Biden Did Not Save His Presidency on ABC
An uneven interview with George Stephanapoulos was too little, too late—and maybe a bit too churlish.
President Joe Biden speaks with George Stephanopoulos on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. The president sat down with Stephanopoulos while on the campaign trail, a few days after a debate with former president Donald Trump.
(ABC via Getty Images)
I tried not to see meaning that an episode of Jeopardy! came on before President Joe Biden’s half-hour interview Friday night with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and that it was followed by Wheel of Fortune.
Whatever. Biden was in jeopardy, and there was no way for him to win this wheel of fortune. He’s been trying, and failing, to clean up the mess ever since after he blew his debate with convicted felon Donald Trump nine days ago. On Thursday he’d made some minor flubs with sympathetic Black radio interviewers telling one that he was proud to have been “the first Black woman to serve with a Black president.”
You know what he meant: He served as vice president to the first Black president, Barack Obama, and he picked as his partner the first Black, South Asian, female vice president, Kamala Harris. But he has delivered that line many times, more clearly, and with more elan.
Stephanopoulos, you’ll recall, was a Bill Clinton operative 30-some years ago. He’s mostly proven himself a fair and nonpartisan journalist, but of course some on the right thought he’d go easy. He was probably one of the friendliest mainstream interlocutors Biden could have picked.
And yet, it didn’t go very well for Biden. It wasn’t awful, like most of last week’s debate. But it wasn’t good, which Biden needed it to be. Stephanopoulous could have perhaps made it better. He never established any kind of rapport with Biden, which I think is one hallmark of a good interview, even if it goes bad. But his approach was defensible, especially given that he had only 30 minutes.
Stephanopoulous started with the facts. “You’ve said you had a bad night,” Stephanopolous began. “Was this a bad episode, or a sign of a more serious condition?” (That is essentially how Nancy Pelosi has framed the question, for what it’s worth.)
“It was a bad episode. No indication of a serious condition,” Biden insisted, as he has before.
Stephanopolous persisted: “You know, you say you were exhausted [by two trips to Europe]. But you came home from Europe about 11 or 12 days before the debate, spent six days in Camp David. Why wasn’t that enough rest time, enough recovery time?”
Popular
“swipe left below to view more authors”Swipe →“Because I was sick,” Biden answered. He took a Covid test. “I just had a really bad cold.”
Stephanopolous asked: “Did you watch the debate afterwards?”
“I don’t think I did, no,” Biden answered. (He doesn’t think he did?)
“Did you know how badly it was going?… It seemed like you were having trouble from the first question in…”
“No, I just had a bad night…. You’ve had some bad interviews once in a while…”
That’s how it went. There was essentially nothing else. It was tedious.
Stephanopoulous sometimes came at Biden a bit harder. He quoted The New York Times saying, “Biden’s lapses are said to be increasingly common and worrisome.”
“I was also the guy that expanded NATO. I was also the guy that grew the economy.…. I took on Big Pharma. I beat them,” Biden replied. (He took them on; he hasn’t quite beaten them, but he’s got them on their heels. Which is why he, or his vice president, deserves another term.)
“And if Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi come down and say, ‘We’re worried that if you stay in the race, we’re gonna lose the House and the Senate,’ how will you respond?” “They all said I should stay in the race,” Biden retorted. (That’s not precisely true.)
“You haven’t seen the reports of discontent in the Democratic Party, House Democrats, Senate Democrats?” the host went on. “They love you, and they will be forever grateful to you for defeating Donald Trump in 2020.” But “they don’t think you can win. They want you to go with grace…”
Biden continued his protest. And maybe he’s right.
But I thought it might be classy to mention Vice President Harris, who would succeed him, even if he continues on, in case of any emergency. A lot of the freakout over replacing Biden has come down to people’s discomfort with a Black, South Indian woman they don’t think can win, if she had to run this year, as his replacement.
Yet Harris has grown into a new role, post the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision striking down abortion rights, but also post… just people getting out of her way. (I have a major profile of her coming soon.) She’s Biden’s insurance policy, should his… condition? debate night jitters?… worsen.
So I thought it was odd that Biden didn’t even mention his VP. But then again, he didn’t seem at all on his game.
“And if you stay in and Trump is elected, and everything you’re warning about comes to pass, how will you feel in January?” Stephanopoulos asked Biden.
“I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did as good a job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about,” Biden responded.
No, Mr. President, that’s how you get a fourth-grade participation trophy.
If Trump wins, you will go down in history as the worst sort of loser: a vain denialist, who couldn’t read polling numbers and couldn’t hear his trusted extended circle and only listened to the encrusted folks who’ve been with him almost 50 years.
I’m very sad. I voted for him, and I will again if that’s my choice. He’s been the best president of my lifetime. But he doesn’t seem to understand what he’s up against. Nothing about this interview helped.
Support independent journalism that exposes oligarchs and profiteers
Donald Trump’s cruel and chaotic second term is just getting started. In his first month back in office, Trump and his lackey Elon Musk (or is it the other way around?) have proven that nothing is safe from sacrifice at the altar of unchecked power and riches.
Only robust independent journalism can cut through the noise and offer clear-eyed reporting and analysis based on principle and conscience. That’s what The Nation has done for 160 years and that’s what we’re doing now.
Our independent journalism doesn’t allow injustice to go unnoticed or unchallenged—nor will we abandon hope for a better world. Our writers, editors, and fact-checkers are working relentlessly to keep you informed and empowered when so much of the media fails to do so out of credulity, fear, or fealty.
The Nation has seen unprecedented times before. We draw strength and guidance from our history of principled progressive journalism in times of crisis, and we are committed to continuing this legacy today.
We’re aiming to raise $25,000 during our Spring Fundraising Campaign to ensure that we have the resources to expose the oligarchs and profiteers attempting to loot our republic. Stand for bold independent journalism and donate to support The Nation today.
Onward,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation
More from The Nation
Democratic Donors Packed the House for an “Actual Billionaire” Democratic Donors Packed the House for an “Actual Billionaire”
J.B. Pritzker's appearance at the Center for American Progress met with a resounding reception. But is his elevation to the national stage the way to reach working people?
Trump’s War on Public Lands Moves to its Second Phase Trump’s War on Public Lands Moves to its Second Phase
The Great Firing continues—and the next round of layoffs will reveal how much power over public lands the Trump administration will cede to corporations.
Trump’s Mob-Boss Offer to Us Jews: Accept “Protection”—or Else Trump’s Mob-Boss Offer to Us Jews: Accept “Protection”—or Else
Under the guise of “fighting antisemitism,” Trump is shredding our rights and telling us we are safe.
Protest Tesla Protest Tesla
Street action at Tesla, Route 22, Springfield, NJ, March 1, 2025.
Trump Is Trying to Create His Own Personal Legal Strike Force Trump Is Trying to Create His Own Personal Legal Strike Force
With his speech at the DOJ, Trump officially declared his intention to reshape the legal system according to his whims and will.
How the American Left Became Conservative How the American Left Became Conservative
Against the radical, if reactionary, experiment run from the White House, everyone from Democratic leaders in Congress to MSNBC hosts have turned to the defense of institutions.
