Joe Biden vowed on Friday to stay in the race for the White House and blamed “feeling bad” due to a cold for his disappointing debate performance, as he sought to save his reelection campaign with a make-or-break TV interview.
A revolt is brewing among some nervous Democratic voters, lawmakers and donors, with the meeting with the ABC network being described as the most important of the 81-year-old’s long career.
In an excerpt from his first TV interview since the debate with Donald Trump, the president said, “I was sick, I felt terrible … we were trying to figure out what was wrong.”
“They did a test to see if I had any infection, you know, any virus. I didn’t have any infection. I just had a really bad cold.”
Biden sounded hoarse in the clip and gave rambling answers that were unlikely to reassure Democrats.
The Trump campaign responded with a quick joke, posting on Twitter that “Biden looks great!”
The meeting – which was to be broadcast in full on Friday – comes after Biden’s debate in Atlanta sparked an outcry within his party and led to calls for him to drop out of the race.
The Biden campaign has strenuously pushed back against any suggestion that he might step aside, and just hours before the ABC interview, released an aggressive schedule of campaign travel for the rest of July.
The president delivered a fiery speech at a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin, in which he categorically declared, “I will stay in the race. I will defeat Donald Trump.”
Amidst the cheering of his supporters, he attacked his opponent.
– Polls lean toward Trump –
“Let’s focus on what really matters,” Biden said, reading from a teleprompter. “We’re running against the biggest liar in American history and the greatest threat to our democracy — that’s not hyperbole.”
Post-debate polls have shown Trump’s deficit widening, and at least three Democrats in Congress have called on Biden to step down, as have several major newspapers and pro-Democratic political commentators.
Wealthy Disney heiress and Democratic supporter Abigail Disney told CNBC she plans to hold off on donations to the party until Biden steps down, stating bluntly that “the Democrats will lose in November if Biden doesn’t step down.”
“It’s realism, not disrespect,” he said.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner has approached fellow Democrats on Monday to hold talks on Biden’s path forward, several US media outlets reported.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was holding his own with senior Democrats on a video call on Sunday, according to NBC News.
Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of the most influential Democratic voices, has found it “essential” to give more and more lengthy interviews to prove herself.
The White House has announced that it will hold a press conference during the NATO summit in Washington next Thursday, but has given no details about its format or duration.
Biden’s travel plans include Pennsylvania this weekend, followed by a NATO meeting, and a return to campaigning in the southwestern U.S. region.
His team said the president “will participate in informal moments several times this month, as he has done throughout the campaign,” to emphasize his popular appeal.
Trump meanwhile challenged Biden to another debate, or “a full-blown discussion”, saying he is ready “any time, any place, any time”.
Amid speculation about a possible change in the Democratic ticket, the country’s first female Vice President, Kamala Harris, has suddenly come into the limelight.
The 59-year-old former prosecutor has publicly offered his unwavering support to Biden, but he’s standing by her as a leading replacement if he steps aside.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
