President Biden sits down for interview with George Stephanopoulos l ABC News exclusive
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00:00Good evening, everyone on this momentous evening, I'm Juju Chang, thanks so much for streaming
00:14with us.
00:15Tonight, ABC News has an exclusive interview with President Joe Biden.
00:19Our George Stephanopoulos sat down with the President for his first televised interview
00:23since that poor debate performance against Donald Trump.
00:27President Biden says he is committed to staying in the race and confident that he will prevail
00:32and beat Donald Trump.
00:34The President was directly called on to answer for his faltering appearances and whether
00:38he still has the mental and physical fitness for another term in the White House.
00:43Our team is standing by, of course, for analysis, but first, let's get to the interview.
00:48Mr. President, thank you for doing this.
00:50Thank you for having me.
00:51Let's start with the debate.
00:53You and your team have said you had a bad night, but your friend Nancy Pelosi actually
00:59framed the question I think is on the minds of millions of Americans.
01:02Was this a bad episode or the sign of a more serious condition?
01:06It was a bad episode.
01:10No indication of any serious condition, I was exhausted.
01:13I didn't listen to my instincts in terms of preparance and a bad night.
01:19You say you were exhausted, and I know you've said that before as well, but you came and
01:23you did have a tough month.
01:24But you came home from Europe about 11 or 12 days before the debate, spent six days
01:30in Camp David.
01:31Why wasn't that enough rest time, enough recovery time?
01:34Because I was sick.
01:35I was feeling terrible.
01:36Matter of fact, the docs with me, I asked them, they did a COVID test, trying to figure
01:40out what's wrong.
01:41They did a test to see whether or not I had some infection, you know, a virus.
01:46I didn't.
01:47I just had a really bad cold.
01:50And did you ever watch the debate afterwards?
01:54I don't think I did, no.
01:57What I want to get at is, what were you experiencing as you were going through the debate?
02:01Did you know how badly it was going?
02:04Yeah, look, the whole way I prepared, nobody's fault, mine, nobody's fault but mine.
02:13I prepared what I usually would do, sitting down, as I did come back with foreign leaders
02:18or the National Security Council, for explicit detail.
02:23And I realized about partway through that, you know, although I get quoted, the New York
02:29Times had me down at 10 points before the debate, nine now or whatever the hell it is.
02:35The fact of the matter is that what I looked at is that he also lied 28 times.
02:41I couldn't.
02:42I mean, the way the debate ran, not my fault, nobody else's fault, no one else's fault.
02:48But it seemed like you were having trouble from the first question in, even before he
02:52spoke.
02:53Well, I just had a bad night.
02:57You've had some bad interviews once in a while.
02:59I can't remember any, but I'm sure you do.
03:01I've had plenty.
03:04I guess the question, the problem is here for a lot of Americans watching is you've
03:08said going back to 2020, watch me.
03:12To people who are concerned about your age and, you know, 50 million Americans watch
03:16that debate.
03:17It seemed to confirm fears they already had.
03:21Well, look, after that debate, I did 10 major events in a row, including till two o'clock
03:26in the morning after that debate.
03:29I did events in North Carolina.
03:31I did events in Georgia.
03:35I did events like this today, large crowds, overwhelming response, no, no, no slipping.
03:41And so I just had a bad night.
03:43I don't know why.
03:44And how quickly did it, did it come to you that you were having that bad night?
03:50Well, Keanu was having a bad night when I realized that even when I was answering a
03:56question when they turned his mic off, he was still shouting and I let it distract me.
04:02I'm not blaming him for that.
04:04But I realized that I just wasn't in control.
04:08Part of the other concern is that this seems to fit into a pattern of decline that has
04:13been reported on recently.
04:14New York Times had a headline on July 2nd.
04:17Biden's lapses are said to be increasingly common and worrisome.
04:21Here's what they wrote.
04:23People who have spent time with President Biden over the last few months or so said
04:26the lapses appear to have grown more frequent, more pronounced.
04:30And after Thursday, Thursday's debate more worrisome.
04:33By many accounts, as evidenced by video footage, observation and interviews, Mr. Biden is not
04:39the same today as he was even when he took office three and a half years ago.
