MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden, fighting to save his endangered reelection effort Friday, repeatedly rejected taking an independent medical evaluation that would show voters he’s up for serving another term in office, while blaming his disastrous debate performance on a “bad episode” and saying there were “no indications of any serious condition.”
“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day,” Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, referring to the tasks he faces daily in a rigorous job.
He insisted that he was not more frail and that he’s “still in good shape.” He said he has an “ongoing assessment” by his personal doctors and they “don’t hesitate to tell me” if something is wrong.
As for last week’s damaging debate in Atlanta, “I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing,” Biden said.
He also insisted he was the “most qualified” to lead Democrats against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
That 22-minute interview, paired with a weekend campaign in battleground Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, was part of Biden’s rigorous efforts to course correct from his debate performance.
But the president’s push was not yet quelling internal party frustrations, with one influential Democratic senator working on a nascent push that would encourage the president to exit the race and Democrats quietly chatting about where they would go next if the president drops out — or what it would mean if he stays in.
Still, in Wisconsin, Biden was focused on proving his capacity to remain as president. When asked whether he would halt his campaign, he said told reporters he was “completely ruling that out” and said he is “positive” he could serve for another four years.
At a rally in front of hundreds of supporters at a local middle school, he acknowledged his subpar debate performance but insisted: “I beat Donald Trump, and I will beat him again.”
In his speech, Biden tried to flip the questions swirling about his age, asking the crowd rhetorically whether he was “too old” to have passed gun legislation, created jobs and helped ease student loan debt — while suggesting he’d do more in a second presidential term.
The interview with ABC could be a watershed moment for Biden, who is under pressure to bow out of the campaign after his rocky debate performance against Trump ignited concern that the 81-year-old Democrat is not up for the job for another four years.
While private angst among Democratic lawmakers, donors and strategists is running deep, most in the party have held public fire as they wait to see if the president can restore some confidence with his handling of the Stephanopoulos interview.
To that end, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia reached out to fellow senators throughout the week to discuss whether to ask Biden to exit the race, according to three people familiar with the effort who requested anonymity to talk about private conversations.
One of the people with knowledge of Warner’s effort said there are enough Senate Democrats concerned enough about Biden’s capacity to run for reelection to take some sort of action, although there was yet no consensus on what that plan would be. Some of the Democratic senators could meet as soon as Monday on how to move forward.
Many Democratic lawmakers are split on whether Biden should stay or go, but there are signs that key groups are already staking out positions on who should succeed Biden as the Democratic nominee.
Glynda C. Carr, CEO of the Higher Heights for America PAC, which supports Black women candidates, said that Harris should lead the ticket if Biden steps down.
“To put it plainly, Vice President Harris shouldn’t appear on a list of potential replacements — Kamala Harris is the only successor,” Carr said.
