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ABC News’ anchor George Stephanopoulos was caught on camera saying he doesn’t believe Joe Biden can serve another term in the White House – days after he questioned him about his competence in what was pitted to be a make-or-break interview for the embattled president.
The television host was strolling down a New York City street when he was approached by a passerby.
“Do you think Biden should step down? You’ve talked to him more than anyone else has lately... you can be honest,” the anonymous pedestrian asked.
Caught off guard and seemingly oblivious to the camera rolling, Stephanopoulos is heard in the video, first obtained by TMZ, saying: “I don’t think he can serve four more years.”
The video gained traction online, prompting both Stephanopoulos and ABC News to release statements on his comments.
The anchor expressed regret for his comments in a statement released by the news program’s spokesperson Brooks Lancaster.
“Earlier today I responded to a passerby. I shouldn’t have,” he said.
ABC News meanwhile distanced itself from his comments.
“George expressed his own point of view and not the position of ABC News,” the statement read.
Stephanopoulos had been handpicked to hold the first major interview with Biden since his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27, which thrust the president’s mental acuity into the spotlight.
The embattled president sat down with the news anchor in Madison, Wisconsin, for the pre-recorded interview last Friday, which was aired as a prime-time special that night.
In the interview, Biden vowed that only the “Lord almighty” could persuade him to step aside from the 2024 race, brushed off his dismal debate performance as a “bad night” and claimed that – if he loses to Trump come November – he’d be satisfied as “long as I gave it my all”.
The hotly-anticipated interview marked a desperate effort to turn the tide on an increasingly despondent Democrat camp, with several lawmakers, donors and commentators calling for him to exit the race.
But for many, it did little to tone down concerns.
One longtime Democratic donor bundler told The Daily Beast that the interview was a “huge opportunity missed,” adding: ““This was his Alamo, and he’s going down like Davey Crocket.”
Now, seven House Democrats have publicly called for Biden to drop out of the 2024 election – while others are said to have echoed concerns about his abilities to beat Trump behind closed doors.
Despite the growing pressure, Biden remains defiant that he’s going nowhere. On Monday, he doubled down that he is “firmly committed to staying in this race” and “beating Donald Trump” in a letter to congressional Democrats.
