Biden’s New Interview

To put it bluntly, President Biden's post-debate interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos did not significantly alter perceptions of his candidacy. Voter concerns about his age and mental acuity remain, as the interview failed to address these issues fully and for Biden to offer a new defense regarding all the issues that his core supporters are totally worried and concerned on. Stephanopoulos asked direct questions about Biden's ability to meet the demanding responsibilities of the presidency. Biden did not accept the challenge to undergo a physical and cognitive assessment by independent specialists, nor did he show any intention of quitting the race. Instead, he defended his presidency by citing his accomplishments and dismissed concerns about his debate performance by calling it a "bad night."

Despite Biden's apparent disconnect from the legitimate concerns of Democrats following his weak debate performance and Trump's rising poll numbers, he still believes he is the best candidate to defeat Trump. He did score some points by calling Trump a “congenital liar” despite Trump’s strong performance during the debate night even though the hosts failed to fact check him in real time. The standout of the night was George Stephanopoulos, who pressed Biden on various sensitive issues, including his age, mental state, and waning support from the Democratic base. The ABC host assured viewers that the interview was unedited to maintain its raw authenticity, addressing concerns about selective editing to minimize potential gaffes from Biden. Although Biden answered the questions calmly and composedly, the fundamental issue remains unresolved: will he convince his Democratic critics to reconsider their stance on his campaign? And will the new poll numbers that will come out weeks from now reflects a more stronger numbers for the Biden campaign, numbers that are needed to defeat Trump in November? It seems, everything remained to be seen.