ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos reportedly described his post-debate interview with former President Joe Biden as “heartbreaking up close,” according to Chris Whipple’s new book, “Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,” Fox News reports.
The book, released Tuesday, details the internal turmoil within the Democratic Party and the Biden administration following Biden’s widely criticized debate performance against then-candidate Donald Trump on June 27. According to Whipple, the debate sparked concerns among Democrats about Biden’s ability to lead the ticket.
Seeking to quell growing calls for Biden to step aside, the White House agreed to an interview with Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week” scheduled for July 5. The intention was to reassure the public about the president’s fitness for office. However, Whipple paints a grim picture of the interview’s outcome.
“Hoarse and semi-coherent” is how Whipple describes Biden during the interview. Stephanopoulos himself was reportedly disappointed by the encounter. The book suggests the interview further fueled concerns about Biden’s candidacy.
Evidence of Stephanopoulos’ sentiment can be found in a video shared by TMZ just days after the interview, where he appeared to express reservations about Biden’s ability to continue.
Biden’s answers during the interview, as detailed in the ABC News transcript, did little to alleviate the concerns raised by his debate performance. He was quoted as saying he was doing the “goodest job” he could and seemed uncertain about whether he had even watched his own debate performance, stating, “I don’t think I did, no.”
Ultimately, Joe Biden officially dropped out of the race on July 21, less than three weeks after his interview with Stephanopoulos, signaling a dramatic shift in the political landscape.
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