President Joe Biden will give his first interview since his poor performance in last week's debate with ABC's George Stephanopoulos as some Democrats push for the selection of a new party nominee.
ABC News announced it would broadcast a two-part interview with the president on Tuesday. Exit Portions of the debate will be shown on ABC's “World News Tonight” on Friday, with an extended version appearing Sunday morning on the network's “This Week” show. (Related story: Biden's debate night was terrible — Tuesday might have been even worse)
Stephanopoulos was criticized for re-releasing the interview with Biden in the same format in 2021, but the former Clinton staffer has appeared as the president's go-to host. In addition to being a staff member for former President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1996, reports emerged in 2015 that Stephanopoulos had donated $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation over the years. according to To Free Beacon.
Not only did the ABC host avoid disclosing the payment to viewers, but he also conducted an on-air interview with the Clinton Foundation over its questionable ties to overseas donors, the outlet reported. Stephanopoulos later apologized and claimed the donation was “to support the Foundation's work on global AIDS prevention and deforestation.” Public records show one $25,000 payment in 2012 and two more payments of the same amount between 2013 and 2014.
The ABC host has been criticized in the past for favoring Democrats in interviews, most notably when he co-hosted the 2008 Democratic presidential primary debate with Charlie Gibson between former President Barack Obama and candidate Hillary Clinton, which drew criticism from multiple media outlets. The Washington Post He described the interrogation as a “shoddy and despicable performance.”
Exclusive: @G Stephanopoulos He will speak with President Biden in his first exclusive television interview since the presidential debate, available on ABC News platforms on Friday, July 5.
read more: https://t.co/ZEE7WVrBAf pic.twitter.com/Ck5QXgaSLp
— ABC News (@ABC) July 2, 2024
According to The Washington Post, both Stephanopoulos and Gibson were reprimanded by the media for covering “a plethora of questionable, gossipy tidbits,” some of which had already been publicly discussed.
Stephanopoulos also came under fire this year after an interview with South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace in which the ABC host engaged in a heated exchange about Mace's political choices as a rape victim. During the interview, Mace accused Stephanopoulos of “shaming” her as the host continued to press her about her support for former President Donald Trump.
Biden's interview came after a poor debate performance in which he sounded hoarse, made multiple gaffes and at times struggled to follow through on arguments. While the president's surrogates make the rounds to make the case for a second term, questions about his mental health are rife among politicians, the media and even voters across the country.
Recent CBS/YouGov Poll carried out After the debate, 72% of Americans now believe Biden is not in the mental or cognitive health to serve a full second term, up from 65% in an earlier June poll.
Notably, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Commissioner James Zogby sent a letter to the committee's leadership on Tuesday outlining a plan the party could use moving forward if Biden leaves office. according to To the New York Times.
