Joe Biden sat down for his first post-debate interview Friday night.
When asked if the debate was an episode or the result of his current condition—a question previously asked by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—Biden said he had a “bad episode.”
Biden and his campaign has said that his extensive training before the debate left him exhausted, but when ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked why the week spent at Camp David before the debate wasn’t enough time to rest, Biden said he was really sick, saying he was tested to see whether he had an infection or a virus, and doubling down on his claim his poor performance was the result of a “really bad cold.”
Stephanopoulos also asked Biden if he watched the CNN debate with former President Donald Trump after it aired, to which Biden said: “I don’t think I did, no.”
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
At least three sitting congressional Democrats have said Biden should drop out of the race (Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts,. Rep. Lloyd Doggett ofTexas, and Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona), along with the editorial boards of multiple major newspapers and political pundits. Multiple billionaire supporters have also urged Biden to step down: Walmart heir 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 over 150 other 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) pushed for polling to see which other Democrat could beat Trump in November.
Despite those calls to step down, Biden has vowed to stay in the race, admitting he “screwed up” on the debate stage. Biden has also attempted to assuage voters his performance was the result of a cold, extensive travel and a single “bad” performance (a post-debate Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found 66% of voters doubt Biden’s mental fitness). Biden doubled down on his commitment to the campaign once again in a campaign stop in Wisconsin Saturday afternoon, asking a packed hall if he’s “too old to beat Donald Trump” or to “restore Roe v. Wade,” a key promise of his reelection platform.
The interview comes at a critical time for the Biden campaign, as a growing list of Democratic lawmakers, pundits and major donors urge him to step down from his reelection bid in the week after his rocky performance in CNN’s first presidential debate last week, a 90-minute back-and-forth marked by Biden’s whispery voice, gaffes and rambling answers. While some major Democrats—including former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama—have publicly stuck by Biden, others have suggested he should prove he is capable of handling four more years in the White House, with Illinois’s Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker urging Biden to “communicate more” and Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., arguing Biden should sit for a live interview “as soon as possible” (ABC’s interview was taped Friday afternoon).
ABC will air the full interview between Stephanopoulos and Biden at 8 p.m. EST Friday night, and again during “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” Sunday morning.