WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden sat down Friday for his first television interview since his poor debate performance, a high-stakes moment to try to reassure allies and voters.
The 22-minute primetime special with ABC aired in its entirety — “no cuts, no edits, we didn’t touch it,” said interviewer George Stephanopoulos.
It is not at all clear that Biden has managed to straighten out the situation. Although he demonstrated more coherence than in the debate, his interview was marked by a mixture of denial (from polls that show he is losing the race), defiance (in the face of calls to leave the race) and contempt (from critics who worry , there is a deeper problem). He sought to draw a contrast with Donald Trump, repeatedly calling the former president a liar while praising his own record and plans for a second term.
Here are three takeaways from the interview.
Denial
Biden has repeatedly denied that he has fallen in the polls to Trump, although nonpartisan national and swing-state polls generally place him as the underdog.
“Every pollster I talk to tells me it’s a toss-up. It’s a toss-up,” he said, adding that he doesn’t believe he’s losing the popular vote: “I don’t believe it.”
He denied that his job approval rating was around 36%, according to the poll average. show.
“Well, I don’t believe that’s my approval rating,” Biden said. “That’s not what our research shows.”
Asked if he is being honest with himself about his ability to defeat Trump, Biden widened his eyes and replied: “Yes. Yes Yes Yes.”
Biden also boasted about his achievements and said he is the same man who first assumed the presidency in January 2021.
“In terms of success, yes. I was also the guy who came up with a peace plan for the Middle East that may be coming to fruition. I was also the guy who expanded NATO. I was also the guy who grew the economy. All the individual things that were done were ideas that I had or followed through on,” he said.
Biden unnerved Democrats with his answer to a question about how he will feel if Trump is elected and the movement against democracy succeeds.
“I’ll feel like as long as I’ve given it my all and done the best job I know I can do, that’s what it’s all about,” Biden said.
Challenge
Biden has insisted he will not drop out of the race, even if top Democratic leaders in Congress ask him to. He said three times that only “the Lord Almighty” could persuade him to step aside.
“If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I would get out of the race. The Lord Almighty won’t come down,” he said, while insisting that his Democratic allies won’t do that. to ask.
“I don’t think anyone is more qualified to be president or win this race than me,” Biden said.
Asked if he would be willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation and cognitive testing, Biden hesitated, saying: “Look. I have a cognitive test every day. Every day I take this test. Everything I do. You know, I’m not just campaigning, I’m also running the world.”
And he discussed his future plans – which he failed to do coherently during the debate – saying he would “straighten out the tax system”, seek “health care for all people” and seek to expand “care for children and the elderly ”. In return, he said, “Trump’s plan would cause a recession” and exacerbate inflation, he added.
“I don’t think we are a country of losers,” Biden said, seeking to turn the focus to Trump, whom he repeatedly called a “pathological liar” and a congenital liar” during the interview. The president will determine whether this Constitution will be applied correctly or not.”
Dismissal
“I had a bad night. I don’t know why,” Biden said when pressed about his debate performance. He called it “a bad episode” and not “any serious condition – I was exhausted.”
“I was sick. I was feeling terrible,” Biden said, taking responsibility and refusing to blame his team or advisers.
But he said he remains fit for a campaign and four more years as president.
“Can I run 100 in 10 flat? No. But I’m still in good shape,” Biden said. When asked if he is more fragile, Biden responded with a smile: “Come fulfill my agenda.”
Sometimes Biden spoke slowly, sometimes he paused as he searched for words. At times, he stopped telling stories – a common Biden trait – but, unlike what happened during the debate, he held back and resumed the conversation with an “anyway…” He also mixed up dates and not always kept the numbers straight — such as giving different numbers when discussing how many times Trump lied during the debate.
Still, he said he lives a vigorous life.
“After that debate, I did 10 major events in a row, including until 2 a.m. after the debate,” he said. “I did events in North Carolina. I’ve done events in Georgia, I’ve done events like this today, big crowds, overwhelming response, no slipping.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
