In an interview aimed at easing Democratic panic, President Joe Biden appeared in complete denial that his campaign was faltering.
Speaking with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in a taped interview that aired on Friday, Biden reassured voters that he is mentally and physically capable of being president. Biden claimed his performance in the debate was simply a “bad night,” but denied that he is trailing in the polls and that his approval ratings are historically low for a sitting president seeking reelection.
“Do you really believe that you're not falling behind right now?” Stephanopoulos asked the president.
“Every pollster I've talked to says it's fifty-fifty. When I'm behind, there's only one poll where I'm really far behind, and that's the CBS poll and the NBC poll. I mean, excuse me, um…” Biden began.
“The New York Times and NBC are reporting that we're about six points behind you in the popular vote,” Stephanopoulos interjected.
“That's exactly right. The New York Times had me 10 points behind before I even got involved in this race. I was 10 points behind. Nothing has changed substantially since the debate or the New York Times poll,” Biden concluded. (Related: Poll: Trump more than doubles lead over Biden since debate)
Biden maintained he was not falling behind in the race, then forgot which polls he was citing until George Stephanopoulos rescued him, and he insists his humiliating debate performance did not hurt him. pic.twitter.com/2jXu8R4rx8
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 6, 2024
Prior to the debate, Biden was trailing his opponent, Donald Trump, by less than 10 points in a highly regarded New York Times/Siena College poll, six points among registered voters and three points among likely voters. After the debate, the leads for each of them grew by three points, to nine and six points, respectively.
After the debate, the president not only rejected polls showing he was losing the election, but also denied that his approval rating was continuing to fall.
“Mr. President, I've never seen a president with a 36 percent approval rating get re-elected,” the ABC host told Biden.
“Well, I don't think that's my approval rating. That's not what the polls are showing,” the president joked.
.@G StephanopoulosMr. President, I have never seen a president with a 36% approval rating get re-elected.
Biden: Well, I don't think that's my approval rating. The polls don't show that. pic.twitter.com/ZbQQk3qdcY
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) July 6, 2024
Five Thirty Eight Indicated The president's approval rating on Friday was 36.9%, the lowest he's recorded throughout the Biden administration. The low approval rating is not new, but is surprisingly consistent: Biden has been below 41% in the FiveThirtyEight average for nearly a year.
Biden also said he doesn't “believe” the polls that show him trailing in the popular vote.
During the interview, Stephanopoulos called on the president to address calls from allies that he is unfit to run for reelection after rejecting an effort from Virginia to run for office from Democrats. Senator Mark R. Warner tried to rally Democratic senators against him, Stephanopoulos Asked He asked the president how he would respond if asked to resign by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and longtime former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“I'm not going to answer that question. That's not going to happen,” Biden said.
While there have been calls from outside the Democratic Party for Biden to step down, reports from Biden's closest aides are more mixed. A recent New York Times article, based on testimony from former and current White House aides, highlighted the president's litany of missteps over the past few months. The Times also reported that Biden has told “close associates” that he is considering whether to continue in the race. Other reports have said that Biden's family, particularly his son Hunter and wife Jill, are urging him to stay on as president. (Related story: Biden's debate night was awful — and Tuesday could have been even worse)
Biden denied any reports or evidence that he may have declined over the past few years.
“Would you agree that there has been an increase in deficiencies, particularly in recent months?” the ABC presenter asked.
“I'm still in good health,” Biden said.
“Are you more frail?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“No,” Biden countered.
The president also pushed back against calls for people to take cognitive testing, which has been pushed by former President Donald Trump and Republicans.
“I take cognitive tests every day,” Biden said.
