- President Joe Biden has suggested he would be okay with losing to Trump as long as he puts up a good fight.
- The 81-year-old president made the comments in his first interview since Friday’s debate.
- Biden continues to appear defiant amid growing concerns about his candidacy.
President Joe Biden has suggested he would be OK with losing to former President Donald Trump in November’s election “as long as I give it my all,” weakening a core policy outline for his 2024 campaign amid growing concerns about his candidacy.
Biden, 81, spoke to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday in his first interview since his disastrous performance in last week’s debate, and sought to allay doubts about his fitness to be president, including growing anxiety within his own party.
Biden has long positioned himself as the best bet to protect American democracy from another four years of Trump. In interviews and speeches, Biden has painted a picture of chaos and destruction if Trump were to occupy the White House again. The Biden campaign has explicitly accused Trump of being in the race only for himself, while positioning Biden as the candidate for the people.
But near the end of Friday’s interview, Biden gave an answer that seemed to contradict the narrative of his cause.
“If you stay in office, if Trump wins, and all the things you’re warning about come true, how will you feel in January?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“I did my best and I felt I did the best job I could, and that’s what happened here,” Biden responded.
The response appears to highlight Biden’s stubborn thinking amid growing calls for him to withdraw from the race.
Four House Democrats and a growing number of liberal donors have publicly called for Biden to be replaced, and there have been reports that Biden is privately exploring the possibility of reelection, but he has stuck to his pledge to continue in the race.
Biden’s interview with ABC was a constant stream of denial: He called his debate performance a “terrible night,” repeatedly dodged questions about his age and cognitive ability and disputed polling figures that showed him trailing Trump by several points.
When asked what it would take for him to drop out of the race, Biden tried to deflect the question with a joke, telling Stephanopoulos he would only step down if “God Almighty” himself came down and told him he couldn’t win.
