by Misty Severi
Facing pressure from his own party to drop out, President Joe Biden defended his candidacy for the Democratic nomination on Friday night, in his first on-camera interview since his bad debate performance last week.
The president has been facing pressure to withdraw from the race since the debate stunned Democratic insiders. But Biden told reporters on Friday that he has “completely [ruled] out” dropping his bid, and that he was “confident” he could serve another four years in the White House, CBS News reported.
Biden touted his record with beating pharmaceutical companies, his efforts to handle the economy, and his foreign policy successes such as the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“I don’t think anybody’s more qualified to be president or win this race than me,” the president told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. “Who’s going to be able to hold NATO together like me? Who’s going to be able to be in a position where I’m able to keep the Pacific basin in a position where we’re at least check being in China now? Who’s going to – who’s going to do that? Who has that reach?”
Biden also defended his debate performance, claiming former President Donald Trump “distracted him” and he therefore did not have the control of the situation that he wanted.
“It came to me I was having a bad night when I realized that even when I was answering a question, even when they turned his mic off, he was still shouting,” Biden said during the interview. ” And I let it distract me. I’m not blaming it on that, but I realized that I just wasn’t in control.”
The president added that he does not “think” he watched the debate afterwards.
Biden also remarked that his performance was a “bad episode” rather than a broader indication on his capability of serving as the country’s leader.
“It was a bad episode. No indication of any serious condition,” Biden said in a clip of the interview that aired during “World News Tonight.” “I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and — and a bad night.”
Biden said his performance in the debate was his fault alone, but that he had a “bad cold” during the debate. He also noted that his medical team did a COVID-19 test and other tests to make sure it was not a virus, but they came back negative.
The president said he is constantly followed by doctors, who speak up when they believe that something is wrong. When pushed about further neurological exams, the president said he undergoes a “full neurological test every day.”
“I have medical doctors trailing me everywhere I go. I have an ongoing assessment of what I’m doing,” Biden said. “They don’t hesitate to tell me if something is wrong.”
When pressed on polling that indicates he is behind in the race, Biden said “I don’t buy that,” and said he believes the race is a “toss up.”
The president also declined to answer whether he would drop out if reliable people told him to, but said he would drop out if the “Lord Almighty” came down and told him to.
Stephanopoulos also questioned the president on how he would feel if he stays in and then loses to Trump in November.
“As long as I gave it my all and did as good a job as I know I could do, that’s what this is about,” Biden said.
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Misty Severi is a reporter for Just the News.
