President Biden addressed concerns about his fitness for office in a fiery interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos on July 6th. The interview comes after a disastrous debate performance that has cast doubt on his ability to win re-election in 2024.
During the interview, Stephanopoulos pressed Biden on a number of issues, including his health, his mental acuity, and his decision to stay in the race. Biden remained defiant throughout, attributing his poor debate performance to a bad cold and insisting that he is still mentally sharp.
“I prepared what I usually would do,” Biden said, defending his debate prep. “Look, the whole way I prepared nobody’s fault but mine, I uh, I prepared what I usually would do sitting down as I did coming back with foreign leaders or the National Security Council for explicit detail.”
When asked about his age, Biden pointed to his record as president, arguing that his experience makes him the most qualified candidate for the job. “I’m not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out three and a half years of work,” he said.
Biden also rejected the suggestion that he step down from the race, stating that the only thing that would make him leave is a message from God. “The only thing that would make me leave the race is if I got a message from uh, God Almighty I think was the phrasing that he used, that God would have to come down and tell him to do that otherwise,” Biden said.
The interview comes amid growing concerns within the Democratic party about Biden’s ability to win re-election. Recent polls show him trailing his Republican opponent by a significant margin.
It remains to be seen whether Biden’s defiant stance will be enough to quell concerns about his fitness for office. The upcoming months will be crucial for Biden’s campaign, as he works to win back the support of Democratic voters.