04:44Similar reporting in The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
04:48Are you the same man today that you were when you took office three and a half years ago?
04:52In terms of successes, yes.
04:54I also was the guy who put together a peace plan for the Middle East that may become into
04:59fruition.
05:00I was also the guy that expanded NATO.
05:02I was also the guy that grew the economy.
05:04All the individual things that were done were ideas I had or I fulfilled.
05:09I moved on.
05:10And so, for example, you know, well, that was true then.
05:14What's Biden done lately?
05:15It's just today, just announced 200,000 new jobs.
05:20We're moving in a direction that no one's ever taken on.
05:23I know you know this from the days in the government.
05:27I took on Big Pharma.
05:28I beat them.
05:29No one said I could beat them.
05:31I took on all the things we said we got done or told we couldn't get done.
05:36Part of it is what I said when I ran was I want to do three things.
05:40Restore some decency to the office.
05:43Restore some support for the middle class instead of trickle-down economics, go from
05:47the middle out and the bottom up, the way the wealthy still do fine, everyone does better.
05:51And unite the country.
05:52But what has all that work over the last three and a half years cost you physically, mentally,
05:58emotionally?
06:00Well, I just think it cost me a really bad night, a bad run.
06:08But you know, George, I'm optimistic about this country.
06:15I don't think we're a country of losers, as he points out.
06:18I don't think America's in tough shape.
06:20I think America's on the cusp of breaking through on so many incredible opportunities.
06:25This next term, I'm going to make sure we straighten out the tax system.
06:29I'm going to make sure we're in a situation where we have health care for all people.
06:33We're in a position where we have child care and elder care, free up and all these things.
06:40One thing I'm proudest of, as you remember, when my economic plan was put forward, a lot
06:45of the mainstream economists said it's not going to work.
06:48Guess what?
06:49You now have 16 Nobel laureates, 16 of them in economics, saying that Biden's next term
06:56would be, based on what he wants to do, enormous success.
07:00Trump's plan would cause a recession, would significantly increase inflation.
07:05I've made great progress, and that's what I plan on doing, and we can do this.
07:08I understand that, and I'm not disputing that.
07:12What I'm asking you is about your personal situation.
07:15Do you dispute that there have been more lapses, especially in the last several months?
07:21Can I run the 110th flat?
07:23No.
07:24I'm still in good shape.
07:26Are you more frail?
07:27No.
07:28Come keep my schedule.
07:29I know you spoke with your doctor after the debate.
07:35What did he say?
07:37He said, he just looked at me and said, you're exhausted.
07:43I have medical doctors traveling everywhere every president does, as you know.
07:48Medical doctors from the best in the world traveling everywhere I go.
07:51I have an ongoing assessment of what I'm doing.
07:56They don't hesitate to tell me if they think there's something wrong.
07:59I know you said you have an ongoing assessment.
08:01Have you had a full neurological and cognitive evaluation?
08:05I get a full neurological test every day with me, and I've had a full physical.
08:12I had, you know, I mean, I've been at Walter Reed for my physicals.
08:17I mean, yes.
08:20I know your doctor said he consulted with a neurologist.
08:22I guess I'm asking a slightly different question.
08:25Have you had the specific cognitive tests and have you had a neurologist, a specialist
08:30do an examination?
08:31No, no one said I had to.
08:33No one said they said I'm good.
08:36Would you be willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation that included neurological
08:40and cognitive tests and release the results to the American people?
08:44Look, I have a cognitive test every single day.
08:49Every day I have that test.
08:51Everything I do.
08:52You know, not only am I campaigning, but I'm running the world.
08:56And that's not how it sounds like hyperbole, but we are the central nation in the world.
09:01I don't know if that was right.
09:03And every single day, for example, today, before I come out here, I'm on the phone with
09:06the with Prime Minister of, I shouldn't get into the detail, but with Netanyahu.
09:13I'm on the phone with the new prime minister of England.
09:16I'm working on what we're doing with regard to in Europe, with regard to expansion of
09:21NATO and whether it's going to stick.
