2024-07-06 14:53:53
The one-on-one interview with ABC is being called the most important of the 81-year-old politician’s career because of the discontent and rebellion among anxious Democratic voters, lawmakers and supporters.
“I was sick, I felt terrible (…) We were trying to figure out what was wrong,” the president said in an excerpt from his first televised interview after a debate with Donald Trump in Atlanta.
“They did a test to make sure I didn’t have some sort of infection, you know, a virus. I didn’t have I just had a bad cold,” said Mr. Biden.
In the excerpt of the interview, Mr. Biden spoke in a hoarse voice and answered erratically.
He rejected calls for a cognitive test after fears were raised about his mental state.
“I take cognitive tests every day. I pass that test every day, in everything I do,” Mr. Biden claimed to ABC News.
In an interview Friday, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos repeatedly hinted at Democrats’ growing call to negotiate a new presidential candidate and asked Biden if he would resign if he was convinced he couldn’t beat Trump.
“Well, it depends on the situation. If the almighty Lord comes down and tells me to do it, maybe I will do it,” he replied.
Asked if his continued campaign could hurt Democrats’ bid to remain in the White House, Mr. Biden said: “I don’t think anyone is better prepared to be president or win this election than I am.”
According to polls conducted after the debate, Trump’s lead has widened, and at least three congressional Democrats, several major newspapers and a number of pro-Democrat political commentators have called for Mr. Biden to withdraw.
Reacting to the interview, D. Trump’s team mockingly wrote on social media that “J. Biden sounds great.” According to her, the president is “denying reality and experiencing a fall.”
2024-07-06 14:53:53