WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden gave his first television interview Friday since his poor debate performance, a key moment in which he sought to reassure allies and voters.
The 22-minute primetime special aired in its entirety on ABC, “uncut, unedited, untouched in any way,” said interviewer George Stephanopoulos.
It’s unclear whether Biden has been successful in fixing things. Though he was more consistent than he was in the debates, his interviews were marked by a mix of denial (to polls showing he was losing the race), defiance (to calls for him to drop out of the race) and dismissal (to critics who worry there are deeper problems). Biden sought to contrast himself with Donald Trump, repeatedly calling the former president a liar while touting his own record and plans for a second term.
Here are three takeaways from the interview.
rejection
Biden has repeatedly denied being behind Trump in the polls, despite generally trailing in nonpartisan national and battleground state polls.
“Every pollster I’ve talked to says it’s a 50-50 chance. It’s a 50-50 chance,” he said, adding that he doesn’t think he’s behind in the popular vote. “I don’t believe it.”
He denied that the polling average shows his job approval rating is about 36 percent.
“Well, I don’t think that’s my approval rating,” Biden said. “That’s not what the polls are showing.”
Asked if he was honest with himself about his ability to beat Trump, Biden’s eyes widened as he answered, “Yes, yes, yes, yes.”
Biden touted his accomplishments and said he is the same man who first took office in January 2021.
“In terms of success, yes. I’m the guy who put together the Middle East peace plan, which is happening. I’m the guy who expanded NATO, I’m the guy who grew the economy. Every single thing that’s been done was an idea that I came up with or that I implemented. I’ve made progress,” he said.
Biden unsettled Democrats with his response to a question about how he would feel if Trump were elected and his campaign against democracy was successful.
“As long as I’ve done my best and I’ve done the best job I can, I’ll be satisfied. That’s what this election is about,” Biden said. (Biden was initially reported as saying “the best job,” but his campaign clarified that he had said “the best job,” and ABC’s official transcript was likewise changed.)
Rebellion
Biden has stressed that he has no plans to withdraw from the election, even if Democratic leaders in Congress urge him to do so, and has said three times that only “God Almighty” could persuade him to step down.
“If the Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, step aside,’ I would step aside. The Almighty is not going to come down,” he said, stressing that his Democratic allies would not make such a demand.
“I don’t think there is anybody more qualified to be president or to win this election than me,” Biden said.
When asked if he would be willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation and cognitive testing, Biden refused, saying, “Look, I get cognitive testing every day. I get tested every day. Everything I do. You know, I’m not just running a campaign, I run the world.”
And while Trump was incoherent during the debate, he also spoke about his plans for the future, saying he would “fix our tax code,” pursue “Medicare for All,” and expand “child care and elderly care.” In contrast, “his plan would create a recession” and worsen inflation, Trump added.
“I don’t believe we’re a nation of losers,” Biden said, trying to shift the focus back to Trump, whom he called a “pathological liar” and a “born liar” multiple times during the interview. “The character of the president is going to determine whether this Constitution is properly administered.”
Ignoring attitude
“Tonight was terrible. I don’t know why,” Biden said when asked about his performance at the debate. “It was a bad episode,” he said. “It wasn’t anything serious. I was exhausted.”
“I felt sick. I felt awful,” Biden said, accepting responsibility and refusing to blame his staff or advisers.
But he said he was healthy enough to campaign and serve another four years as president.
“Can I run 100 meters in 10 minutes? No, I can’t, but I’m still in good shape,” Biden said. Asked if he was feeling weaker, Biden smiled and said, “Stick to the schedule.”
Biden spoke slowly at times, pausing to search for words. He occasionally went off on tangents and began telling stories, a typical Biden trait. But unlike in the debates, Biden would regain his composure and resume the conversation with, “Anyway…” He also didn’t get dates wrong or get numbers all the time right. For example, he gave a different number when discussing how many times Trump lied during the debates.
Still, he said he leads an active life.
“After that debate, I did 10 major events back to back, including one after the debate until 2 a.m.,” he said. “I did an event in North Carolina. I did an event in Georgia. I did an event like today. We had huge crowds, an overwhelming response, and no failures.”
