President Joe Biden’s make-or-break interview with ABC News on Friday night did little to convince alarmed Democrats that he is capable of winning the election and serving another four years in the White House. But among the more jarring moments in the interview was when Biden framed his insistence on running in this critically important election — and his potential defeat — as a personal endeavor.
“And if you stay in and Trump is elected, and everything you’re warning about comes to pass, how will you feel in January?” asked ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos.
“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 said.
To hear Biden say the election is about putting his best foot forward is striking, given the stakes as Democrats themselves have described them. And the growing public discontent within his own party suggests that not all Democrats believe they are giving this election their all with Biden as the nominee.
Biden also demonstrated an unwillingness to address real concerns about his fitness for office, dismissing his flagging poll numbers and a belief among some Democrats and donors that he cannot beat Trump.
Instead of reassuring Democrats, the interview may accelerate the revolt against his nomination. After it aired, two more House Democrats, Reps. Mike Quigley and Angie Craig, joined the calls for Biden to step aside.
An anonymous House Democrat told NBC News: “It made me sad. Completely out of touch with reality and insulated from truth. I’ll be breaking my silence soon.”