ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos admitted Tuesday that he does not believe President Biden can serve out a second term — days after conducting a closely watched interview with the commander-in-chief following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last month.
Stephanopoulos, 63, was recorded by TMZ answering a question from a passer-by about Biden’s political future in midtown Manhattan.
“Do you think Biden should step down?” the anonymous interrogator asked the “Good Morning America” co-host and “This Week” moderator. “You’ve talked to him more than anybody else has lately.”
“I don’t think he can serve four more years,” the soft-spoken Stephanopoulos responded after a pause.
“You don’t think he can serve four more years?” the questioner repeated before adding: “All right, that’s an answer.”
An estimated 8.5 million Americans watched Stephanopoulos’ 22-minute post-debate interview with Biden, which aired in full July 5 and was rebroadcast on “This Week” the following Sunday.
Biden also claimed that his frequent errors were a “bad episode” rather than a sign of permanent deterioration, but declined to submit to a cognitive exam to prove that statement.
“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day,” Biden told Stephanopoulos, a former White House communications director in the Clinton administration who has worked for ABC in various capacities since 1997. “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.”
Reps for ABC News declined to comment.
