US POLITICS
What did Biden say about critics who claim he has a health condition?
George Stephanopoulos asked President Biden several questions relating to his health. Here is how he responded during his first post-debate interview.
During President Biden’s first TV interview following his debate with Donald Trump in late June, he addressed his critics, including those claiming he has a medical condition that would inhibit him from doing the president’s job.
A defiant Biden spoke at a rally in Wisconsin on the same day of the interview and clarified that he would not be pushed out of the race, a message he echoed in his conversation with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.
When Biden was asked about any possible medical conditions, he denied that his doctors had given him any such news.
Denile and pivot was President Biden’s strategy when addressing his critics
“This seems to be a pattern of decline,” said Stephanopoulos, who added that various outlets had reported that his capacities had diminished over the three and a half years he has been in the White House. However, the question ended by asking the president if he was the “same man he was four years ago,” allowing Biden to pivot and speak to his accomplishments (or soon-to-be accomplishments) during his tenure.
But that pivot will quell the concerns of critics who care little about the achievements of the adminstration at this moment and instead are focused on whether, in his current state, he can beat Donald Trump in November and carry out another four-year term.
Stephanopoulos then asked a more direct question: “Would you dispute that there have been more lapses over the last few months?” to which the president replied, “Can I run the 110? No.” Not a denial, but not an admitted. The veteran interviewer then asked the president if he was “more frail,” and Biden responded, “No.” Throughout the interview, there was no point where he admitted to being in a worse state than he was during the 2020 election. However, those who remember his interviews from that campaign will remember a much more coherent Joe Biden. Take a look at this interview from ‘60 Minutes.’
While President Biden said his doctors chalked up his bad performance to exhaustion, critics will expect the president to continue speaking publicly and, when possible, show that he can do so without a teleprompter. The Biden campaign will also need to figure out innovative ways to get the president in front of the millions who saw him at his worst so that they begin to see him in a different and more capable light.