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Tanned Biden fights for brief interview with former Democratic Party official Stephanopoulos

Posted on by angelo
Tanned Biden fights for brief interview with former Democratic Party official Stephanopoulos

A visibly orange President Joe Biden struggled to make it to a brief interview with ABC News moderator and former Democratic Party official George Stephanopoulos on Friday, with the octogenarian blaming his disastrous debate performance on exhaustion from “a really bad cold.”

But the president refused to acknowledge any deterioration in his condition, telling Mr Stephanopoulos that he was no more fragile today than he was four years ago and categorically ruling out undergoing a cognitive test, which he said he had not undergone.

“Nobody said I had to do this,” Biden said. “I take a full neurological test every day… I take a cognitive test every day.”

Asked whether he was honest with himself about his ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in November, Biden responded with one word: “Yes,” describing a race in which several polls put him behind his predecessor as an “undecided” race.

“I don’t think anyone is more qualified than me to be president or to win this race,” Biden told Stephanopoulos.

The president called his debate performance a “bad episode” that reflected “no serious problem.” Biden said he was “exhausted” before the debate and had “a bad night.”

Biden had nearly two weeks to recover from two European trips before the debate. He spent days preparing at Camp David, where he never started his daily sessions before 11 a.m. and was time allowed for an afternoon nap each day.

Pressed about his busy pre-debate schedule, Biden said he was still exhausted before the debate because he was “sick” and “feeling terrible.” Doctors tested him for “an infection, a virus,” Biden said, but those tests came back negative. “I just had a really bad cold.”

Stephanopoulos then asked Biden if he realized in real time that the debate was going badly. “Yeah, look,” the octogenarian replied. After a long pause, he gave a largely incoherent answer.

“I prepared throughout the process — it’s nobody’s fault, it’s mine. It’s nobody’s fault but mine,” Biden said. “I prepared as I usually do, sitting down as I did, to come back with foreign leaders or the National Security Council to get explicit details.”

“And I realized halfway through, you know, I’m quoted, the New York Times “He had me down 10 points before the debate, nine now, or whatever it is,” he continued. “The fact is, what I saw was that he also lied 28 times, I couldn’t – I mean, the way the debate went – it’s my fault, nobody else’s fault. Nobody else’s fault.”

Biden’s team reached out to Stephanopoulos to set up the interview Tuesday. The White House was drawn to the ABC anchor because the network “has a large audience” and “is widely regarded as a nonpartisan news outlet,” the spokesperson said. New York Times reported.

Missing from that assessment, however, are Stephanopoulos’s close ties to Biden’s world, including Ron Klain, Biden’s first chief of staff who took a vacation from his lucrative new job at Airbnb to prepare Biden for the debate.

Stephanopoulos, one of President Bill Clinton’s most powerful aides, worked closely together He worked with and mentored Klain while both were on Hill’s staff. From there, Klain and Stephanopoulos worked on Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and the administration that followed.

At the time, Klain was describe in the New Republic He was part of the “Stephanopoulos,” a group of young Clinton aides who reported to Stephanopoulos when he was a senior adviser to the president. Stephanopoulos praised Klain, calling him “terrific” and a “friend.” In return, Klain offered him his loyalty.

“The Stephanopoulites do not have a burning conscience. They are not crusaders for social reform,” the New RepublicRuth Shalit wrote in 1994: “They are baby-faced enforcers, charged with polishing the sharp edges of their unruly elders. (…) They work for managers, not for principles.”

Klain faced intense criticism after Biden’s debate performance from some Democratic donors and members of the Biden family. blame the debacle on his preparations. Still, Biden stood by his former chief of staff and “still trusted” him following the debate, according to the New York Times.

Biden’s interview with Stephanopoulos was originally scheduled to air Sunday, but ABC changed the schedule to air it as a Friday night “primetime special.” announcement Because Stephanopoulos’ interview with Biden was “extended,” the White House granted ABC only 20 minutes with the octogenarian president.

Hours before the interview, Biden held a rally at a Madison, Wisconsin, college. He was provocative, vowing to stay in the race and not let “one 90-minute debate undo three and a half years of work.” He was also prone to gaffes, at one point saying“I will beat Donald Trump. I will beat him again in 2020.”

At that point, a participant who was watching from the stands positioned just behind Biden held a sign “Pass the torch, Joe.” Earlier in the day, the White House reneged on his promise to allow a group of local journalists to travel with Biden, citing a lack of transportation.

Away from Wisconsin, senior Democratic officials continued to plot Biden’s withdrawal from the race.

Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.), for example, is rallying his colleagues to form a group that would call on Biden to step down, Washington Post reported As Biden concluded his speech in Wisconsin, Warner “told Democratic senators that Biden can no longer remain in the race for reelection after his faltering debate performance.”

Biden addressed the report Friday, saying he and Warner “have a different perspective.”

“Mark is a good man,” he said. “He also tried to get the nomination.” Warner has never run for president. ““Mark and I have different views. I respect that,” Biden continued.

It’s unclear what impact Biden’s meeting with Stephanopoulos will have on that effort. Some Democratic senators had planned to assess Biden’s performance in the interview before committing to joining Warner’s group. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) “told senators to try to wait to act until there is more polling data on where Biden and Democrats stand,” according to the site. Job.