A week after his subpar debate performance in Atlanta on June 27 against Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden said only 'Lord Almighty' can drive him out of presidential race and no one is more qualified to be president.
Dismissed his poor performance as a "bad episode", he told ABC News, “If the Lord Almighty came down and said 'Joe, get out of the race,' I'd get out of the race. The lord Almighty's not coming down.”
He was speaking in the first TV interview after the disastrous debate. Though some of his own party leaders urged him to step down amid dropping approval ratings, Biden claimed that none of the major Democrats have asked him to drop out.
Claiming he was "exhausted" and "sick" during the debate with Trump, Biden said, "It was a bad episode. No indication of any serious condition... I didn't listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and -- and a bad night.”
The President tried to dodge question on mental fitness and cognitive test. When asked if he is willing to undergo an independent cognitive evaluation and release the results to the American people, Biden said, “Look, I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I've had tests. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, I'm running the world."
He blamed himself for the Atlanta debate setback, saying, "The whole way I prepared, nobody's fault but mine. I prepared what I usually would do sitting down as I did come back with foreign leaders or the National Security Council for explicit detail.
When asked if he disputes having more lapses in the last seven months, Biden said, "Can I run the 100 in 10 flat? No. But I'm still in good shape.”
Pointing out that earlier surveys showed he couldn't win in 2020, he dismissed the polls that indicated that his approval ratings are plunging.
Earlier during a rally in Wisconsin, Biden said he will win the election again. "We had a little debate last week. Can't say it was my best performance. But ever since then, there's been a lot of speculation. What's Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out? What's he going to do?”
Talking to his cheering supporters, the president said, “Well, here's my answer. I am running and going to win again... I'm staying in the race. I'll beat Donald Trump. I beat him in 2020. And by the way, we're going to do it again in 2024."
