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President Joe Biden on Friday was unmoved by the growing number of members of Congress and megadonors who have called on him to drop out. He said only a higher power could cause him to change course.
"If the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me that, I might do that," Biden told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos when asked if he would step aside if he was no longer the best Democrat to beat former President Donald Trump.
Biden flashed his trademark stubbornness during his 22-minute interview with Stephanopoulos. The interview was designed to calm jittery Democrats, some of whom have pushed for Biden to step aside after his disastrous debate last week.
The president is known for invoking the phrase, "Judge me by the alternative, not the almighty," regarding how commentators should view his candidacy. But on Friday, Biden further suggested that only divine intervention could lead to him stepping aside.
"Look, I'm mean if the Lord Almighty came down and said, 'Joe get out of the race,' I would get out of the race," Biden said at another point. "The Lord Almighty is not coming down."
At that point, Stephanopoulos was trying to ask Biden how the president would respond if either Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer or House Minority Leader Hakeem called on the president to drop out. Biden was clear that he believed that would never happen and that the hypothetical was unwarranted.
"I agree that the Lord Almighty is not going to come down," Stephanopoulos said. "But if you are told reliably from your allies, from your friends and allies in the Democratic Party in the House and the Senate that they are concerned that you are going to lose the House and Senate if you stay in, what will you do?"
Biden faced with a much more earthly consideration, simply declined to consider the possibility.
"I'm not going to answer that question," he said. "It's not going to happen."