09:23I'm taking on Putin.
09:24I mean, every day.
09:26There's no day I go through there, not those decisions I have to make every single day.
09:31And you have been doing that in the American people have been watching, yet their concerns
09:34about your age and your health are growing.
09:38So that's why I'm asking to reassure them.
09:40Would you be willing to have the independent medical evaluation?
09:44Watch me.
09:45I've got a lot of time left in this campaign.
09:48So over 125 days.
09:50So the answer to this issue, the right answer right now is no, you don't want to do that
09:54right now.
09:55I've already done it.
09:57You talked a lot about your successes in the beginning of this interview, and I don't want
10:01to dispute that.
10:02I don't want to debate that.
10:03But as you know, elections are about the future, not the past.
10:07They're about tomorrow, not yesterday.
10:10And the question on so many people's minds right now is, can you serve effectively for
10:14the next four years?
10:16George, I'm the guy that put NATO together, the future.
10:20No one thought I could expand it.
10:22I'm the guy that shoved Putin down.
10:24No one thought could happen.
10:25I'm the guy that put together the South Pacific initiative with AUKUS.
10:31I'm the guy that got 50 nations, not only in Europe, outside of Europe as well, to help
10:37Ukraine.
10:38I'm the guy that got Japanese to expand their budget.
10:42So, I mean, for example, when I decided we used to have 40% of the computer chip, we
10:49invented the chip, the little chip for the computer chip.
10:51It's in everything from cell phone to weapons.
10:55And so we used to have 40%, and we're down to virtually nothing.
10:58So I get in the plane to get the advice of everybody, and I fly to South Korea.
11:02I convinced them to invest in the United States billions of dollars.
11:06Now we have tens of billions of dollars being invested in the United States, making us back
11:11in a position where we're going to own that industry again.
11:14We have, I mean, I just, anyway, I don't want to take too much credit.
11:22I have great staff.
11:23But all that, I guess my point is, all that takes a toll.
11:26Do you have the mental and physical capacity to do it for another four years?
11:31I believe so.
11:32I wouldn't be running if I didn't think I did.
11:34Look, I'm running again because I think I understand best what has to be done to take
11:43this nation to a completely new level.
11:46We're on our way.
11:47We're on our way.
11:49And look, the decision recently made by the Supreme Court on immunity, you know, the next
11:55president of the United States, it's not just about whether he or she knows what they're
11:59doing.
12:00It's not about a conglomerate of people making decisions.
12:05It's about the character of the president.
12:08The character of the president is going to determine whether or not this constitution
12:12is employed the right way.
12:16And we should note that ABC News offered Donald Trump the same opportunity for a one-on-one
12:20interview, and he declined.
12:23We'll have more of George Stephanopoulos' exclusive interview with President Biden in
12:27just 60 seconds.
12:28Stay with us.
12:30We'll be right back.
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13:42Welcome back.
13:43Let's return now to ABC's George Stephanopoulos' exclusive interview with President Joe Biden.
13:49Let me ask you a tougher, more personal question.
13:52Are you sure you're being honest with yourself when you say you have the mental and physical
13:57capacity to serve another four years?
14:00Yes, I am.
14:01Because, George, the last thing I want to do is not be able to meet that.
14:06I think, as some of the senior economists and senior foreign policy specialists say,
14:13if I stop now, I go down in history as a pretty successful president.
14:18No one thought I could get done what we got done.
14:21But are you being honest with yourself as well about your ability to defeat Donald Trump
14:26right now?
14:27Yes.
14:28Yes, yes, yes.
14:30You say that, and let me challenge you.
14:33Because you were close, but behind going into the debate.
14:36You're further behind now, by any measure.
14:39It's been a two-man race for several months.
14:42Inflation has come down.
14:44In those last few months, he's become a convicted felon.
14:47Yet you're still falling further behind.
14:50You guys keep saying that.
14:51George, look, you know polling better than anybody.
14:54Do you think polling data is accurate as it used to be?
14:56I don't think so.
14:57But I think when you look at all the polling data right now, it shows that he's certainly
15:02ahead in the popular vote, probably even more ahead in the battleground states.
