US President Joe Biden has stated that only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him to abandon his re-election bid, during a rare primetime interview aimed at easing Democratic concerns about his candidacy.
Speaking to ABC News on Friday, Mr. Biden also declined to take a cognitive test and make the results public to reassure voters of his fitness to serve another term.
“I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I have that test – everything I do [is a test],” he told George Stephanopoulos.
The 81-year-old once again resisted the notion, suggested by some Democratic officials and donors, that he should step aside for a younger candidate following his disastrous debate with Donald Trump last week.
During the interview, Mr. Stephanopoulos repeatedly questioned the president about his capacity to serve another term, asking if he was in denial about his health and ability to win.
“I don’t think anybody’s more qualified to be president or win this race than me,” Mr Biden said, blaming his poor performance last week on exhaustion and a “bad cold”. In the 22-minute interview, he also:
The president answered questions more clearly than he did during last week’s debate, though his voice still sounded weak and occasionally hoarse.
This contrasted sharply with his performance at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, where an energized Biden acknowledged his poor debate showing. “Ever since then, there’s been a lot of speculation. What’s Joe going to do?” he told the crowd.
“Here’s my answer. I am running and going to win again,” Biden declared, as supporters in the crucial battleground state cheered his name.
The interview and the rally come at a pivotal moment for his campaign, with donors and Democratic allies weighing whether to continue their support.
The campaign recognizes that the next few days could be crucial for his re-election bid, according to various US media reports, as Biden seeks to regain ground lost to his Republican rival Donald Trump following the debate.
As he took the stage at the rally, Biden passed one voter holding a sign reading “Pass the torch, Joe.” Another voter outside the venue held a sign that read “Save your legacy, drop out!”