The US president says his recent failure in a television debate with Donald Trump was due to “exhaustion” and a “severe cold”.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, took advantage of a long-awaited interview with ABC News to reiterate that he is the candidate to defeat Donald Trump in November’s presidential elections and once again called his recent disastrous debate against Trump “a bad episode”.
Biden, 81, told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in a recorded interview that “I take a cognitive test every day,” referring to the tasks he faces daily as president.
“Every day I take exams. Everything I do,” he said. “I just had a bad night. I do not know why.
Stephanopoulos asked whether the debate debacle “was a bad episode or a sign of a more serious condition” and whether Biden was being realistic in his belief that he could beat Trump, 78, given the gap opening in the opinion polls. between the two candidates and increases. concern among Democrats that Biden should step aside.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that one in three Democrats wants Biden to drop out of the race.
“I don’t think anyone is more qualified,” Biden said in the interview, attributing his debate performance to exhaustion and a “very bad cold.”
The polls, Biden said, were inaccurate.
Asked if he was more fragile, Biden said: “No.”
Asked also if he would back down if other Democrats in Congress said he was hurting his re-election chances in November, Biden said: “If the Lord Almighty comes and tells me that, maybe I will do it.”
The 22-minute interview, which ABC said was not cut or edited, was being closely watched by Democrats worried about the president’s ability to serve another four years or defeat Trump. A Republican, in the election, after his faltering performance in the June 27 debate.
The interview, even before airing in full, appeared to do little to calm viewers about Biden’s age and fitness to run for election.
A handful of Democratic Party donors and business leaders are loudly voicing their displeasure with Biden’s candidacy, suspending funding or weighing possible alternative candidates. Some of Biden’s closest political allies, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have raised questions about her health.
“It’s hard to imagine this good man defeating Trump and serving four more years in the most demanding job in the world,” former White House correspondent Ron Fournier said on social media alongside a clip of the ABC interview.
I’ve seen enough: It’s hard to imagine this good man defeating Trump and serving four more years in the most demanding job on the planet.
You see this too, Biden Dems. You’ve seen this for months. You are doing your boss and your country a serious disservice.
-Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) July 5, 2024
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a statement Friday asking Biden to carefully weigh his decision to run, the rare Democratic governor who has not issued a statement of support for the president in recent days.
“President Biden saved our democracy in 2020 and has done an excellent job over the last four years,” she said.
“The best path forward now is a decision that is up to the president to make. In the days ahead, I ask you to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope for defeating Donald Trump.”
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