15:07And one of the other key factors there is it shows that in many of the battleground
15:12states, the Democrats who are running for Senate in the House are doing better than
15:16you are.
15:18That's not unusual in some states.
15:20I carried an awful lot of Democrats the last time I ran in 2020.
15:24Look, I remember them telling me the same thing in 2020.
15:27I can't win.
15:28The polls show I can't win.
15:30Remember 2020, the red wave was coming.
15:34Before the vote, I said that's not going to happen.
15:37We're going to win.
15:38We did better in an off year than almost any incumbent president ever has done.
15:42They said in 2023, all the tough races, we're not going to win.
15:46I went into all those areas, all those districts.
15:49And we won.
15:51All that is true.
15:52But 2020 was a close race.
15:54And your approval rating has dropped significantly since then.
15:56I think the last poll I saw was about 36 percent.
15:59The number of Americans who think you're too old to serve has doubled since 2020.
16:04Wouldn't a clear-eyed political calculus tell you that it's going to be much tougher
16:08to win in 2024?
16:10Not when you're running against a pathological liar.
16:13Not when he hasn't been challenged in a way that he's about to be challenged.
16:18You've had months to challenge him.
16:20Oh, sure, I had months.
16:21But I was also doing a hell of a lot of other things, like wars around the world.
16:25Like keeping NATO together.
16:27Like working.
16:28Anyway.
16:29But look.
16:30Do you really believe you're not behind right now?
16:32I think all the pollsters I talk to tell me it's a toss-up.
16:36It's a toss-up.
16:38And when I'm behind, there's only one poll I'm really far behind.
16:42CBS poll and NBC.
16:45I mean, excuse me.
16:47New York Times and NBC both have you about six points behind in the popular vote.
16:52That's exactly right.
16:53New York Times had me behind before anything had anything to do with this race.
16:58Had me behind ten points.
17:00Ten points had me behind.
17:02Nothing's changed substantially since the New York Times poll.
17:06When you look at the reality, though, Mr. President, I mean, you won the popular vote.
17:12In 2020.
17:13But it was still deadly close in the electoral college.
17:15By seven million votes.
17:16Yes.
17:17But you're behind now in the popular vote.
17:20I don't buy that.
17:22Is it worth the risk?
17:25I don't think anybody's more qualified to be president or win this race than me.
17:30You know, the heart of your case against Donald Trump is that he's only out for himself.
17:35Putting his personal interests ahead of the national interests.
17:38How do you respond to critics who say that by staying in the race, you're doing the same thing?
17:43Oh, come on.
17:46I don't think those critics know what they're talking about.
17:49They're just wrong.
17:50It's wrong.
17:51Look, Trump is a pathological liar.
17:55Trump is he is.
18:00Have you ever seen anything Trump did that benefited somebody else, not him?
18:05You can't answer.
18:06I know.
18:07I've questioned him and his allies as persistently as any journalist.
18:10Oh, I know you have.
18:11I'm not being critical.
18:12I'm not being critical.
18:14But look, I mean.
18:19The man is a congenital liar.
18:23As I said, they pointed out in that debate, he lied 27, 28 times the times or whatever number over 20 times.
18:30Talk about how good his economy was, how he brought down inflation.
18:35This is a guy who, unlike only other presidents other than him, is Hoover, lost more jobs than he created.
18:41This is a guy who told us to put bleach in our arms to deal with COVID when a million over a million people died.
18:47This is a guy who talks about wanting to get rid of the health care provision we put in place.
18:52This is a guy who wants to give the power back to big pharma to be able to charge exorbitant prices for drugs.
18:59This is a guy who wants to undo every single thing I've done.
19:03Every single thing.
19:04I understand that.
19:05I understand that's why you want to stay in the race.
19:07But have you convinced yourself that only you can defeat him?
19:10I convinced myself of two things.
19:12I'm the most qualified person to beat him.
19:15I know how to get things done.
19:17If you can be convinced that you cannot defeat Donald Trump, will you stand down?
19:25It depends on if the Lord Almighty comes out and tells me that I might do that.
