Biden admits to ABC that debate was ‘bad night,’ found Trump distracting at times | CBC News

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday said he did not need a cognitive test to determine whether he had a mental decline and dismissed calls from some Democrats that he should step aside to let a more vigorous candidate take on Republican Donald Trump.

A defiant Biden, scrambling to defuse the political crisis over his shaky debate performance, used a 22-minute ABC News interview to argue again that he had a bad night at the debate and that he was the right candidate to beat Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential race.

Under persistent questioning from ABC interviewer George Stephanopoulos, Biden dismissed polls that showed him trailing Trump and said other polls have him in a better position.

Asked if he had undergone a specific cognitive test for a neurological exam, Biden, 81, said he had not had one and “no one said I had to.”

In his last physical exam on Feb. 28 he was determined to be fit for duty but the president routinely makes verbal slipups. Some specialists on aging say he should have a cognitive test.

Asked if he would undergo a cognitive a test, he was dismissive, citing the rigours of the White House as sufficient.

“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I have that test — everything I do (is a test),” Biden said.

WATCH | Biden on his health: 

U.S. president insists on his state of good health

In an exclusive interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, U.S. President Joe Biden maintained he is ‘still in good shape,’ when asked about the number of recent mental lapses or whether he’s become more frail.

In his first interview since the debate, Biden said he was the best candidate to take on Trump and that only “Lord almighty” could oust him from the race.

Biden cited “a really bad cold” for his stumbling performance at the debate and exhaustion after two trips to Europe.

“I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of my preparing. It was a bad night,” he told George Stephanopoulos in the ABC interview.

A closely watched interview

The ABC interview was a departure from Biden’s heavy use of a teleprompter for his public remarks, and was being closely watched as a result.

Biden said he was distracted to some degree by the 78-year-old Trump talking when his microphone was shut off during the debate.

“I let it distract me. I realized that I just wasn’t in control.”

Biden’s rigorous efforts to course correct from his debate performance were not yet quelling internal party frustrations, with one influential Democratic senator working on a nascent push that would encourage the president to exit from the race and Democrats quietly chatting about where they would go next if the president drops out — or what it would mean if he stays in.

U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett told CNN after the interview, “Every day [Biden] delays makes it more difficult for a new person to come on board to defeat Donald Trump.”

Doggett had already called for Biden to step aside.

Biden traveled to Wisconsin, a political battleground state, to rally voters and sit for the interview.

At a rally in front of hundreds of supporters, he acknowledged his subpar debate performance, but insisted: “I am running, and I’m going to win again.”

‘I beat Donald Trump’

“I beat Donald Trump,” a forceful Biden said, as the crowd gathered in a local middle school cheered and waved campaign signs. “I will beat him again.”

In his speech, Biden tried to flip the questions swirling about his age, asking the crowd rhetorically whether he was “too old” to have passed gun legislation, created jobs and helped ease student loan debt — while suggesting he’d do more in a second presidential term.

The rally preceded the ABC interview.

While private angst among Democratic lawmakers, donors and strategists is running deep after Biden’s damaging debate performance, most in the party have held public fire as they wait to see if the president can restore confidence with his weekend travel schedule and his handling of the interview.

To that end, Sen. Mark Warner reached out to fellow senators throughout this week to discuss whether to ask Biden to exit the race, according to three people familiar with the effort who requested anonymity to talk about private conversations. The Virginia Democrat’s moves are notable given his role as chair of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee and his reputation as a lawmaker who has supported Biden and developed working relationships with colleagues in both parties. Warner’s effort was first reported by The Washington Post.

The strategy remains fluid. One of the people with knowledge of Warner’s effort said there are enough Senate Democrats concerned enough about Biden’s capacity to run for re-election to take some sort of action, although there was yet no consensus on what that plan would be.

Some of the Democratic senators could meet as soon as Monday on how to move forward.

The top Democrats on House committees are planning to meet virtually Sunday to discuss the situation, according to one of the anonymous sources with knowledge of Warner’s effort.

Meanwhile, at least four House Democrats have called for Biden to step down as the nominee, with Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois joining Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachussets, joining Doggett and Raúl Grijalva, Democrats from Texas and Arizona respectively, in seeking an alternative.

• With Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau both facing calls to step aside, Cross Country Checkup wants to know: When did you decide it was time to step down from a job or something important to you? Fill out this form and you could appear on the show or have your comment read on air this Sunday.

While not going that far, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a carefully worded statement Friday that Biden now has a decision to make on “the best way forward.”

“Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump,” Healey said. “Whatever President Biden decides, I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump.”

There were also a few signs of discontent at Biden’s campaign rally on Friday, with one supporter on stage waving a sign that read “Pass the torch Joe” as the president walked onto the stage. His motorcade was also greeted at the middle school by a few people urging him to move on.

But others were pleased. Rebecca Green, a 52-year-old environmental scientist from Madison, said she found Biden’s energy reassuring. “We were just waiting for him to come out strong and fighting again, the way we know he is,” she said. “I don’t know what was going on in the debate. It could never overshadow what he’s done.”

Many Democrat lawmakers split

Many Democratic lawmakers, who are hearing from constituents at home during the holiday week, are split on whether Biden should stay or go. Lawmakers have been deeply frustrated by his campaign’s response to the crisis. Privately, discussions among the House Democrats flared this week as word spread that some of them were drafting public letters suggesting the president should quit the race.

WATCH | Biden intent on staying in the race: 

Defiant Biden stays in the race: ‘No one’s pushing me out’

Despite mounting pressure to step down after a dismal debate performance, Joe Biden will ‘absolutely not’ abandon the U.S. presidential race, the White House has announced. Biden reportedly told staffers, ‘I am running…. No one’s pushing me out.’

Yet pushback from other House Democrats was fierce, and none of the letters from either Democrats in competitive re-election bids or those in easier races that were reportedly being discussed were ever made public. 

“Any ‘leader’ signing a letter calling for President Biden to drop out needs to get their priorities straight and stop undermining this incredible actual leader who has delivered real results for our country,” said Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Democrat from Florida, who is an influential member of the Congressional Black Caucus.