President Biden did not calm his critics on Friday night following his interview with ABC News, fueling more calls for him to withdraw from the 2024 race and sparking fierce condemnation for refusing to commit to a cognitive exam.
"I wimped out in today's column and deleted a line saying he should formulate a plan to transition the presidency to Harris within 30-60 days, but I'm there now. Something is clearly wrong here," polling guru Nate Silver reacted to the Biden interview.
"The most generous way to put it is that he doesn't seem in command, and that's an extremely hard sell when you're Commander in Chief. I continue to think this number is low and Democrats will apply incredible amounts of pressure," Silver continued, pointing to the Polymarket stat showing a "57% chance" Biden drops out of the race.
ABC NEWS PANEL SAYS BIDEN INTERVIEW WON'T ‘CALM THE NERVES’ OF ‘JITTERY DEMOCRATS’
"The president is rightfully proud of his record. But he is dangerously out-of-touch with the concerns people have about his [capacities] moving forward and his standing in this race," former Obama adviser David Axelrod wrote on X. "Four years ago at this time, he was 10 points ahead of Trump. Today, he is six points behind."
"I deeply respect Joe Biden's lifetime of service to our country. But the argument [Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez] makes in this column is the right one. In this critical time, in this vital election, stepping aside is the right and honorable thing for President Biden to do," businessman and former Democratic LA mayoral candidate Rick Caruso wrote.
"'Not as bad as the debate' is like saying a movie wasn’t as bad as ‘Howard the Duck,’" National Review editor Phillip Klein quipped.
"That @ABC interview did not help. At all," CNN contributor S.E. Cupp said. "There’s no ‘A for effort.’ It’s beat Trump or step aside."
"Something scary this interview is making clear…As much as the folks around Biden hid the truth from us…Is how much they're hiding the truth from Biden," Ruthless podcast host Comfortably Smug wrote.
BIDEN PANNED FOR NOT BEING CERTAIN ABOUT WHETHER HE WATCHED THE DEBATE: ‘HE DOESN’T KNOW???'
Many called out Biden for repeatedly dodging questions from ABC's George Stephanopoulos about whether he would agree to take a neurological test and release its findings to the public.
Some, including Silver and Versus Media podcast host Stephen L. Miller, declared his refusal "disqualifying."
"Surprised no emphasis on fact that Biden flatly refuses to take cognitive test. Clearly afraid of the possible results. And that is enormously telling," former New York Times reporter Bill Carter reacted.
BIDEN REPEATEDLY DODGES ANSWERING WHETHER HE'D TAKE NEUROLOGICAL TEST: ‘NO ONE SAID I HAD TO’
"Why would Biden, if he’s fully up to snuff, not agree to undergo a neurological evaluation? What would be the downside there?" Insider reporter Bryan Metzger wondered.
"So in summary: Biden refused to say he’d take a cognitive test, refused to say he would consider stepping down if key allies asked him to, said the polls are fake news, and that he wouldn’t fret if he lost as long as he tried his best. This is all Trumpian bulls---. Just madness," The Atlantic contributing writer Tyler Austin Harper slammed the president.
Others concluded that the ABC interview was not the death knell to Biden's candidacy, while at the same time, it will give Democrats more heartburn as the campaign unfolds.
"That was the worst possible outcome: not anywhere near good enough to settle matters, but also not quite bad enough to be a slam-dunk that he has to go tomorrow," The New Republic editor Michael Tomasky said.
BIDEN TAKES BLAME FOR ‘BAD NIGHT’ IN DEBATE AGAINST TRUMP: ‘MY FAULT, NO ONE ELSE’S FAULT'
"George Stephanopoulos failed to euthanize Joe Biden tonight, but he probably inspired a lot of Democrats to force Schumer, Pelosi, Jeffries, etc. to push Biden to get out," conservative radio host Erick Erickson wrote.
"This interview was the worst of all worlds for the Ds. Biden committed no real flubs. He didn’t do anything to force himself out of the race. But he appears old, weak, tentative and he’s losing to Trump. So Biden will dig in and stay. The Ds are stuck," Fox News contributor Ari Fleischer similarly posted.
Biden's shocking debate performance has become a political earthquake with wide swaths of the liberal media calling for him to withdraw from the presidential race.
At a Friday campaign rally in Wisconsin, Biden insisted he is "staying in the race."