19:29Well, I mean, on a more practical level, Washington Post just reported in the last hour
19:34that Senator Mark Warner is assembling a group of senators together to try to convince you to stand down
19:39because they don't think you can win.
19:41Well, Mark is a good man.
19:43We've never had that.
19:45He also tried to get the nomination, too.
19:47Mark's not.
19:49Mark and I have a different perspective.
19:51I respect him.
19:53And if Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi come down and say,
19:58we're worried that if you stay in the race, we're going to lose the House and the Senate,
20:02how will you respond?
20:04I go into detail with them.
20:06I've spoken to all of them in detail, including Jim Clyburn, every one of them.
20:11They all said I should stay in the race.
20:13Stay in the race.
20:15No one said, none of the people said I should leave the race.
20:17But if they do?
20:19Well, it's like, we're not going to do that.
20:23You sure?
20:24Yeah, I'm sure.
20:26Look, I mean, if the Lord Almighty came out and said, Joe, get out of the race,
20:30I'd get out of the race.
20:31The Lord Almighty's not coming down.
20:33I mean, these hypotheticals, George, if, I mean, if all-
20:37But it's not that hypothetical anymore.
20:40I grant that they have not requested the meeting, but it's been reported-
20:44I've met with them.
20:46I've met with a lot of these people.
20:48I've talked with them regularly.
20:50I had an hour conversation with Hakeem.
20:53I had more time than that with Jim Clyburn.
20:56I spent time with many hours off and on the last little bit with Chuck Schumer.
21:02It's not like I had all the governors, all the governors.
21:06I agree that the Lord Almighty's not going to come down.
21:08But if you are told reliably from your allies, from your friends and supporters
21:15in the Democratic Party, in the House and the Senate, that they're concerned
21:19you're going to lose the House and the Senate if you stay in, what will you do?
21:23I'm not going to answer that question.
21:25It's not going to happen.
21:28What's your plan to turn the campaign around?
21:31You saw it today.
21:34How many people did you draw crowds like I did today?
21:38Do you find me more enthusiastic than today?
21:41I don't think you want to play the crowd game.
21:44Donald Trump can draw big crowds.
21:46There's no question about that.
21:47He can draw a big crowd, but what does he say?
21:49Who does he have?
21:51I'm the guy supposedly in trouble.
21:53We raised $38 million within four days after this.
21:57We have over a million individual contributors.
22:01Individual contributors.
22:03That's less than $200.
22:05I mean, I've not seen what you're proposing.
22:12You haven't seen the fall off in the polls?
22:16You haven't seen the reports of discontent in the Democratic Party,
22:19House Democrats, Senate Democrats?
22:21I've seen it from the press.
22:25So much to analyze, and so for more insight on this interview,
22:29we're joined now by contributing political correspondent Rachel Bade,
22:32who's also author of the Politico playbook.
22:35Rachel, thanks for joining us.
22:36I would be here.
22:37I know that every source you have in Washington is going through the tea leaves
22:40and looking at it.
22:41Is there anything you or they saw tonight that is moving the needle on this?
22:46And is even a perfect performance going to move the needle?
22:49Yeah, I was hearing even before this interview aired that a perfect performance
22:53would sort of just prolong the inevitable right now,
22:56that Biden from the debate is so damaged that people will not forget
23:01what happened last Thursday, even if he has the best interview possible here.
23:06And because of that sort of line of thinking,
23:09I would say that what we saw tonight is actually one of the worst possible scenarios for Democrats.
23:14He didn't do so bad that it's obvious and a whole bunch of Democrats are going to come out,
23:18go on record and say it's time for you to step aside.
23:20But he didn't do so amazingly that people are going to forget this.
23:24And so they're in this sort of limbo scenario.
23:27So, I mean, look, it wasn't as bad as last Thursday, but certainly not great.
23:31And that means more Democrats will still have concern.
23:33And you know that on Capitol Hill, we're hearing about what Senator Warner is doing.
23:38We're hearing that Hakeem Jeffries is meeting with people.
23:40What do you think will come out of these meetings? What are you hearing?
23:43Yeah, so I think next week is going to be a crazy week, Juju.
