Biden says ‘there is no indication of any serious condition’ in ABC interview as he fights to stay in the race

MADISON, Wis. – President Joe Biden, fighting to salvage his threatened re-election effort on Friday, said his disastrous debate performance last week was a “bad episode” and that there were “no indications of any serious condition” in a highly anticipated ABC interview that was seen as a significant test of your fitness to run for office.

“I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparation,” Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in an excerpt that aired Friday night.

However, Biden’s rigorous efforts to correct the course of his debate performance were not yet calming internal party frustrations, with an influential Democratic senator working on a nascent push that would encourage the president to drop out of the race and Democrats to talk calmly about what would happen next if the president quits – or what it would mean if he stayed.

Still, in Wisconsin, Biden was focused on proving his ability to remain president. When asked whether he would pause his campaign, he told reporters he was “completely ruling out that possibility” and said he was “certain” he could serve for another four years. At a rally before hundreds of supporters, he acknowledged his subpar debate performance but insisted: “I’m running and I’m going to win again.”

“I beat Donald Trump,” Biden said forcefully, as the crowd gathered at a local high school cheered and waved campaign signs. “I will beat him again.”

Biden, relying on a teleprompter for his remarks, attacked his presumptive Republican opponent almost immediately, attacking Trump by pointing out that the former president once said that “George Washington’s army won the revolution by taking control of the airports from the British people”.

As the crowd laughed, Biden continued, “Talk about me talking bad.”

In his speech, Biden tried to flip questions swirling around his age, rhetorically asking the crowd if he was “too old” to have passed gun legislation, created jobs and helped alleviate student loan debt — while suggesting he would do more in a second presidential term.

The rally preceded an interview that could be a watershed for Biden, who is under pressure to abandon the campaign after his disastrous debate performance against republican donald trump has raised concerns that the 81-year-old Democrat may not be ready for the job for another four years.

The interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos was seen as a potential game-changer. There was broad agreement that Biden could not afford to have another “bad day,” and this is how he dismissed it. your debate failed. It was unclear whether even a reasonable performance would be enough to satisfy concerns about his fitness to serve.

While private angst among Democratic lawmakers, donors and strategists runs deep after Biden’s damaging debate performance, most in the party have kept the public fire going as they wait to see whether the president can restore some confidence with his weekend travel schedule and how to deal with the Stephanopoulos interview, which will air in full on Friday night.

To that end, Senator Mark Warner reached out to other senators throughout this week to discuss whether he should ask Biden to drop out of the race, according to three people familiar with the effort who requested anonymity to speak about private conversations. The Virginia Democrat’s actions are notable given his role as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and his reputation as a lawmaker who supported Biden and developed working relationships with colleagues from both parties. Warner’s effort was first reported by The Washington Post.

The strategy remains fluid. One of the people with knowledge of Warner’s effort said there are enough Senate Democrats concerned about Biden’s ability to run for reelection to take some kind of action, although there has not yet been consensus on what that plan would be.

Meanwhile, at least three House Democrats have called on Biden to step down as their candidate, with Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., joining Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett and Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva in pushing for an alternative. While he didn’t go that far, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a carefully worded statement Friday that Biden now has a decision to make about “the best path forward.”

“In the coming days, I ask you to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether you remain our best hope for defeating Donald Trump,” Healey said.

There were also some signs of discontent at Biden’s campaign rally on Friday, with one supporter on stage waving a sign that said “Pass the torch Joe” as the president left. His motorcade was also greeted at secondary school by some people who encouraged him to move forward.

But others were satisfied. Rebecca Green, a 52-year-old environmental scientist from Madison, said she found Biden’s energy comforting. “We were just hoping he would come out strong and fight again, the way we know he is,” she said. “I don’t know what was going on in the debate. It could never overshadow what he did.”

Many Democratic lawmakers, listening to voters at home during the holiday week, are divided over whether Biden should stay or go. Lawmakers were deeply frustrated with his campaign’s response to the crisis. Privately, arguments among House Democrats escalated this week as word spread that some of them were drafting public letters suggesting the president should drop out of the race.

However, resistance from other House Democrats was fierce, and none of the letters from Democrats in competitive reelection bids or those in easier races that were supposedly being discussed were made public.

“Any ‘leader’ who signs a letter calling for President Biden to step down needs to get his priorities straight and stop undermining this incredible real leader who has delivered real results for our country,” said Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., an influential member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Biden appears to have brought his family and inner circle closer together as he tries to prove he is still Democrats’ best option to compete in November elections.

The omnipresent presence of Biden Hunter in the West Wing since the debate became an uncomfortable dynamic for many staffers, according to two Democrats close to the White House who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic.

For many employees, the vision of Hunter Biden, just weeks later his conviction on felony gun chargesTaking a greater role in counseling his father has been upsetting and a questionable choice at this high-stakes time, they said.

Biden’s re-election campaign is moving forward with aggressive plans despite the uncertainty. The company plans to combine its in-person events with a new $50 million advertising campaign this month aimed at capitalizing on high-audience moments like the Summer Olympics which begin in Paris on July 26th.

Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff are scheduled to travel to all of the swing states this month, with Biden in Pennsylvania on Sunday. In a strategy memo released Friday morning, the campaign also specifically emphasized that Biden would participate in “frequent impromptu moments” — once a hallmark of the politician’s gregarious and joyful career, but which have nevertheless diminished over the years. his presidency.

For Biden, every moment now is critical to restoring lost confidence stemming from his shaky performance in Atlanta last week. However, the president continued to make mistakes that did not help in this effort.

In a hastily organized meeting with more than 20 Democratic governors On Wednesday night, Biden acknowledged that he needs to sleep more and limit evening events so he can rest up for work, according to three people granted anonymity to speak about the private meeting.

When trying to explain these comments, Jean-Pierre stressed that Biden “works 24 hours a day”, but that “he also recognizes the importance of finding a balance and taking care of himself”.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who attended the meeting, said Biden “certainly engaged with us on complicated issues.”

“But again, this is something he needs to not only reassure Democratic governors, but also reassure the American people.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said no one in the room was “softening” the reality of last week’s debate.

“You looked at the physiology. You saw all about it. It was the breathing, it was the physicality, the whole thing,” Newsom said at a subsequent event in the Netherlands.

___

Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Saugatuck, Michigan, Todd Richmond in Madison, Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky, and Mary Clare Jalonick, Aamer Madhani, Lisa Mascaro and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.