ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos apologized for saying that President Joe Biden would not be able to serve another term — days after grilling the commander-in-chief following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
The former Bill Clinton aide was recorded Tuesday in a video obtained by TMZ answering a question from a passer-by in Midtown Manhattan about Biden’s political future.
“I don’t think he can serve four more years,” Stephanopoulos said.
His comment echoed the sentiments of many in the Democratic Party who have called for the 81-year-old Biden to end his reelection bid over concerns about his mental acuity.
However, Stephanopoulos quickly backtracked hours after the video made headlines, expressed regret for offering his candid response.
“Earlier today I responded to a question from a passerby. I shouldn’t have,” the news anchor said.
ABC News also tried to distance the network from Stephanopoulos’ opinion.
“George expressed his own point of view and not the position of ABC News,” the Disney-owned news unit said in a separate statement.
Stephanopoulos, who co-anchors both “This Week” and “Good Morning America” for ABC News, interviewed Biden last Friday following his bumbling performance in the June 27 debate.
The journalist pressed Biden on whether he had taken cognitive tests, and how he might feel if he continued to run for the White House but lost the election to Trump.
An estimated 8.5 million Americans watched at least some of Stephanopoulos’ 22-minute post-debate interview with Biden, which was rebroadcast on “This Week” on Sunday.
The president gave multiple excuses for his pitiful performance at the first presidential showdown against Trump, saying that he was “exhausted” and “sick” with a “bad cold” before whining that he let Trump’s remarks “distract me.” Biden also couldn’t recall whether he had watched footage of his debate meltdown.
Biden said his frequent errors on the debate stage in Atlanta were a “bad episode” rather than a sign of permanent deterioration, but refused to submit to a cognitive exam to prove that statement.
“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day,” Biden said. “Every day, I’ve had tests. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, I’m running the world. And that’s not — it sounds like hyperbole, but we are the central nation of the world.”
