President Biden dodged questions about taking a neurological test and dismissed concerns about his age and ability to serve a second term during his first post-debate interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Friday, which was meant to re-assure Americans concerned about his candidacy.
The president’s comments failed to calm the storm over his debate performance. Biden at one point suggested he was doing the "goodest job" he could, according to the ABC News transcript. He also seemed somewhat unsure if he’d watched his own performance, saying, "I don't think I did, no." Biden stated that "if the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get outta the race,’ I'd get outta the race."
Stephanopoulos asked the president bluntly how he would feel in January if Donald Trump ended up winning the election and his warnings about Trump and democracy came to pass. Biden replied: "I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about…. I think the United States and the world is at an inflection point when the things that happen in the next several years are going to determine what the next six, seven decades are going to be like."
Following a rocky debate performance, Biden has faced several calls to drop out of the race from members of the media and some Democrats.
Biden told Stephanopoulos and the American people that he would only drop out of the race if the Lord Almighty came down to tell him so.
"I mean, if the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get outta the race,’ I'd get outta the race. The Lord Almighty's not coming down. I mean, these hypotheticals, George," Biden responded.
Asked if he watched the debate after his performance, Biden said he didn't think he did.
The president claimed that he was the one who "shut Putin down" while responding to a question about whether he could serve effectively should he win another term.
"George. I'm the guy that put NATO together, the future. No one thought I could expand it. I'm the guy that shut Putin down. No one thought could happen. I'm the guy that put together a South Pacific initiative with AUKUS. I'm the guy that got 50 nations out-- not only in Europe, outside of Europe as well to help Ukraine," Biden said.
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Russia, under Russian President Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukraine in February 2022 in the largest military attack of one state against another on the European continent since WWII.
The president also repeatedly dodged Stephanopoulos' questions about whether he's taken a neurological and cognitive exam.
"I've had, I get a full neurological test everyday with me. And I've had a full physical. I had, you know, I mean, I've been at Walter Reed for my physicals. I mean, yes, the answer," Biden responded.
"Have you had the specific cognitive tests, and have you had a neurologist, a specialist, do an examination?" the ABC News host followed up.
Biden responded, "No. No one said I had to. No one said. They said I'm good."
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Stephanopoulos followed up again to ask if Biden would be willing to get one.
"Look, I have a cognitive test every single day," Biden said. "Every day I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I'm running the world. Sounds like hyperbole, but we are the central nation in the world."
The ABC News host also asked Biden about his low approval rating as president, which the president largely dismissed. Stephanopoulos pointed out that Biden was behind in the popular vote.
"I don't-- I don't buy that," the president responded. "I don't think anybody's more qualified to be President or win this race than me," Biden said.
Stephanopoulous pointed out that he's never seen a president with a 36% approval rating get re-elected.
"Well, I don't believe that's my approval rating. That's not what our polls show," Biden responded.
In Wisconsin on Friday, Biden suggested he would beat Trump "again" in "2020." "Let me say this as clearly as I can, I am staying in the race. I’ll beat Donald Trump, I will beat him again in 2020."