23:47I mean, the lawmakers have been out for, what, a week now for congressional recess.
23:51This means they could avoid the press. They can avoid the cameras and not have to weigh in.
23:55But at some point, they're not going to be able to hide anymore.
23:59And a lot of people have been talking on background.
24:01They've been talking off the record, and they've been very blunt,
24:04thinking that the Biden campaign, the presidency, his presidency, his presidential campaign is essentially dead.
24:10And so we're going to see, I think, a lot more lawmakers come out.
24:13I think Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, they're hearing from a lot of concerned members.
24:18And these aren't just random members here.
24:20I mean, Mark Warner, the chair of the Intelligence Committee, he helps Joe Biden get his agenda through Congress.
24:26He has a lot of respect.
24:27And this is friendly fire. This is a lot going on.
24:30Rachel Bade, thank you so much for your insights, as always.
24:32Of course.
24:33Now let's bring in our ABC senior White House correspondent, Selena Wang.
24:36Selena, some people were calling this interview a televised cognitive test.
24:41How did the president score?
24:44Well, look, this certainly did not quell the panic within the Democratic Party.
24:48In fact, it may have increased the schisms here.
24:50Now you have the camp of those who think that the president was just fine, that this is how President Biden normally is.
24:56And then the other camp who believe that this really underscores the challenges of his candidacy,
25:01that he didn't do enough to turn this around.
25:03I've been speaking with some donors and allies here who say that this didn't really change the status quo.
25:08Yes, it was far better than he did on that disastrous debate.
25:11But he didn't do enough to stem the damage here.
25:14And you, of course, have lawmakers, donors and allies who are really waiting out on the sidelines,
25:19watching to see how he does in these rallies, in this critical interview,
25:23to decide if they want to continue supporting the president
25:26or if they want to join the growing chorus of those who are publicly calling him to step aside.
25:31And how united is the support inside the White House?
25:34What are you hearing from your sources about how the president's interview went tonight?
25:39Yeah, I was just talking to the White House and they're calling this a solid interview.
25:44They believe that we need to focus less on the president's delivery and what he says and what he's done.
25:49The president, of course, has said so himself,
25:51that 90 minutes shouldn't erase all the work that he's done in the last three and a half years.
25:55They tout that he spoke about all the jobs that he's created,
25:58the work he's done around chips, on uniting NATO, on pushing back Putin in Ukraine.
26:02So in their view, this is just Joe Biden being Joe Biden.
26:06He was solid. He was never a spectacular speaker to begin with.
26:09And you certainly didn't get that today either.
26:11And one of Biden's biggest surrogates, California Governor Gavin Newsom,
26:15is out campaigning for the president today, calling this an important weekend, saying none of us are naive.
26:21What are Biden and his advisors looking for to determine whether the campaign can recover from all this?
26:29Yeah, Juju, I mean, look, polling is one thing and the numbers have been getting worse.
26:33You have both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times polling showing that Trump is widening his lead over Biden's now at least 6%, 6-point lead.
26:42This is the spread and it is growing.
26:44But of course, for the inner circle of the advisors to the president,
26:48they are still strongly standing behind him.
26:50They still believe that he is the best chance for the party to defeat Donald Trump.
26:55In other parts of the White House administration and other donors and ally circles,
26:59however, they believe that this inner circle is too tightly around this president
27:03and that they aren't hearing all of the criticism from the outside and that they're being too dismissive of it.
27:08But really, Juju, like you said, this is really a make or break it moment for the president.
27:13And he needs to continue to perform in these coming days, as I've been hearing from allies.
27:17It's not just one OK interview, one good rally.
27:21It's a successive string of days where the president needs to show that he has the stamina and mental acuity.
27:27Selena Wang, on another busy summer weekend, thanks for your reporting and insights as always.
27:33And thank you for joining us for this ABC News exclusive interview with President Biden.
27:38ABC News Live is here for you all night with the latest news, context and analysis of the president's interview with our own George Stephanopoulos.
27:46Of course, coverage continues straight ahead here on ABC News Live, so be sure to stay with us.
27:52We'll be back.