5 key takeaways from Joe Biden’s interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos

Joe Biden sat down for what was one of his most important interviews in the 2024 Presidential race on Friday. In the 22-minute interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, the US President discussed various topics, including his CNN debate debacle. Here are the five key takeaways from Biden’s high-stakes interview:

Biden blames ‘bad cold’ for poor performance

The US President’s shaky performance in the first presidential debate against Donald Trump last week sent the Democrats into panic mode. However, during the Friday interview, Biden blamed it all on a “bad cold,” shrugging it off as a “bad night.” “It was a bad episode. No indication of any serious condition. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing,” he said.

“I was feeling terrible. As a matter of fact, the docs with me I asked if they did a Covid test, they were trying to figure out what’s wrong. They did a test to see whether or not I had some infection, you know, a virus. I didn’t. I just had a really bad cold,” the POTUS told Stephanopoulos.

Only ‘Lord Almighty’ can get him off the race

Biden is confident he is saying on the ballot. Amid the growing rumours about the Democrats considering dumping him, the US President told the ABC host that no one other than the “Lord Almighty” can convince him to quit. “If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race,” Biden said.

Biden addresses New York Times poll

Following a terrible performance in the debate, the recent polls have not been in favour of Biden. However, during his interview with ABC, the president provided a rather confusing take on the New York Times poll. “I prepared what I usually would do sitting down as I did come back as foreign leaders or National Security Council – for explicit detail,” he said.

“And I realized, about partway through that – you know, all that I get quoted is The New York Times had me down 10 points before the debate, nine now, or whatever the hell it is. The fact of the matter is that – what I looked at is he also lied 28 times,” Biden added.

‘I get a full neurological test every day,’ Biden on taking a cognitive exam

Amid the growing speculations about Biden facing age-related mental issues, many have suggested he undergo cognitive examinations. But, the 81-year-old doesn’t believe he needs such tests despite his constant gaffes. “I get a full neurological test every day,” he said, referring to his demanding job.

“I have medical doctors travelling everywhere. Every president does, as you know. Medical doctors from the best of the world travel with me everywhere I go. I have an ongoing assessment of what I’m doing. They don’t hesitate to tell me if they think there’s something else is wrong,” Biden said.

Biden says he was distracted by Trump

During the 22-minute interview, Biden came up with a new excuse for his shaky performance. Pitting it on his opponent, Biden said, “It came to me I was having a bad night when I realized that even when I was answering a question, even when they turned his mic off, he [Trump] was still shouting. And I let it distract me. I’m not blaming it on that, but I realized that I just wasn’t in control.”