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President Joe Biden is heading into a make-or-break weekend as his campaign teeters on the edge of collapse with elected officials in his own party expressing grave concerns about his ability to run for an other four years – and whether he should – after his disastrous debate against former President Donald Trump exposed concerns about his physical and mental fitness for the job.
The president is scheduled to campaign in Wisconsin today and sit for an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that will air as a prime-time special at 8 p.m.
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Biden faces most important interview of his career
Emily Goodin, senior U.S. political reporter
President Joe Biden heads to Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday for a campaign event but, more importantly, he’ll be sitting down for the most important television of his career.
Biden, 81, will be interviewed by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in his first on-camera interview since last week’s debate.
The president is trying to hold Democrats together behind his candidacy as concerns among the party grow as to whether he can beat Donald Trump in November.
Biden has reportedly acknowledged he is facing a ticking clock when it comes to convincing people of his competence and the ABC interview will be a huge part of that.
The network will air the interview in its entirety at 8 pm ET.
Trump challenges Biden to another debate
Donald Trump challenged Joe Biden to another debate, offering a ‘no holds barred’ discussion on the issues of the day ‘anytime, anywhere, anyplace.’
He proposed having just the two of them on stage with no moderator.
Trump issued his challenge as Biden is struggling to maintain support among Democrats to stay their nominee after he bombed in the first president debate last week.
The former president argued another debate would bring in massive ratings and would allow Biden ‘to prove his “competence,” or lack thereof’ and added ‘it would be yet another test for me.’
I have the answer to the Crooked Joe Biden Incompetence Puzzle — Let’s do another Debate, but this time, no holds barred – An all on discussion, with just the two of us on stage, talking about the future of our Country.
It would also, under great pressure, prove his “competence,” or lack thereof. Likewise it would be yet another test for me. What a great evening it would be, just the two of us, one on one, in a good, old fashioned Debate, the way they used to be. ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!!!
With many wondering if she could replace Biden as Democrats’ candidate for president were he to drop out, she was positively giddy while giving the speech.
She said: ‘We give thanks to our commander-in-chief, the vice – the president of the United States! The extraordinary President of the United States Joe Biden!’
Biden then took in the applause from the Washington crowd and wished everyone a happy Independence Day amid calls for him to step down by many of his fellow Democrats.
The brief error was similar to one that Biden himself had made in an interview with a black radio station in Philadelphia.
Biden described himself as a black woman during a radio interview flub, as calls mount for the 81 year-old president to drop his re-election bid.
The gaffe-prone president stumbled over his words during Thursday’s interview with Philadelphia’s WURD, seemingly mixing himself up with his Vice President Kamala Harris.
‘By the way, I’m proud to be, as I said, the first vice president, first black woman… to serve with a black president. Proud to be involved of the first black woman on the Supreme Court. There’s so much that we can do because, look… we’re the United States of America.’
Biden appeared to be highlighting his appointment of Kamala Harris as the United States first black female vice president.
Confusingly, he himself was previously vice president, which is likely what he was referring to in ‘to serve with a black president.’
Biden tells governors he needs more sleep and plans to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m.
President Joe Biden told Democratic governors that he plans to stop holding events past 8 p.m. – so he can get more sleep.
The New York Times reported on the tidbit coming out of the high-stakes meeting with some of the Democratic Party’s rising stars at the White House Wednesday night – in which Biden told the group he was staying in the race.
And it comes after Axios cited staffers saying he already clocked a succinct 10 am to 4 pm workday, with an afternoon nap.
Biden told the governors ‘that he told his staff he needed to get more sleep,’ the Times reported citing multiple sources familiar with the meeting, and ‘said he needed to work fewer hours and avoid events after 8 p.m.’
During the same meeting, Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii asked Biden about his health.
The president replied that his health is fine.
‘It’s just my brain,’ he then said – a comment that some of the governors took as a joke, while at least one found strange.
The governors said they provided ‘feedback’ and expressed ‘concerns,’ but the 81-year-old president’s heels were dug in.
Biden and his White House team blamed jetlag and a cold for his disastrous performance in the debate against former President Donald Trump one week ago.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s campaign chair, played clean-up on the comment: ‘He was clearly making a joke,’ she said.